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ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPUCHIN ORDER IN INDIA-II 539 catechetics and specially mentioned that the Guardian, who was also the parish priest, had gone out of his way to teach Latin to four of the clerics 111 . Because of his incapacity to teach in English, the newly-arrived Fr Romuald of Subbiano taught his subjects in Latin. The report included the list of marks secured by the students. He had nothing to complain about the climatic conditions nor about the kind of stuff of which his students were made. Everything held out much hope and the project of implanting the Order was going strong 112 . The General exhorted Fr Arsenius to hold his ground 113 • Fr Master's letter too carried good tidings114. It was at this juncture that a fortuitous contact took place between the Commissary and a group of India's St Thomas Christians known ecclesiastically as the Syro-Malabar Church; this was destined to have a far-ranging impact on the course of the history of the Indian Capuchins. One Fr Zacharias TOCD of St Sebastian's Monastery, Pulinkunnu in Kerala, inquired of the Commissary if the Capuchins had the mandate from the Holy See to receive into their Order candidates of the Oriental rites, because, he said, he was in a position to recom– mend to them young hopefuls from the Syro-Malabar Church 115 • This letter was seen as an augury, and promptly it was referred to the general superiors and they in their turn approached the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches for 111 APCapTusc, Missione Indastan, Fr Louis of Seggiano to Fr Christopher, Mussoorie 21 October 1924: On getting wind of the Commissary's move to get a Belgian Father from Lahore to teach Latin, the Guardian volunteered to be the Latin teacher: "Ho accettato volentieri quantunque mi costi questo sacrifizio, pur di veder lontani gli stranieri...". 112 AGCap G 68, II, Noviziato e Studto, Fr Arsenius to Fr General, Mussoorie 18 May 1925: "Il posto e quanta mai adatto allo Studio e pel clima e per la solitudine. Gli studenti indiani hanno passatto l'inverno in ottima salute. Dalle scuole vicine non si ha il benche minima disturbo. Ed e gia constatato che la presenza dei nostri studenti fa ottima impressione...; e mi pare che questi studenti diano buon affidamento tanto per lo studio che per lo spirito". 113 AGCap G 68, II, Novizjato eStudto, Fr General to Fr Arsenius, Rome 21 June 1925. 114 AGCap G 68, IV, Noviziato e Studto (Indie), ''Relationes Particulares": Fr Master to Fr General, Sardhana 24 June 1925: " ...by the end of the year our Novitiate may be well nigh full. There are now six Cleric Novices and two Lay Brother Postulants. In Mussoorie there are five students in philosophy and two in theology. One has already been ordained priest, and is now working in Ajmer. Besides these, four professed Lay Brothers are already engaged in different Missions". 115 AGCap G 68, II, Novizjato eStudto, Fr Commissary to Fr General, Mussoorie 18 May 1925: "Il Diritto Canonico 543. P.2, dice che gli Orientali non possono essere ammessi alle Religioni Latine senza il permesso scritto della S.C. pro Ecclesia Orientali. La pregherei quindi a volerci ottenere questo permesso da potersene servire in caso di bisogno".