BCCCAP00000000000000000001717

206 BENEDICT VADAKKEKARA On 29 December 1881 the General Definitory promulgated a set of provisions for the Novitiate of Mussoorie. Mgr Jacopi was constituted its Commissary. Fr General had the discretionary power to .post the friars who would be trained at Mussoorie anywhere in the world 32 • Despite the leave that he had to adapt the Order's habit to suit India's climate and customs, Mgr Jacopi preferred to retain its form as in vogue in Italy. The hillstation of Mussoorie where- the Novitiate was located, was renown for its salubrious mountain air and its quiet seclusion 33 • Mgr Jacopi still had to defend his plan to have the Study also in India against Rome's preference to get the students trained in Eng– land. In his letter of 29 May 1882 Fr General reiterated the unani– mous decision of the General Definitory to send to England the stu– dents from India. Mgr Jacopi' s lengthy reply was a passionate defence of his plan to start also a Study in India. He pointed out that the aca– demic formation given in Europe did not hold good for the Indian missio– nary. The friars in India had to be qualified also in secular subjects like mathematics and designing, as they had to teach in the schools. Besides, the Capuchins needed to have a friary in their Indian Mission in order to retain the Mission. Mgr Jacopi's alternate Formation Pro– gramme, which was both innovatory and courageous, would not only enable the Mission to spare much of its hard earned money but also make its students contribute to its various needs. He did not fight shy of being labelled "progressive" on account of his plan 34 • 32 Cf. AAAgra A.B.D. 8 n.5: Mgr Jacopi's report of June 1886; the provisions are verbatim cited in the report. 33 Cf. AAAgra A.B.D. 8 n.5: Mgr Jacopi's report of June 1886. 34 AAAgra A.B.D. 8 n.5: Mgr Jacopi's report of June 1886 contained this Pro– gramme as elaborated in his letter of 25 September 1882: "Sistema di Studio da farsi dai giovani - dopo ii Noviziato qui in India: 1. II Lettore deve essere avvertito, che gli studenti in India non dovono avere quella troppa liberta, che hanno in Europa, che Ii distrae troppo, e gli fa perder tempo, come l'andare a dire la S. Messa fuori di Convento, ai funerali etc. II solo passeggio per prender' aria, deve bastarli, e sempre accompagnati dal Lettore, se non legittimamente impedito. 2. II tempo deve essere distri– buito in maniera, che oltre alla Messa, Salmodia ed Orazione mentale e disciplina in commune colla famiglia, possono attendere regolarmente allo Studio di Filosofia e Teologia. 3. Ad insegnare una Classe nella Scuola dei ragazzi, secondo lo loro capacita, per non scordarsi di quella o quelle scienze secolari, che avevano imparate prima de! Noviziato, e non perdere ii gusto all'insegnamento, quale dovranno continuare anche dopo lo studio,