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ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPUCHIN ORDER IN INDIA 221 Fr General's reply to Fr Louis was an equilibrate one. He found nothing inappropriate about his predecessor's decision to start a Noviti– ate in India even though there was only a skeleton personnel in the Mission. It had been exactly in that way that the Order had got established in the different parts the world over. While encouraging the Lector to hold his ground as becoming a true religious, he incul– pated him for breaking up with his Bishop. He desired to receive letters also from the students, as it would be a means of getting to know one another 67 • The Lector was told that the increased workload relating precisely to the problems in the Indian Novitiate, had impeded the General Superiors from instantly replying to each and every letter of his. His suggestions were appreciated and accordingly appropriate decisions would be taken after having collected more data from other sources 68 • The General Secretary of Missions' letter of 13 October 1886 seemed to 4. II numero delle celle e sf scarso, che i novizi dopo la professione dovono continuare ad abitare le stesse celle de! noviziato, dimanierache essendovi or un solo novizio, manca– no affatto le celle per ricevere altri postulanti: percio, dopo la professione de! detto novizio, il noviziato rimarebbe egualmente chiuso di fatto. II. Famiglia Canonica. l. Fino dal 1882 non vi e stato piu Guardiano, o Superiore locale espressamente costituito. 2. II numero voluto di quattro professi dimoranti nel Convento de! Noviziato, non e stato esatto. a. perche il P. Maestro dirigeva l'Orfanatrofio, e non avendo un Vice-Maestro, non poteva vigilare i novizi: b. ii P. Rettore de! Collegio non pote mai dimorare nel convento de] noviziato: c. piu di una volta restarono per qualche mese in Mussoorie tre soli professi; finche non vi ando V. Ecc. R.ma a compiere il numero di quattro. - una famiglia religiosa, senza un Superiore locale espressamente costituito, non sembra canonica: e per questa e per le altre circostanze riferite, e almeno dubbia la validita degli atti capitolari, e delle professioni... La riapertura dunque de! noviziato dipende dalla sollecitudine con cui verranno affrontate le cose suddette; e subito che ne avro avviso, mandero il permesso di riaprirlo". 67 APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Fr General to Fr Louis, Rome 26 July 1886. APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Fr Louis to Fr General, Mussoorie 28 August 1886: the students had written to Fr General some three years back, and as no reply had reached them, it was thought prudent not to do it any more. But since he was welcoming such letters from them, the Lector promised that they would be writing to him. They did write and the General Secretary of Missions' envelope of 13 October 1886 addressed to Fr Louis carried Fr General's reply to the students. 68 APCapTusc Missione Indostan, the General Secretary of Missions to Fr Louis, Rome 1 September 1886: "Intanto si aspettano altre informazioni segrete: resta sospeso ii noviziato con la professione de] novizio che ora vi e. Ella capisce che certe misure, specialmente di lontano, non possono prendersi precipitosamente".