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228 BENEDICT VADAKKEKARA dence they had in their Lector and they kept up a steady corresponden– ce with him. Some of the letters are of a very friendly tone 92 • Mgr J acopi too acquired a mellow attitude towards his former Lector, and eager to make up with him, sought Fr Raphael's mediation 93 • And it was not long before the two patched up their differences. Mgr Pesci drew a rather positive balance sheet of the Novitiate and the Study of Mussoorie. In the period between 1882 and 1886 he had sent eight students. Of these three had left, and the five that persevered were making good progress. They promised well and would be of "great help" to the Vicariate 94 • The outgoing Lector had no second thoughts that the Novitiate held out much hope though there were many ifs and buts to it. Of the five students he had in 1883, only three remained; while the performance of two of whom spoke well for them, the third one did not have the stuff but "did what he could". He had great expectations regarding the postulant Paul Hu– ghes of Kidarne, a man of parts with much goodwill 9 5 • sono quelli che non sono disposti a farsi Cappuccini ma sono bene inclinati alla vita ecclesiastica come preti secolari. Spero adunque di poter fare conto su di detto Padre per il Seminario" . 92 APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, letters of Brs Pius, Joseph [Hickey, a cleric from Allahabad], Fidelis, Mussoorie December 1886. In the middle of February 1887 Brs Joseph, Pius and Fidelis sent him a joint-letter, with an "accompanying gift as a small token of that affection which we believed it our duty and found it our pleasure to show to you." His memory remained green in the minds of his students even years later. APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Fr Paulinus of Cortona (Prov. Tuscany) to Fr Louis, Agra 5 April 1899: "Anche i suoi vecchi Studenti... parlano spessissimo di Lei specialmente ii P. Pio e Bernardino". 93 On getting the message, Fr Louis wrote to his former superior, who in like manner replied: APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Mgr Jacopi to Fr Louis, Mussoo– rie 17 September 1887: "Alla fine ho ricevuta una carissima sua, e godo di sentire che ii Rev.mo P. G.[enera]le gli'ha dato un impiego in Roma, secondo ii suo gusto e genio". 94 Cf. AGCap H 6, III, Mgr Pesci to Fr General, Allahabad 12 June 1888. 95 Cf. APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Fr Louis to the General Secretary of Missions, Mussoorie 10 January 1887. AGCap H 4, IV, Fr Paul to Fr General, Mussoorie 24 February 1892: recounts his personal story. "In 1867 being about 21 years old, I entered the Religious State among the Brs of St Patrick in Ireland. In 1875 I was sent to help to found a new house in India where, in 1986, my Confessor, seeing that I was anxious to work for the conversion of the poor heathens, advised me to join the Capuchins. This I did, and with your kind permission was ordained priest immediately after my Solemn Profession in March 1891. Shortly after I was appoin– ted Preceptor to the two Clerics, which post I yet hold". In the same letter he spoke of his disillusionment: "Notwithstanding all your entreaties about studying the vernaculars

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