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232 BENEDICT VADAKKEKARA the boy, one of the new students defiantly came out in open support of the boy. According to Fr Benedict, the incident brought to the fore the collision course that someone wished to follow, and was an added confirmation that the boy had been instigated. He rushed a letter to Mgr Jacopi saying that he would not be able to continue in office beyond "the last day of the year" and requested him to make alternate arrangements 108 • Fr Benedict's letter was promptly for– warded to Fr General Procurator, with a covering note scribbled on it to the effect that the existing arrangement was unworkable and that the status quo had to be restored 109 • The "Information" of 21 April 1890 signed by the General Secretary of Missions refers to certain fortuitous facts which ultimately sealed the fate of the Novitiate, however unwitting Mgr Jacopi was of the tragic consequences of his decisions. Driven up the wall, two Regular Superiors resigned from office one after the other, indicating that a durable solution was not forthcoming locally 110 • The story of the ill-fated Novitiate re– flects the history of the Agra Mission at its worst 11 1. 108 AGCap H4, IV, Fr Benedict to Mgr Jacopi, Mussoorie 26 November 1888: "Questo mette sempre meglio in chiaro il fatto gia noto che i ragazzi sono istigati da altri a ribellarsi contra quello sgraziato. Forse dovro allontanarlo subito". AGCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Fr Benedict to Fr Louis, Mussoorie 1 January 1889: "Deve pure sapere che io ho dato la rinunzia a Superiore della Scuola. Non essendo phi Superio– re de! Convento mi e assolutamente impossibile d'andar piu avanti, tanto piu al presente che il Convento non e in buoni termini con me perche protestai francamente contro tutto quello che il P. Superiore e P. O'Dea avevano fatto riguardo al Convento". 109 AGCap H 4, IV, Mgr Jacopi to Procurator, (undated): "Da questa lettera e da cio che io gia scrissi V.P. Rev.ma e al Rev.ma P. Gen.[era]le, V.P. vedra bene l'assoluta necessita di rimettere le cose de! Convento nello stato qua, in cui erano prima de! complotto. Il Padre che ha cura dell'orfanatrofio, deve essere anche Guardiano. Ora il P. Giacomo da Delhi e Guardiano e Lettore, ed e nemico giurato de! P. Benedetto. L'istrut– tore degli studenti e questo P. Giacomo da Delhi e il P. Benedetto bisogna che abbia pazienza. L'altro Giacomo Doogan e una specie di sopraintendente de! Convento". The new dispositions made by the Regular Superior had not found favour with the Bishop. 11 ° Fr Felix of Gemona (of Udine; Prov. Venice) was appointed Regular Superior on 13 January 1888; Fr Damasus of Villafranca took his place on 4 April 1888 on Fr Felix's resignation; Fr Damasus resigned and 21 June 1889 and the whole Mission of Agra was placed under the General Commissary Mark usque donec; Fr Julius of Alatri was nominated Regular Superior on 2 June 1890. Cf. AGCap AH 10, Acta Congregation. pro missionibus, 9-10, 15, 19. 111 AGCap H 4, II, the Secretary General of Missions, Informazione of 21 April 1890: "Quando ii 28 Aprile de! 1884 la S.C. di Prop. ingiunse al Capitolo Generale dell'Ordine di riordinare le missioni delle Indie, e il Noviziato di Mussoorie, piu volte