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242 BENEDICT VADAKKEKARA Pistoia; accompanied to India a group of ten new m1ss10naries that included five clerics 143 • There was, however, a conspicuous lack of en– thusiasm in accepting vocations of local provenance 144 • Because of the many foils and other unhappy experiences, Fr Raphael longed for· an ecclesiastical jurisdiction where the Tuscan Capuchins together could work in peace 145 • The fact that the Novitiate of Mussoorie had, despite its promising start, fizzled out, did not in any way throttle the idea. Even though no light seemed to appear at the end of the tunnel, there were occasion– al flickerings of hope during this long expectance. In 1891 the Aposto– lic Delegate strongly recommended the reopening of the Novitiate 146 • 143 The students are: Brs Louis of Cortona, Giocondus of Cortona, Candid of Ca– stiglion Fiorentino, Christopher of Casteldelpiano and Colombus of Montauto. They stu– died at Mussoorie and were ordained priests on 8 April 1901. APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Fr Hilary to Fr Provincial, 21 February 1894: Mussoorie could be likened to Montecasale or Montepulciano in Tuscany and was congenial to the students. Some Capuchin Provinces had already their students in India: Province of Paris had 2 in Rajaputana, the Belgians had 6, the Province of Tyrol would be bringing 6 in October 1894 in view of the Mission of Bettiah. The Tuscan Province too could have a Study in India. 144 In the letter of 7 September 1898 to his Provincial, Fr Hilary says that Fr General had told him to consult the Provincial on taking candidates for the Order. The first candidate to be sent to Tuscany from India was Hugh Luxa of Bangalore (Br Pius of Agra). The Archbishop had sent him to the Propaganda College in Rome, but since he insisted on being a Capuchin, he was received in the Novitiate on 30 July 1900. After his profession he showed signs of failing health and so was sent back; he reached India on 11 March 1902 and died in Bangalore on 30 April 1903. Cf. APCapTusc, Registro dei Cappuccini defunti in Toscana, III, 371. As Fr Raphael's request to Tuscany to accept another postulant did not evoke a prompt response, he wrote again: "Nella mia relazione Le chiedevo se prendeva un altro giovane pel Noviziato, ma Ella non ne fa parola nella sua. P.M.Rev. mi faccia la carita di prenderlo, altrimenti si vanno sempre piu moltiplicandosi i Preti secolari... In quanto a mandare i giovani pel Noviziato, stia per certo che ne manderemo molti pochi, forse un paio ogni 20 anni, perche si fa di tutto per non mandarne": APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Agra 8 October 1901. 145 APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Fr Raphael to Fr Remigius of Florence (Prov. Tuscany), 9 May 1908: "II punto principale che noi si dovrebbe combattere e quello di formare una Missione tutta nostra, senza Preti secolari e se forse possibile anche senza frati di altre Provincie". 146 Cf. AGCap H 4, I: Apostolic Delegate Andrew Ajuti's Report, Allahabad 19 March 1891.

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