DOWN MEMORY LANE

Reflections on the Sesquicentennial (1860 –2010) of St Patrick’s Church, Kanpur
# Allan de Noronha
(chhotebhai)

INTRODUCTION:
It is with a deep sense of mystery and humility that I embark upon the mammoth exercise of trying to reconstruct the history of St Patrick’s Church, Kanpur, on the occasion of its Sesquicentennial (150th Jubilee) from 1860 – 2010. At the outset I must ask forgiveness for any errors or notable omissions in this record. They are in no way intentional.

Dan Brown, the author of the best selling “The da Vinci Code”, states, “History is always written by the victors”. It is a poignant, yet dangerous, premise. As the adage goes, one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. Nevertheless, I shall attempt to present the history of our Church as objectively as possible. History that confines itself to dates, buildings and events can be quite boring. So this exercise will have a strong human element. As we have often heard, if we don’t learn the lessons of history, we are doomed to commit the same blunders. More importantly, we need to draw inspiration from the words and works of those who have gone before us.

A BACKGROUNDER:
In the north there is a common misconception that Christianity came to India in the wake of British colonialism. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, also had some strong misgivings about the Christians he encountered; going to the extent of saying that he loved Christ, but not the Christians!

There is ample historical evidence to substantiate the advent of Christianity in India in apostolic times, the first century AD. One of Jesus’ twelve apostles, St Thomas, arrived in Kerala circa 52 AD; probably in search of the Jewish diaspora, settled there as traders. Till today, there is a Christian community in Kerala known as Kanayas, who claim that they are the descendants of Jews from Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle. There is also much historical evidence to support the visit of another apostle, St Bartholomew, in the Kalyan area near Bombay, at that time.

Christianity remained confined to the South West coast of India, till the advent of the Portugese, again in the same area, in the 15th/ 16th century. It is from Goa that the Jesuit missionaries moved north to Emperor Akbar’s court in Agra in the 16th century. Notable among them were Rudolph Aquaviva and the Sanskrit scholar Francis Roth. Akbar’s Church in Agra is a testimony to that presence. After Agra, the next oldest Catholic presence in the north was because of Begum Sumroo in Sardhana near Meerut.

EARLY HISTORY:
The Catholic presence in Kanpur may be traced back to what is known as the Lhasa Mission to Tibet. I quote from the Catholic Directory of 1912 (the oldest one I have): “The Mission of Allahabad dates from the year 1704 when the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda sent to Tibet five Capuchin Fathers, who opened houses in Chandernagore, Patna, Nepal and Lassa. In 1745, on account of the many conversions made in the capital of Tibet, the Capuchin Missionaries were forced to leave Lassa. They retired into Nepal where the King of Kathmandu received them most kindly and allowed them to preach publicly in his kingdom, and to build churches.

The wars, which the kings of Nepal incessantly waged among themselves, were a great obstacle to the propagation of the faith. And in 1769 they left Nepal, settled in Bettiah and Patna, and began to extend their apostolic labours into Hindustan and Bengal. On 20th January 1845 Patna was erected into a separate Vicariate … the beautiful church of Patna built in 1772 … In 1871 the present cathedral of Allahabad was opened … The mission of Allahabad was erected into a diocese in 1886, on the establishment of the Hierarchy of India” .

What of Kanpur, which is now part of Allahabad diocese? The same Directory states that St Patrick’s Church, Cawnpore was built in 1825 . This is corroborated by the account of my father, late Chev Peter de Noronha, which is reproduced in this Souvenir; and also of the first Indian parish priest, the legendary Fr Balthazaar J Pereira. By their accounts the church was originally located where Chandu Babu ka Hata or Laththawali Kothi are now situated. This church was destroyed during the First War of Independence in 1857, and rebuilt at its present site in 1860.

According to late Dr Munishwar Nigam, founder President of the Kanpur History Academy, the population of the city and the Cantonments in 1857 was 108,796. “There were four churches, Christ Church with 800 seats (1837), St John’s or Soldiers’ Church, chaplain C.D. Hamilton. Rev H. Sells represented the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Rev J. J. Rooney was the priest of the Roman Catholic Church. At the Baptist Church there was no pastor … There were only a few Christian converts” . From the name it would seem that the Catholic priest was an Irishman, ministering to Irish soldiers. It is possible that he is buried in the Katcheri Cemetery.

It is unfortunate that there are no archives or old records in St Patrick’s Church. The 1912 Directory is the oldest record we have, other than the baptismal registers maintained in the church. The Directory tells us that in 1912 the Parish priest was Fr Lewis O.C., and that the Headmistress of St Mary’s Convent (opened in 1899) was Mother Floriana IBMV. There were 116 pupils.

THE CLERGY:
It is safe to presume that before the establishment of the Indian Hierarchy, and the Allahabad diocese in 1886, St Patrick’s must have been a garrison church, catering to Catholic soldiers in the British Army. As a child I remember that the pews had slots for the soldiers to keep their weapons. Since the British were mostly Anglican, it must have been their “poor cousins”, the Irish, who were the members of the church; and named it after their patron, St Patrick of Ireland. Rudyard Kipling, the noted British author of that era, invariably made derogatory references to the Irish soldiers.

It is not clear at what point of time the Irish Military Chaplains made way for the clergy of Allahabad diocese. The Catholic Directory of 1998 (the last one to be so published) states that the diocese was ministered to by the Capuchin priests of the Tuscany and Ancona Provinces (both in Italy) till 1890. Thereafter it was ministered to by the Capuchins from Bologna, Italy, till 1947, when it was handed over to the diocesan Indian clergy; with Fr B.J. Pereira of Goa, being the first Indian parish priest.

However, there was a rude interlude during the Second World War (1939 –1945). The priests in Kanpur were Italian, and the sisters at St Mary’s were German. Both these nations were part of Hitler’s and Mussolini’s Axis Forces, which were against the British led Allied Forces. Hence the Italian and German missionaries were arrested and interned by the British rulers. Sr Joan CJ delved into the archives of St Mary’s. She found that all the German sisters had to sign a bond in June 1940 stating: ‘I swear … to support constitute authority and to exclude all political ends. I include in this promise exact obedience to any rules laid down by His Majesty’s representatives, and also an undertaking to refrain from doing, saying or writing anything, either publicly or privately, to the prejudice of the British Government in India”. They could write only one letter of just 25 words in a year to their families in Germany, routed through the Vatican. It was only through the newspapers that they could know of the fighting and bombing in their homeland, a traumatic experience.

This act of the British clearly shows that political interests over rode religious goals, if at all the British had any such aspirations. The internment could have proved fatal for the Catholic Church. Fortunately the void was filled by the Capuchins of the French Canadian province. By then it was time for the indigenous Indian clergy to take over. The words of Pope Leo XIII proved truly prophetic, “Filii tui India, administri tibi salutis” (Your sons Oh India, will bring salvation to you). This prophetic vision and resilience held the Catholic Church in good stead after Independence in 1947, as it was no longer dependent on foreign missionaries. This is in sharp contrast to several other small Protestant churches, which collapsed, and their buildings were acquired by the Govt; including one at Moolganj Crossing here in Kanpur.

EVOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY:
Church historians are usually clergymen. Hence they tend to record the deeds of the clergy alone. Fortunately, St Patrick’s has a track record of a strong and enlightened laity, which played a crucial role in the growth and evolution of the faith community. Its composition has changed with time. The first Catholics most certainly were European colonialists – mostly Irish. With inter marriage, came the Eurasians (often referred to as Anglo-Indians). This ethnic group had the advantage of job opportunities in the Railways and Post & Telegraph Depts, and therefore was quite comfortable.

The first known Catholic of Indian origin was Manuel Xavier de Noronha, a businessman from Aldona, Goa. He arrived in Kanpur circa 1856. He was an eyewitness to the 1857 war, and established business in Kanpur in 1858. He was followed by his nephews Louis Caetano de Souza and Caetano Marie de Souza, from Quitla, Goa. Indeed the first ethnic Catholics were all Goan. With the growth of Kanpur’s textile industry, several Goans came to work in the mills, and also as domestic workers in the bungalows of the “burra sahibs”. There does not seem to be much evidence of conversions among the local poulace.

The first northern migrants were from the Sagar and Bettiah missions. Eustakius, the catechist from Sagar, who lived in Gadaria Mohal, was among the early “native” Christians. He was the President of the Catholic Funeral Management Society, whose members were all Hindi speaking. In like manner, the Cornelius family was among the first from Bettiah. With the advent of the Second World War, an Airforce base and several Ordnance factories came up, generating employment opportunities. This saw an influx from Tamilnadu and later Kerala. With the implementation of the reservation policy for Scheduled Tribes, there was a migration of Adivasis from the Chhotanagpur belt for Central Govt jobs, and also as institutional and domestic helpers. After the Chinese revolution several Chinese families also came to Kanpur. So St Patrick’s has been an evolving and cosmopolitan community.

Post Independence saw a reverse migration of a number of old Goan and Anglo Indian families that migrated to England, Australia and Canada. The English-speaking members always dominated St Patrick’s. This is borne out by and undated (pre-Independence leaflet) for the Corpus Christi procession where the “Indian Christian Community” was distinguished from the “Ladies and gentlemen”! This is also why the Catholic Funeral Management Society insisted that only Hindi could be used in their meetings . Interestingly, they considered Peter de Noronha as their “bonafide member”. It is in the fitness of things that Hindi has now taken pride of place in all liturgical services.

Another interesting aspect of the church in Kanpur, not limited to St Patrick’s, is the inability to evolve a truly Local Church, as envisaged by Vatican II. When the Kanpur Catholic Association (KCA) conducted a socio-economic survey in 1986 it found that only 7% of Catholics had their own houses, while in contrast 28% Protestants had theirs. This was because a large percentage of Catholics were service class, and therefore moved wherever their jobs took them. On the other hand, those who grew roots and built their own houses, also moved out of the Cantonment area, with its archaic and restrictive building laws. This is one of the reasons that St Patrick’s growth has been stifled. Those who can afford to, simply move out to suburban areas, which come under other parishes. St Patrick’s has been the mother church to the other 5 parishes in Kanpur – St Xavier’s, Ashoknagar, St Joseph’s, Chakeri, St Thomas’, Kidwainagar, St Xavier’s, Naramau and St Anthony’s, Chandari. Their gain has been St Patrick’s loss.

THE EARLIEST FAMILIES:
From the baptismal register in the parish we find that ………………………
However, before memory fades, besides the families aforementioned, let me recall to mind some families that were long time residents of St Patrick’s. In Regal Building there was Martin D’souza, the Pachecos, Oakleys, Rozarios, Machados and Wilmers; on The Mall the D’silvas, Pereiras, Menezes, Carvalhos and Andrews; in Cantt the Peters, Monte D’cruz, Ellis, Shears, Binges, Khares, D’costas and Ferdinands; in the Loco Colony the Southcombes, Wrights, Ducasses, Stuarts, and Atwells; and in Mirpur the Andersons, Bellettis and Gallibardis. They, and many more, are all fondly remembered. This ofcourse does not purport to be an exhaustive list.

TOWERING LEADERS:
The achievements of various pastors and institutions have been expressed in the articles written by their representatives in this Souvenir, so I will not repeat that. Here I will confine myself to the leadership roles of our lay Patricians, in both church and society.

Pardon me for beginning with my grandfather, William C de Noronha (Sr). He was Life President of the All India Cantonment Residents’ Association, through which forum he took the British Army rulers head-on, to protect the rights of “native Indian civilians” in the Cantonments. He was also President of the U.P. Chamber of Commerce, which again was the Indian chamber, while the British had their own “Upper India Chamber” His eldest son, Dr M.X. de Noronha, was the President of the Indian Medical Association, where his bust is put up. The next son was Chev Peter de Noronha KSG, CE, the only Patrician to be knighted by the Pope for his services to church and society. His wife, Florence, also received the papal medal “Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice”. She was the President of the All India Indian Christian Association, National Vice President of the Indian Red Cross Society as also of the Council of Catholic Women of India, Chairman of the U.P. Hospitals’ Welfare Society etc. The U.P. Govt made her an Honorary Magistrate. Stanley de Noronha, perhaps Kanpur’s best orator, was the Governor of the Rotary Club for two terms. Sr Angela UMI and Alice de Souza also assumed leadership roles in the Council of Catholic Women of India.

And ofcourse, yours truly was the youngest National President of the All India Catholic Union for two terms, and represented the country at the International Council of Catholic Men. It is hoped that the youth and women of our parish will draw inspiration from these stalwarts of yesteryear, and future leaders will also emerge.

MILESTONES:
In the annals of our community there are some events and occasions that stand out as milestones. Here are some of them.
· Pride of place must go to the visit of Mother Teresa in 1967, her subsequent visits and her association with our parish.
· India’s first cardinal, Valerian Gracias of Mumbai, was our honoured guest, also in 1967. Besides the reception given to him in the parish, he was invited to address the Rotary Club, and also to Raj Bhawan, Lucknow, for dinner with Governor B. Gopala Reddi.
· The visit of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the 1950s was a time of great devotion and blessing. The parishioners had gathered in large numbers at the railway station to bring the statue in procession to the church; and thereafter for veneration in different homes.
· In December 1965 the investuture ceremony of the papal awardees by Bp Raymond D’mello, was a red-letter day for the parish, with the elite of civil and military society present.
· A faded sepia print, now partly legible with a magnifying glass, records that when Fr Victor Sinibaldi O.C., the then parish priest, was made the bishop of Allahabad in 1899, his Episcopal gold ring was presented to him by W.C. de Noronha (Sr) of this parish.
· Later, when Fr Angelo Poli O.C., also parish priest here, was made the bishop of Allahabad, again it was the Patricians who presented him his Episcopal ring on 30/11/1915. It was on behalf of the Catholic Association of Allahabad Diocese. A copy of the felicitation is printed in this Souvenir. The signatories were Fr John Chrysostom O.C. (Patron), J.G. Ryan (Chairman), W.C. de Noronha (Vice Chairman & Secretary), and members E.E. Chiene, L.C. de Souza, W D’cruz, M Kirwar, F.H. Johnson and Fr Lewis O.C.
· One of the saddest moments was when two young men of the parish died in a tragic plane crash in July 1970. William O’Connor and David Beglan were in a two-seater aircraft from the Kanpur Flying Club. They crashed when flying over the Girls’ High School in Allahabad.

ACTIVITIES:
St Patrick’s has always been humming with activity. Its golden era was the post Independence period under the stewardship of its first Indian parish priest, Fr Balthazaar Pereira. He was an outstanding, yet humble persona, who believed in the full participation of the laity in all parish activities.

THE LEGION OF MARY: Pride of place must go to the Legion of Mary; a lay organisation that laid special emphasis on home visitation, to make people feel loved and wanted. This began in 1944, when Peter de Noronha was appointed the first Indian Envoy of the Legion, spreading its message far and wide in north India. Besides house visitation, it laid emphasis on the gaining of religious knowledge through Patrician Meetings (a type of study circle). They also had a strong campaign for dissemination of Catholic literature and periodicals. The Catholic Information Centre was run under the aegis of the Legion from the residence of Peter de Noronha. It is well documented in the history of evangelisation in U.P. that the goodnews went out to thousands of non-Christians in Hindi, English and Urdu. The Centre used the “Meet Christ” booklets prepared by Frs Wattling SJ of Patna and Theodore Bowling SJ of Poona. In later years, because of Peter’s failing health, Maj J.R. de Souza (Retd), took up the work of the Centre. Another unique feature of the Legion was the large Christmas Crib put up at the Rio Restaurant, owned by Mr Lorenzo, on The Mall. Anthony Julius was one of the stalwarts that manned the Crib, spreading the Christmas message, and disseminating leaflets on Christmas. Among those who were active Legionaries we may recall the names of Lena and Peter Machado, Noreen de Souza, K.O. Samuel, Jimmy Binge, Gnanapragasam, A. Sebastian, Patsy Wright, Gill Pereira and Paul D’souza.

THE CATHOLIC CLUB: Together with the spiritual, there was also the cultural. The Catholic Club was a favourite watering hole for the parishioners. Clergy and laity enjoyed playing badminton together (Fr Germain Ferreira was an enthusiast) and going for picnics. There were regular Whist Drives, housie, dances and other cultural activities to bond the community.

COMMUNICATIONS: Long before media and communications became common parlance, St Patrick’s had its own parish journals – “Contact”, and later “The Master Calls”. Some extracts are printed here. There was also a library, known as Duckett’s Library. There was even a printing press at the back of what is now St Aloysius’ School Hall. It generated employment for under-privileged Catholics.

THE CATHOLIC MILTANT: In pre-Vatican II ecclesiology the Church on earth was often referred to as the Church Militant (a kind of struggle against the dark forces of evil). Post Vatican II we now call ourselves a Pilgrim Church (moving forward, but not yet arrived). A pamphlet of 1944 reveals the ideology and activities of this “militant” group! It states that a good militant must be dependable, efficient, punctual and attentive to details. Members had to receive Communion once a month, spend one hour every month on work allotted etc. It was a Bible Study programme, with specific Gospel passages or issues for study and discussion. Among the “subjects for enquiry” were – Militarism, Pacifism, Mixed Marraiges, Respect for Women and Temperance. Since it was during the protracted WWII they were asking the question “Why does God not stop the war?” The “subjects for study” were based on the papal encyclicals Rerum Novarum and Quadragessimo Anno. They included:
· Factors that make for World Revolution
· A Mad Race for Profits and the New Economic Dictatorship
· Socialist Philosophy, Economics, Politics and the Marxian Programme
· The Proper use of Wealth, and the Bonds of Brotherly Love
This was way back in1944! So were the Militants of yesteryears way ahead of the Pilgrims of today? How many of us care to study Sacred Scripture, the Vatican Council documents or papal encyclicals, either individually or collectively?

ST MARTHA’S WELFARE ASSOCIATION: In the encounter with Jesus at Bethany, the church has traditionally extolled the virtues of Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to him; while he sister Martha was castigated for being “too busy” with worldly things. A division was made between the Marys (religious) and the Marthas (laity). The Marthas was an organisation founded in the USA, where laywomen helped in the “material work” of the church, as distinct from “spiritual” organisations. Kanpur was the first branch of the organisation outside the USA, but with no financial links. The Marthas raised funds through raffles, balls etc and catered to the needs of remote mission stations throughout the diocese of Allahabad. The missionaries would give their wish lists – clothing or bedding for the boarders and orphans, sacred vessels, vestments etc. The Marthas never said no. Among the active members were Florence de Noronha, Hazel de Souza, Antoniette D’silva, Rita Ballard and Cynthia Southcombe.

FATIMA CLINIC: Fatima Hospital and Nursing School in Mahanagar, Lucknow is now a huge establishment. Few would know that its seed was sown in St Patrick’s. When the Ursuline sisters came here in the 1950s among them was Dr Rafaella Scolletta. In those days religious life was rather restrictive, and Dr Scolletta found it an encumbrance to her service to women in need (there were hardly any women gynaecologists then). She took the bold and pragmatic step of leaving the convent, something unheard of in those days. But she was welcomed into the home of a prominent parishioner. They gave her space on The Mall to establish Fatima Clinic. This was opposite Nanarao Park, where the Indian Overseas Bank is now located. Some years later Dr Scolletta moved to Lucknow at the behest of the Italian Capuchins still working there.

KANPUR CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION: This is not strictly a parish organisation, if we think that a parish is restricted to the boundary walls of a church. However, Vatican II ecclesiology has expanded the horizons of the church and its responsibilities. Suffice it to say that whereas a Parish Council caters to the internal needs of the church, like First Communion or Corpus Christi processions; Catholic Associations, as clearly enunciated in the New Code of Canon Law, work in temporal affairs – socio-economic, political, legal, advocacy etc. The KCA has been active in protecting the rights of the church before Govt agencies, and in promoting communal harmony and social justice. Among its founder members from this parish were Alwyn Prabhu IOFS, Alice de Souza, Douglas de Noronha, Cynthia Southcombe and Veronica Bajpai. Current active members include Angelo Menezes, Sanjay Khanna, Brian Thomson, Omi Srivastava and Elizabeth Singh.

LANDMARKS:

Besides the various Milestones and Activities of the parish there are also some noteworthy landmarks, including the parishioners’ contribution to diverse fields like the Armed Forces, Music, Business etc.

LOCAL VOCATIONS: We have seen how missionaries from distant lands came to sweat and toil in our parish. After their departure it was the priests from Goa, and subsequently from Mangalore, who took up the onerous task. Similarly, among the religious, most of the sisters who have been ministering to the parish are from Kerala or Chhotanagpur. It is unfortunate that there have been hardly any local vocations from our parish. In the 1950s, the first one was Christine de Noronha, who took the name of Sr Christa IBMV. The other is Lena Carvalho, daughter of Dominic Carvalho, a migrant from Goa. She joined the Apostolic Carmel sisters.

ARMED FORCES: This parish gave birth to several war heroes, especially during WWI (1914-18) and WWII (1939-45).
· Pride of place goes to Capt Dr Timothy Baptist, husband of Mary Dorothy de Noronha, who lived at what is now 58 Tagore Road (opposite the present Cantt Board office). He died in service on 8/4/1901 at Meean Meer, whose bishop presided over his funeral.
· His eldest son was Col Arthur Baptist. He too was a doctor, being a specialist in tropical medicine. He was commissioned in the Indian Army on 5/11/1916. For his distinguished services he was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) on 3/6/1924.
· Arthur’s younger brother was Hugh Baptist, who was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers 2nd Bn on 8/6/1915. His head, cheek and left eye were wounded by shrapnel during WWI so he was discharged in 1918, but not before he received a British War Medal and Victory Medal.
· Peter de Noronha, being a Civil Engineer from Thomason College (now IIT Roorkee) was commissioned into King George’s Own Royal Sappers & Miners (now Bombay Sappers) during WWI.
· The deSouzas, who were part of the Baptist family, had several members in the forces. Maj Leslie deSouza of the Indian Army Medical Corps was given the bravery award Military Cross in WWII.
· His younger brother Col Malcolm deSouza was with the Garhwal Rifles.
· Their cousin Sqn Ldr Gerald Anthony deSouza was part of the 355 RAF Squadron based at Calcutta. He was killed in action on 2/5/1945, while leading a bombing raid on the Rangoon River in Burma, just a few days before WWII ended. His Commanding Officer Wg Cdr J. Martin in a letter to Gerald’s mother, the day after he was killed, said that they “admired his gallantry in action and devotion to duty”.
· There were more deSouzas in the army. Maj Joe de Souza, son of Louis Caetano deSouza also served in the army.
· In more recent times we have Col Melwyn D’Souza, whose mother Laetitia D’Souza taught for several years in St Aloysius’
· Capt Arjun Michael Singh of 10 Armoured Regt is the son of Col I.M. Singh (Retd) and Rita Singh.
We salute all these brave hearts.

MUSICIANS: Can music be far away if there are Goans around? There were several professional musicians.
· Caridade Carvalho and his brothers had their own band at the Bristol Hotel that they ran. In later years he led the Bombay Police Band
· Gabriel Pereira, together with Manuel Jose Menezes and Minguel Pacheco had a band called The Night Flyers. Pacheco went on to Bollywood to play for the legendary duo of Laxmikant Pyarelal.
· John Raphael became a famous pianist in Delhi.
· Marian deSouza, after migrating from Kanpur did her doctorate in Sacred Music.
We still hear their chimes, over time.

BUSINESSMEN: Many families have also been long established in business, something uncommon in the north.
· Manuel Xavier de Noronha founded a slew of businesses in Kanpur in 1858. After 150 years the family is still in business in Kanpur.
· Louis Caetano deSouza put up the Regal and Roxy Cinemas on The Mall.
· Caridade Carvalho and his brothers ran the Bristol Hotel on The Mall, and established Carvalhonagar, near Anwarganj on the G.T. Road.
· Ignatius D’silva ran the Orient Hotel, Billiard Room and Coffee House.
They should inspire entrepreneurial skills in our youth, instead of them waiting for jobs to fall in their laps.

CONCLUSION:

Good things should not come to an end. May the glorious history of St Patrick’s Church, Kanpur, and the many graces we have received, inspire all of us clergy, religious and laity to strive even harder to establish God’s Kingdom of peace, love, service and fellowship on earth. That will be a true tribute to those who have gone before us, leaving behind a rich legacy, as we celebrate the Sesquicentennial of our beloved church.

* The writer is the great grandson of M. X. de Noronha, the first Indian member of this church.