Joseph Thekedathu – “St Francis Xavier’s orphanage and industrial school at Tanjore, South India (1906-1928)”, in “L’Opera Salesiana dal 1880 al 1922. Esperienze particolari in Europa, Africa, Asia”.

The achievements of the Salesians during their 22 years of work at Tanjore were certainly remarkable. When they reached that place, there was just a large parish with a miserably housed middle school catering to about 130 boys and an incipient orphanage with a handful of inmates. By the time they left, the parish was in a flourishing state through the zealous ministry of Fr. Méderlet and his able assistants. Since the spiritual needs of the villagers were well attended to, there were numerous conversions in the outlying villages. Sodalities and the unit of Salesian Cooperators helped to tone up the life of the parish.

I risultati raggiunti dai Salesiani durante i loro 22 anni di lavoro a Tanjore sono stati certamente notevoli. Quando raggiunsero quel luogo, c’era solo una grande parrocchia con una piccola scuola media che ospitava circa 130 ragazzi e un nascente orfanotrofio con una manciata di detenuti. Quando se ne andarono, la parrocchia era in uno stato fiorente grazie allo zelante ministero di p. Méderlet e i suoi abili assistenti. Poiché i bisogni spirituali degli abitanti del villaggio erano ben soddisfatti, ci furono numerose conversioni nei villaggi periferici. Le associazioni e l’unità dei Salesiani Cooperatori hanno contribuito a sviluppare la vita della parrocchia.

Indice:

• Introduction
• 1. The First Years
• 2. Under Fr. Méderlet’s Leadership
• 3. The Orphanage
• 4. The Industrial School
• 5. Don Bosco Night School
• 6. Don Bosco Press
• 7. The Last Years
  • 7.1. Further Expansion
  • 7.2. Division of the House
  • 7.3. Difficulties with the Vicar General
  • 7.4. The Salesians withdraw from Tanjore
• 8. Conclusion

Reference time period: 1906 – 1928

Reference institution:
Istituto Storico Salesiano