Holy Angels’ Convent – The Congregation of the Carmelite Religious

Holy Angels' Convent

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONVENT AT TRIVANDRUM, 1880

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Ildephonse Borgna, Bishop of Quilon, founded the Convent of the Holy Angels at Trivandrum on November 10, 1880, with the express purpose of educating the Catholic girls of the locality. He placed it under the direction of Rev. Mother M. Elias of Jesus. The other pioneers were Sr. M. Stanislaus of the Sacred Heart, Sr. M. Louisa of St. Joseph, Sr. M. Teresa of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and Miss Matilda Rego, an aspirant from Cannanore, who was also part of the group. The school, which was opened on the 22nd of the same month and year, was begun on a small scale. It was divided into two branches—English and Vernacular, the initial strength being 47 small children. The first residence of the sisters was a cozy little mission house on the main street near the Huzur Cutcherry.

Mother M. Elias put her little community under the protection of the Holy Angels, and these angelic guardians have always been our special helpers. A Boarding House had to be opened; this was done in July 1882. The first boarders were Sybil Gunther and Frederick Cartner. Success in the Government Examinations—Middle School and Higher Examinations for women—was achieved with cent percent results every year. The school improved so rapidly that in 1885 the Madras University granted it recognition for the Matriculation Examination. Three years later, four pupils appeared for the Matriculation and all four passed. Angels’ Convent was the first school in the Presidency to present young ladies for the examination and to secure passes.

In 1885, the foundation stone of the new Convent building in Vanjour (now Vanchiyoor) near the General Hospital was blessed and laid by Rt. Rev. Dr. Ferdin Ossi, assisted by Rev. Father Mary Victor and Rev. Father John of the Cross, and attended by the sisters, children, and several parishioners. Construction work began, and the convent was completed in 1890. August 27, 1890, is a day remembered, for on that day the inmates of the Holy Angels’ Convent shifted to the new building, which was blessed with great solemnity and grandeur by Rt. Rev. Dr. Ferdinand Ossi. The ceremony was witnessed by a large number of parishioners.

A thorough English education was imparted to the children. Besides the prescribed syllabus, importance was given to music—both vocal and instrumental—as well as to drawing, painting, and sewing. Poor children were given free education and provided with the necessary school requisites. The school made such rapid strides in the field of education that the sisters were not able to cope with the work. On April 4, 1891, Rev. Mother M. Elias left for Europe to try for vocations, leaving her community under the care of Rev. Mother Mary of the Incarnation, the then Superioress of Quilon. Always obedient to her superiors, she left at once for India and was received with great pomp and show when she arrived at Trivandrum in January 1892. Parents and children gave her a royal reception. Revived and refreshed, Mother M. Elias was back at her work.

In 1894, Mother M. Elias succeeded in establishing a Normal class in the school, which was recognized by the Government of Travancore as well as by that of Madras. The great necessity for this Normal class arose because the Travancore Government was building a splendid Ladies’ College in which no religious instruction would be given. Even in the first year of their training, the students achieved wonderful success. Five young ladies were presented for the Examination of the Madras Presidency, in which five hundred candidates took part. The first, third, fourteenth, and fifteenth places were awarded to four of the pupils of Holy Angels’ School. The opening of this Normal class fulfilled a long-hoped-for wish of the people of Trivandrum. However, funds were needed for the construction of new buildings, the laying out of tennis courts, and fulfilling all the conditions required by the New Education Code in India.

Mother Veronica, always interested in the progress and development of Holy Angels’ Convent, proudly preserved an account of the prize distribution, which was published in The Western Star, a Trivandrum Protestant newspaper, on November 2, 1894. An application for permission to raise the High School to a Second Grade College, affiliated to Madras University, was made in May 1898. The institution was recommended for affiliation in August 1898, and was recognized as a Second Grade College with effect from January 1899. Year by year, the orphanage and school were increasing in numbers, and for the purpose of procuring suitable accommodation, Mr. C. R. Arasratnam Pillai put up the building for St. Michael’s Industrial School. Bishop Benziger, assisted by Rev. Fr. John of the Cross, solemnly blessed it on March 18, 1905. At the end of her term on April 15, 1905, Bishop Ferdinand Ossi, by the following letters, appointed Mother M. Michael as Superior of Holy Angels’ and Mother M. Gabriel as Novice Mistress.

Mother M. Michael was active in promoting the works and interests of the Convent and School. The school building behind the Grotto bears standing witness to her efforts and labours. The beautiful structure endures till today—a precious relic of the golden past, when the Maharajah and members of the royal family were often present for the school functions and were led up the winding wooden staircase, where they could watch the programme from a spacious balcony reserved for them. Glowing accounts of the function were published in the newspaper The Western Star of September 10, 1907, and are preserved in our records.

The new building was commenced in July 1905. The foundation stone was blessed and laid by His Lordship Bishop Benziger on the evening of August 15, 1905, in the presence of the contractor Mr. Govindan, Mr. & Mrs. Arasratnam Pillai, the community, the boarders, and orphans. The blessing of the building took place on the evening of September 8, 1907, the Nativity of Our Blessed Lady, and on the evening of the following day, September 9, there was a gathering of the parents and relations of the pupils, as well as friends and well-wishers of the Institution.