Latest news with #ShenbagamMatriculationHigherSecondarySchool
News18
10-05-2025
- General
- News18
When Pope Leo XIV Visited Tamil Nadu's Pollachi In 2006
Last Updated: Pope Leo XIV paid a visit to the Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in 2006. Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, posed for a photograph outside the gate of a Pollachi-based school in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore nearly 19 years ago. At the time of his October 2006 visit to the Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Father Robert Francis Prevost was serving as the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine. His image at the school in southern India has gone viral on social media and has also been shared by TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Instagram. 'The new Pope. 19 years ago in 2006, a 50-year-old priest, Fr Robert Prevost visited India. He was then the global head of the Order of St. Augustine," the TMC leader wrote. He highlighted that the school was run by the 'Augustinian Fathers under the Diocese of Coimbatore". O'Brien stated that there are a total of '2,800 Augustinian priests" working in 47 countries around the world. This mission started in India 450 years ago. This was the time when the first Portuguese missionaries landed in Goa, he added. In today's times, it runs two schools and three parishes in the country. As per reports, Father Prevost served as the Prior General of the Order between 2001 and 2013. He came to India twice in 2004 and 2006 during this period. At the time, he met Augustinian communities in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He went back to his Augustinian Province in Chicago in October 2013, serving across various roles, until getting appointed as Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo in November 2014 by Pope Francis, according to Vatican News. Interestingly, Pope Leo XIV travelled from Kochi to Pollachi in a car, PTI quoted Father Wilson Injerappu, Order of Saint Augustine (OSA), regional Vicar of the Augustinian Order in India, as saying. Calling him a humble person, Father Injerappu said that Father Prevost 'encouraged the students in the school" during his visit. Father Binu Yesudasan shared that it was a proud moment for them to have Father Prevost visit the school. As per the news agency, Father Prevost came to India at that time to participate in the Asia-Pacific meeting of the Order of St. Augustine in the neighbouring state of Kerala. During his visit, he decided to go to the school to have a look at the functioning of the newly taken-over institution. The institution was established by a local businessman in 1995. First Published: May 10, 2025, 17:36 IST
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, had visited Pollachi school 19 years ago
Robert Francis Prevost in front of Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School. COIMBATORE: Robert Francis Prevost , who has been elected as the new pope, had visited Pollachi in Coimbatore district almost two decades ago when he was the prior general of the Order of St Augustine. He visited the monastery of Sancta Monica Community of Augustinian Fathers at Zamin Uthukuli near Pollachi on Oct 6, 2006. He also visited Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School run by Augustinian fathers at Zamin Uthukuli. 'He conducted a mass with priests in the monastery and interacted with the students and teachers,' said Jacob Mullassery, Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in Cuba, who had accompanied the prior general during his visit to Kochi in Kerala and Pollachi in Tamil Nadu. Fr Wilson Injerappu, OSA, regional vicar of the Augustinian Order in India, said Fr Robert Francis Prevost, who has now chosen the name Leo XIV after being elected pope, had encouraged the students in the school. Operation Sindoor How India shut down Pakistan's second desperate bid to escalate tensions Pak used civilian planes as shield to launch failed drone attack: India S-400, Spyder, Akash: What is in India's air defence arsenal? 'He travelled from Kochi to Pollachi in a car, and it took more than seven hours. He is a very kind and humble person,' said Wilson. Fr Binu Yesudasan, correspondent of Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School, said, 'We feel very proud that he visited our school.' Fr Jacob Mullassery said he participated in a mass conducted by Fr Robert Francis Prevost during his visit to Kochi in 2004. "He is a very simple and polite person. He supports the rights of poor people. He visited many countries, and he knows about the culture of these countries. He treats others with equality. He always says that he is one among us," said Fr Jacob. He visited St Francis Assisi Cathedral in Kathrikadavu in Kochi in Kerala on April 22, 2004, and took part in the anointing ceremonies. He visited Augustinian House in Mariyapuram in Aluva to participate in the Asia-Pacific Meeting of the Order of St Augustine from Oct 3 to Oct 6, 2006. 'He listens to others, and he is a good listener. He visited many countries, and he values the social and cultural aspects of other countries. He is not authoritative, and he is one of the people among us. He does not believe in hierarchical authority, and he believes in service-related authorities. He always stands for the rights of poor people,' said Fr Jacob Mullassery. The Vatican has announced that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost will be formally installed as pope in a mass on May 18. He will be the first US-born pope. On Friday evening, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin congratulated the new pope. "Congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on being chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church. May his message of peace and unity inspire harmony across the world," said Stalin.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Pope Leo XIV's Pollachi connection
Over 18 years ago, Father Robert Francis Prevost — now elected Pope, under the papal name Leo XIV — stood quietly outside a school gate in Pollachi, a small town in Tamil Nadu. He was serving as the Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine when he visited Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School in October 2006. According to the Regional Vicar of the Augustinians in India, Father Prevost served as the Prior General of the Order from 2001 to 2013. During this period, he made two visits to India — in 2004 and 2006 — meeting Augustinian communities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. On 22 April 2004, he concelebrated the ordination mass of six Augustinian deacons at St. Francis Xavier's Church in Kathrikadavu near Kaloor, Kerala. His second visit, in October 2006, brought him back to Kerala to participate in the Asia-Pacific Meeting of the Order of St. Augustine, held in Aluva. During this trip, he made a two-day visit to Shenbagam School in Pollachi, which had then just come under the management of the Augustinian Fathers under the Diocese of Coimbatore. The school, originally established in 1995 by a local businessman, had fewer than 500 students when the transition took place. Father Sumesh Joseph Illikkaparambil, Correspondent of Shenbagam Matric. Hr. Sec. School, on Friday, shares an old photograph of #PopeLeoXIV, taken during his visit to the school in #Pollachi of #Coimbatore dist. in #TamilNadu in 2006. 📹: M. Periasamy (@peri_periasamy) — The Hindu - Chennai (@THChennai) May 9, 2025 At the school, Father Prevost interacted with the Augustinian Fathers and staff, and posed for a photograph that now holds renewed significance for the school community. His visit, modest at the time, has become a moment of quiet pride for those who remember it. The school's current correspondent, Father Sumesh Joseph Illikkaparambil, displayed one of the photographs taken that day. In 2006, he was a 26-year-old brother undergoing formation to become a priest in Kerala. 'We remember his visit vividly. He had come for the Asia-Pacific gathering in Aluva, and after that, he visited the school to see how the newly taken-over institution was functioning. That's when the photo was taken — him standing humbly at our school gate,' he said. ''We never imagined then that he would go on to lead the Church. Nor did I imagine that I would one day serve as correspondent at the very school he visited.''Father Sumesh Joseph Illikkaparambil 'He is someone who likes to mingle with people and engage in outreach activities. The school has changed completely since his visit — we now have nearly 1,400 students and over 100 teaching and non-teaching staff,' added Father Sumesh. 'He may recall to the world his visit to India — especially Tamil Nadu — whenever he's asked about his time in the region. We're even planning to create a small memorial here to mark his visit,' he said. As Pope Leo XIV begins his spiritual leadership from Rome, the school in Pollachi remembers the quiet afternoon a visiting priest stood at their gate, before history gave him a new name.
