SERVING THE ANGELS IN RAGS

Begun as an open air school under the tree shades, the story of St Catherine of Siena School and its founder Father Anthony Elenjimittam is inseparable and unconditional to children who were destitute and orphans in transforming them as God's Children and dutiful citizen of our country.




THE CALL

 "Then Gandhiji--Bapuji, Father as we all lovingly called him--with a sigh turned to me and said: "Now, Anthony, I want you to devote your life to break barriers and build bridges between religions and teach with your life and words that religion essentially consists in Love of God and Mankind.  Charity is the root of religion' as Tulsidas says, 'and abandon not charity as long as there is breath in your nostrils'. You are too much of an intellectual; but religion is what St Paul called 'the fragrance of Christ'. That is Charity". (Mahatma Gandhi--Father of our Nation--to Father Anthony Elenjimittam on 24th December 1946)

 THE INTENT

 "Men are gods in disguise. These are the living Christs we should serve. These underdogs and downtrodden children who sleep in the streets, most of whom are born in the streets, grow up in the streets and die in the streets: we have to take and look after them and educate them as our own children.   In their person Christ said: 'I was hungry and you fed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you nursed me; I was in the prison and you visited me.... when you have done to the least of my brethren you have done it to me..."
THE THOUGHT

 "It was one of those meetings of the senior Legionaries that I proposed the idea of opening a free school, possibly an open air school on the model of Rabindranath's Shantiniketan school where anyone of any religion or social status could attend the lessons, where the teachers would teach not for salary but only for love of soul encased in mortal frames..."
THE SEED

 "We used to keep a school attendance register, and we divided children class wise not according to the academic studies they have made, but according to their age and their abilities.  Sports and handicrafts formed an integral part of our system of Basic Education even from its very beginning.   After much thought I began to call our school St Catherine of Siena School for destitute children because of the extraordinary courage and mystical vision of that almost illiterate saint and also to give due weight to the better and fairer half of mankind in a country where the womenfolk were kept subject to menfolk...."

 THE WORDS

 "...At once came the response from Mrs. Stella Curzai who said: "Father, you can use my compound at St Sebastian Road and there you can bring your children and you can teach them under the shaded trees and the coconut grove". For the first few days I was the only school master for those children. Within a week the number of children rose from sixteen to seventy eight on the roles. When the number of children rose and the work was too much for me, God, in His Providence, inspired Miss. Thelma Curzai, the daughter of Mrs. Stella Curzai to volunteer to help me to teach the children..."

 ACTION

 "You must move quick and I give you my word, that land will be the gift of Our Lady of the Mount for your destitute children if you can free those plots from the green belt reservation plans...(Mons. Vivian Dyer--Then Vicar General of Bombay Archdiocese and Rector of Mount Mary Basilica to Father Anthony Elenjimittam in 1958) on which the foundation stone for Aquinas Hall laid in 1960 by Governor Sri Prakasa, with a blessing and aid from H H Pope John XXIII in 1962, inaugurated by Chief Minister Sri. V. P Naik in 1965. The foundation cross blessed by Fr. Mario Borrelli in 1963.

 The foundation stone for the second building Sadhana Hall blessed by Bishop L.G Pereira in 1969, opened by the unknown child for the benefit of destitute children of the whole world in 1970, inaugurated by Mrs. Sheroo Wadia.

Would you like to help us?
Below are the Bank Details:

For Donors from OUTSIDE INDIA:

Name of Account Holder :  WELFARE  SOCIETY FOR                           DESTITUTE CHILDREN
Name of Bank :     UNION  BANK OF INDIA
Branch :          Bandra Hill Road Branch
Account Number :    S.B A/C :  315602010004927
IFSC CODE :     UBIN0531561
SWIFT CODE  NO :   UBIN IN BB SZW

For Donors WITHIN INDIA:
Name of Account Holder :  WELFARE  SOCIETY FOR DESTITUTE CHILDREN
Name of Bank :  UNION  BANK OF INDIA
Branch :   Bandra Hill Road Branch
Account Number :   315602010018273
IFSC CODE :   UBIN0531561


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