Kurisumala : Francis Mahieu Acharya, Pioneer in Christian Monasticism in India

Foreword ix Preface xi FIRST PART CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH (1912-1935) A Family During the War 3 Roots 5 The Beautiful Lady from Evreux 7 Return to Belgium 9 College Years 10 The Priest's Troop 13 Jean's Stubbornness Manifests Itself for the First Time 14 A Career All Mapped Out 16 London 19 In the 'Second Lancers' 22 The Accident 24 The Decision 25 The Trip to the Orient 28 You Shall Leave Your Father and Your Mother 30 SECOND PART TRAPPIST AT SCOURMONT AND CALDEY (1935-1955) The Abbey of Our Lady of Scourmont and Dom Anselme Le Bail 35 Novitiate 38 A Military Interlude 44 Ora et labora 46 Student in Rome 49 Under German Occupation 57 The Luftwaffe 58 In Bethany with the Farm Brothers 63 Gestapo 66 After the War 71 In Caldey with Dom Anselme 74 Master of Novices 78 Love Lost for Lady Poverty 83 Father, Father, Why Have You Abandoned Me? 85 Crossing the Desert 87 To Dom Anselme, for the Fulfillment of Long Held Hopes 92 Paris 96 Languages and Cultures of India 100 Caldey 106 Nothing is Working Out 110 Providential Intervention 115 Farewells 122 THIRD PART INDIA, FOUNDATION, AND TAKING ROOT (1955-1968) Elephanta 127 A Little Detour to Ranchi 129 Shantivanam, the Forest of Peace 134 Dazzling Syriac Experience 138 Farewell to Monchanin 143 The Prodigal Son and Motherhouse 148 Pushpagiri 152 The Mountain Fallen from the Sky 157 Rain and Wind, Bless the Lord 162 Gropings in the Darkness 168 Turning Point: Pilot Village and Indo Swiss Project 173 A Community of Brothers 180 That All May be One: The Separated Brethren 185 In Pursuit of the Penqitho 187 The Evolution of the Catholic Church 195 A Modern Agricultural Enterprise 198 Among the Mountain People 203 The Liturgical Project 209 Monastic Vesture 215 Visitors and Early Friends 221 Growth Crisis 224 FOURTH PART KURISUMALA ASHRAM, ITS INFLUENCE (1968-1988) An Interrupted Sabbatical Year 237 To the Himalayas 246 First Foundation: Shantivanam 252 Encounter with Hinduism 256 Congress in Bangkok 266 The Community at the Beginning of the 1970's 271 A Second Foundation: Thirumalai 276 Gheeta Bhavan 282 Around the World 288 The Operation 297 Shantivanam Emancipated 304 Prayer with the Harp of the Spirit 311 Silver Jubilee 316 FIFTH PART FULFILLMENT (1988-2001) A Visit from the Lord 323 Slow Apprenticeship of Rest 325 Cistercian Approaches 333 Albano 341 Incorporation into the Cistercian Order 346 Lourdes: Dorn Francis Mahieu-Acharya 354 At the Gates of Sheol 359 All is Blessing 366 Epilogue 370 Chronology 379 Bibliography 383 Index 389