Francis Acharya
Encyclopedia
Francis Acharya (17 January 1912, Ypres
, Belgium
- 31 January 2002, Thiruvalla, Kerala
, India
) is a Cistercian Monk and the founder of Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram.
. At the age of twenty he went to England
for higher studies. In 1931, John Richard was very much impressed by Mahatma Gandhi
’s visit to London
, when Gandhi came to participate in the second Round Table Conference as - some English politician said - 'a half naked fakir
'. The young man sympathized with Gandhi’s non-violent fight for India’s independence. As his own spiritual development unfolded, he saw in Gandhi a fellow traveler on the path toward a more spiritual and more harmonious world civilization
based on a balance between action and contemplation
, combining the best of East and West. In 1932, Mahieu had to complete his compulsory military service, in Belgium. During this time, he decided to become a monk, join the Cistercian (Trappist
) Order, and go to India to lead a contemplative life in an ashram
. He asked his father’s permission which was denied: his father was totally opposed to such vocation. In 1935, the young man joined a group of pilgrims going to Rome
.
, near Chimay
, Belgium. He received a new name, Francis, with St. Francis of Assisi
as his chosen patron. After his novitiate formation, Francis made his first vows and was sent to the Gregorian University in Rome
to obtain a degree of Bachelor of Divinity
. He then did further theological
studies at the University of Louvain in Belgium. He made solemn vows in 1940 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1941. Soon thereafter, he was appointed novice master at Scourmont. At this time, the abbot of Scourmont was planning to start a Cistercian monastery in India, which corresponded well with the wishes of Fr. Francis. Somewhat later, the abbot’s interests began to turn toward Africa. Nonetheless, Fr. Francis was given permission to undertake a foundation by himself in India.
and Fr. Francis was given the opportunity to go to this monastery on Caldey Island
as its novice master. After three unsuccessful applications for a visa for India he was eventually granted one through the recommendation of Vijayalaksmi Pandit, who was High Commissioner
in England. Impressed by Fr. Francis’s wish to work for the encounter between Christianity
and Hinduism
and by his determination to start a Christian monastic foundation rooted in the ashram tradition of India, Pandit Nehru, who was then the prime minister of India, approved the application on the condition that he not proselytize.
Fr. Francis set sail for India and arrived in Bombay on July 12, 1955.Swami Abhishiktananda welcomed him. In Bombay Fr. Francis Mahieu’s initiation to India was begun with visits to various ancient sites: Buddhist caves at Kanheri, the island of Elephanta
, and Ajanta
. At Elephanta, Fr. Francis and Abhishiktananda were profoundly impressed by the central cave, a magnificent temple with immense bas-reliefs (7th century) carved in the solid rock, dedicated to Shiva Maheshwara in his different manifestations. They passed the night in the cave, where the sight of Maheshwara Sadashiva (a huge carving of Shiva with three faces) had moved Swami Abhshiktananda to ecstasy
. However the meeting of the two monks, so long anticipated, was not entirely happy, probably on account of the inner turmoil that was tormenting Swami Abhishiktananda at that time. In any case, after visiting Ajanta, Abhishiktananda went on alone to explore north India, while his companion returned to Bombay.
Fr. Francis spent about one year in the ashram at Shantivanam with Jules Monchanin
and Swami Abhshiktananda; he considered this year to be a period of novitiate for him in India with the two earlier pioneers on the same path. Afterwards, in November, 1956, Fr. Francis left Shantivanam for Kerala
.
, that Fr. Francis came to Kerala to start the ashram. In the course of time, Bede Griffiths
joined him there. On December 1, 1956, the two of them started the new foundation Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram at Tiruvalla in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
. Eventually they were successful in obtaining 88 acres (356,123.7 m²) of land and on March 20, 1958, the eve of Saint Benedict
’s day, Fr. Francis, Fr. Bede, and two seminarians traveled sixty miles to the site, high up on the holy mountain of Kurisumala. Well contented with their hilltop, they spent the next few months in a hut made of bamboo
and plaited palm leaves with no facilities, no furniture, and a floor covered simply with cow dung. While the center of their lives was the prayer of the Church and celebration of its feasts and mysteries, they had to find a way of supporting themselves, so they soon started a dairy farm with cattle imported from Jersey
.
On August 6, 1968, Fr. Francis took Indian citizenship. Later the same month Fr. Bede, after ten years in Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram, left for Shantivanam with two brothers, Br. Anugrah and Br. Ajit, to take over that ashram from Swami Abhishiktananda. By 1974, Fr. Francis’s health was declining. For several months he underwent Ayurvedic treatment, staying in a Hindu doctor’s house at Geethabhavan, Kottayam. In 1979, he traveled to Belgium, back to the monastery of his youth, Scourmont Abbey
, and in a hospital near the abbey he had a hip operation, which was not very successful. He returned to Kurisumala and soon the other hip was also affected. Already at an advanced age and battling against pain, fear, and ill health, he started and completed his masterpiece, the Prayer with the Harp of Spirit, four volumes translated from the ancient Syrian book Panqitho, with certain adaptations to Indian culture.
, together with Bishop Geevarghese Mar Timotheos, to ask the General Chapter of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance
to affiliate Kurisumala as a monastery of their order. After the necessary procedures were carried out, Kurisamala Ashram became a Cistercian Abbey on July 9, 1998, with Fr. Francis being installed as the first abbot.
.
More than ten thousand people of different castes and creeds gathered on the top of Kurisumala to offer their last homage to the pioneer of Indian Christian Sannyasa.
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- 31 January 2002, Thiruvalla, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is a Cistercian Monk and the founder of Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram.
Early life
Born fifth son of the seven children of René Mahieu and Anne Vandelanotte, Francis Acharya was baptized John Richard Mahieu. He had his early education and college studies in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. At the age of twenty he went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for higher studies. In 1931, John Richard was very much impressed by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
’s visit to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, when Gandhi came to participate in the second Round Table Conference as - some English politician said - 'a half naked fakir
Fakir
The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....
'. The young man sympathized with Gandhi’s non-violent fight for India’s independence. As his own spiritual development unfolded, he saw in Gandhi a fellow traveler on the path toward a more spiritual and more harmonious world civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
based on a balance between action and contemplation
Contemplation
The word contemplation comes from the Latin word contemplatio. Its root is also that of the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship, derived either from Proto-Indo-European base *tem- "to cut", and so a "place reserved or cut out" or...
, combining the best of East and West. In 1932, Mahieu had to complete his compulsory military service, in Belgium. During this time, he decided to become a monk, join the Cistercian (Trappist
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
) Order, and go to India to lead a contemplative life in an ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
. He asked his father’s permission which was denied: his father was totally opposed to such vocation. In 1935, the young man joined a group of pilgrims going to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Monastic Life
In an audience with Pope Pius XI, he expressed his desires and asked prayers for his future vocation. In September, 1935, at the age of 23, John Richard joined the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of ScourmontScourmont Abbey
Scourmont Abbey is a Trappist monastery on the Scourmont plateau, in the village of Forges which is part of Chimay in the province of Hainaut, Belgium)...
, near Chimay
Chimay
Chimay a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006, Chimay had a total population of 9,774. The total area is 197.10 km² which gives a population density of 50 inhabitants per km²...
, Belgium. He received a new name, Francis, with St. Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
as his chosen patron. After his novitiate formation, Francis made his first vows and was sent to the Gregorian University in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to obtain a degree of Bachelor of Divinity
Divinity (academic discipline)
Divinity is the study of Christian and other theology and ministry at a school, divinity school, university, or seminary. The term is sometimes a synonym for theology as an academic, speculative pursuit, and sometimes is used for the study of applied theology and ministry to make a distinction...
. He then did further theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
studies at the University of Louvain in Belgium. He made solemn vows in 1940 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1941. Soon thereafter, he was appointed novice master at Scourmont. At this time, the abbot of Scourmont was planning to start a Cistercian monastery in India, which corresponded well with the wishes of Fr. Francis. Somewhat later, the abbot’s interests began to turn toward Africa. Nonetheless, Fr. Francis was given permission to undertake a foundation by himself in India.
To India
It was very difficult to get a visa for India from Belgium. However, Scourmont had a daughter house in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Fr. Francis was given the opportunity to go to this monastery on Caldey Island
Caldey Island
Caldey Island lies south of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales.The island is home to a small village, but is best known for its monastery. Caldey Island is separated from the mainland by the Caldey Sound which is 1 km to 2 km wide between Caldey Island and the coast of Pembrokeshire...
as its novice master. After three unsuccessful applications for a visa for India he was eventually granted one through the recommendation of Vijayalaksmi Pandit, who was High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
in England. Impressed by Fr. Francis’s wish to work for the encounter between Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and by his determination to start a Christian monastic foundation rooted in the ashram tradition of India, Pandit Nehru, who was then the prime minister of India, approved the application on the condition that he not proselytize.
Fr. Francis set sail for India and arrived in Bombay on July 12, 1955.Swami Abhishiktananda welcomed him. In Bombay Fr. Francis Mahieu’s initiation to India was begun with visits to various ancient sites: Buddhist caves at Kanheri, the island of Elephanta
Elephanta Island
Elephanta Island is one of a number of islands in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai, India...
, and Ajanta
Ajanta
The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are 29 rock-cut cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art as well as frescos which are reminiscent of the Sigiriya...
. At Elephanta, Fr. Francis and Abhishiktananda were profoundly impressed by the central cave, a magnificent temple with immense bas-reliefs (7th century) carved in the solid rock, dedicated to Shiva Maheshwara in his different manifestations. They passed the night in the cave, where the sight of Maheshwara Sadashiva (a huge carving of Shiva with three faces) had moved Swami Abhshiktananda to ecstasy
Religious ecstasy
Religious ecstasy is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by visions and emotional/intuitive euphoria...
. However the meeting of the two monks, so long anticipated, was not entirely happy, probably on account of the inner turmoil that was tormenting Swami Abhishiktananda at that time. In any case, after visiting Ajanta, Abhishiktananda went on alone to explore north India, while his companion returned to Bombay.
Fr. Francis spent about one year in the ashram at Shantivanam with Jules Monchanin
Jules Monchanin
Father Jules Monchanin , was a French Catholic priest, monk and hermit. He was an ardent proponent of Hindu-Christian interfaith dialogue...
and Swami Abhshiktananda; he considered this year to be a period of novitiate for him in India with the two earlier pioneers on the same path. Afterwards, in November, 1956, Fr. Francis left Shantivanam for Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
Foundation of Kurisumala Ashram
It was at the invitation of Zacharias Mar Athanasios, the Bishop of TiruvallaTiruvalla
Tiruvalla , is a city and a Taluk headquarters located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India, spread over an area of 27.94 km2...
, that Fr. Francis came to Kerala to start the ashram. In the course of time, Bede Griffiths
Bede Griffiths
Bede Griffiths OSB Cam , born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known, by the end of his life, as Swami Dayananda , was a British-born Indian Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in South India and became a noted yogi...
joined him there. On December 1, 1956, the two of them started the new foundation Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram at Tiruvalla in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See...
. Eventually they were successful in obtaining 88 acres (356,123.7 m²) of land and on March 20, 1958, the eve of Saint Benedict
Benedict of Nursia
Saint Benedict of Nursia is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students.Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no...
’s day, Fr. Francis, Fr. Bede, and two seminarians traveled sixty miles to the site, high up on the holy mountain of Kurisumala. Well contented with their hilltop, they spent the next few months in a hut made of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and plaited palm leaves with no facilities, no furniture, and a floor covered simply with cow dung. While the center of their lives was the prayer of the Church and celebration of its feasts and mysteries, they had to find a way of supporting themselves, so they soon started a dairy farm with cattle imported from Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
On August 6, 1968, Fr. Francis took Indian citizenship. Later the same month Fr. Bede, after ten years in Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram, left for Shantivanam with two brothers, Br. Anugrah and Br. Ajit, to take over that ashram from Swami Abhishiktananda. By 1974, Fr. Francis’s health was declining. For several months he underwent Ayurvedic treatment, staying in a Hindu doctor’s house at Geethabhavan, Kottayam. In 1979, he traveled to Belgium, back to the monastery of his youth, Scourmont Abbey
Scourmont Abbey
Scourmont Abbey is a Trappist monastery on the Scourmont plateau, in the village of Forges which is part of Chimay in the province of Hainaut, Belgium)...
, and in a hospital near the abbey he had a hip operation, which was not very successful. He returned to Kurisumala and soon the other hip was also affected. Already at an advanced age and battling against pain, fear, and ill health, he started and completed his masterpiece, the Prayer with the Harp of Spirit, four volumes translated from the ancient Syrian book Panqitho, with certain adaptations to Indian culture.
Kurisumala Ashram, A Cistercian Abbey
In 1996, Fr. Francis went to RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, together with Bishop Geevarghese Mar Timotheos, to ask the General Chapter of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance
Trappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
to affiliate Kurisumala as a monastery of their order. After the necessary procedures were carried out, Kurisamala Ashram became a Cistercian Abbey on July 9, 1998, with Fr. Francis being installed as the first abbot.
Final Days
Dom Francis Acharya’s final days on earth were a hasty preparation for departure to the threshold of eternity. On the morning of January 31, 2002, rapt in bliss and having received his Lord in Holy Communion, his soul departed to the heavenly Father. His mortal remains were kept until February 4 at Pushpagiri Medical College, ThiruvallaPushpagiri Medical College, Thiruvalla
Pushpagiri Medical College, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India is run by Thiruvalla Archieparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. At present it is a 900-bed multi disciplinary super specialty hospital. The Hospital has a very humble origin started as an eight-bed clinic in 1959. The hospital was...
.
More than ten thousand people of different castes and creeds gathered on the top of Kurisumala to offer their last homage to the pioneer of Indian Christian Sannyasa.