The Arrupe Inn opened on the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in Jamtalibari, home to ethnic Halam, "A vibrant and outward-looking” community, this according to Fr Jothi SJ.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Jesuits have opened their first residence, Arrupe Inn[*], in the State of Tripura, on the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
The facility is located in Jamtalibari, Kailasahar, about 150 km north of the state capital of Agartala. The house was inaugurated and blessed by Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala in the presence of local parishioners and priests.
"This jubilee year, which marks the 500th anniversary of the conversion of Saint Ignatius, is an important occasion for Jesuits to refocus on their life and mission,” said Father Jothi SJ speaking AsiaNews.
“The Arrupe Inn is dedicated in a special way for the implementation of universal apostolic preferences of the Society of Jesus,” he added.
Hitherto, the Jesuit order did not have a permanent residence. In 2018, two Jesuit missionaries, Babu Paul and James Morias, came to Jamtalibari from Kerala.
Over a period of a few months, they built a tin shed that was later given to the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy as their convent and dispensary. The Jesuits and the Sisters work together.
The Arrupe Inn “will help change the face of nearby villages in the years to come,” said a local resident.
The State of Tripura is home to 19 tribal communities, including the Halam, who number about 57,000 people. “They are a vibrant and outward-looking,” Fr Jothi said.
Since they arrived, the missionaries have dedicated themselves to tribal groups, who represent 31 per cent of the population of Tripura. The Jesuits have been present in the state since the 17th century.
[*] Inn, in the Halam language, means house.