The darkness where the Tamil Cathol

The darkness where the Tamil Catholics in Medan were living, began to brighten on 18th May 1972 with the arrival of the God sent Parish Priest from the Jesuit community in India. The Madurai born Rev Fr James Bharataputra, SJ.

Rev Fr James on his father’s 100th B’day



The Family, with Rev.Sr Rosalia
( Fr James’ sister)

Rev.Fr James who left India in 1966 as a Jesuit Scholastic on a foreign mission, in fact landed first
in Malaysia, where he worked as a Parish Priest
in three parishes among the Tamils in Rubber Plantations.
In 1967, Fr James came to Indonesia to do his Theological studies with the hope that he could
go back to Malaysia after his Ordinations.
But ,God had different plans…HE would have
heard the earnest prayers of our Tamil Catholic community in Medan, who were lost like sheeps without a sheperd at that time, and through an appeal to the Superior by the Archbishop of Medan in Indonesia who knew about Rev Fr James and were looking for someone to help the Tamil Catholics in Medan, God kept his missionary dream alive when by his superior willingly lent him to serve the archbishop of Medan. This is how our Rev Fr James landed in Medan in 1972.
As his first mission in the then called “ Kampung Kristen “ ( Christian Village ) where most of the Tamil Catholics dwelled, instead of blaming the darkness as the cause of their unfortunate life,
Fr James launched on an educational project by putting up a Primary School on an empty land belonging to the archdiocese in the village.
This school, which was christened as “ Karya
Dharma “ by God’s blessings, has given opportunity to hundreds of children from poorer socioeconomic groups, the school drop outs in general as well as to the children of the Tamil Catholics in particular to
taste the meaning of Primary Education.
Now it is a great joy and pride which we announce to the world that the Karya Dharma has produced many graduates in the last three decades, so to say that many of them hold white collar jobs and some are doing very well in business, thanks to the great founder, Rev Fr James who never had any experience in the field of education during his formation years as
a Jesuit Scholastic.
Those first five years “ were my Palm Sunday in my missionary life “ said Rev Fr James to the writer of this website.
The next mission of Fr James was to bring about a radical change in the social and economic life of the people in the “ Kampung Kristen “in the late seventies.
He tried to disperse them from this village where they lived with false security filled with inferiority complexes, but that became his “ holy week “ when he realized that some of the people were against his ideas and plans, they enraged him, he had to face a lot of oppositions, betrayals, mental sufferings, heartbreaks and frustrations. Even his very vocation and missionary life was threatened.. That was his “ Good Friday “ he said.
However , one silver lining amidst the darkening
clouds that threatened to destroy him, was the
Unfathomable love and Grace of God that still wanted to use Fr James as an instrument to do some good to the poor and marginalized Tamil community through the ongoing service of the school he founded.

His “ Good Friday “ ended when he went on a sabbatical in 1983, to a Parish in Banda Aceh, another province in Indonesia, far away from Medan. This he said was putting his life in the “ Tomb “ while awaiting his “ Easter “



Rev Fr James in Aceh traditional hat
Hence Fr James was away from Medan for more than
10 years, during which he also worked in the island of Papua at the end of Indonesia, which according to him was the most difficult task in his missionary life where he had to spend sleepless nights to carry out his force of the God sent missionary.
Finally, strengthened by the words of God “ be not afraid!! I am with you “ Fr James completed the job
by giving what he has earned in his life as a Jesuit.
The return of Rev Fr James back to Sumatera was another enlightenment for the Catholic Tamils in Medan in the year 2000, when he relinquished his
job as Rector of the Spiritual Orientation Year for the candidates of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary in
a small town called Pematang Siantar in Sumatera.
It was in July 2000 when Fr James suggested
to the Archbishop that a shrine be erected for the Catholic Tamil living in and around Medan , and it will be more beneficial to the spiritual life of the migrants to have a shrine with a Hall where they can grow in faith nurtured by the devotion to Our Lady of Good Health , Annai Velankanni who is
so dear to the hearts of every Indians.
His Grace ,the Archbishop himself has once
visited Velankanni in Tamilnadu ,India several years ago and has witnessed the faith and religiosity of the pilgrims coming from all over India irrespective of religions, to worship and experience God’s saving power through the intercession of Our Lady of Good Health at the shrine in Velankanni.
Hence he readily gave his approval and blessing
for the construction of a Shrine-cum Community Hall, to be put up in a piece of land approximately 5000 m2 , that Rev Fr James has bought during his missionary service in Medan in 1979, for the purpose of relocating the Catholic Tamils living behind the Hayam Wuruk Church , the “ Kampung Kristen “ as mentioned before.
This was the time through a mandate of Mgr A.G.P Datubara OFM Cap, the Archbishop of Medan, Fr James was given a special mission of putting up a shrine to His Beloved Daughter Mary, the Mother of His beloved Son Jesus , Our Lady of Velankanni at Tanjung Selamat , Medan, as it were to quench the prolonged thirst of the Medan Catholic Tamils, and to promote the devotion to Our Lady among the faithful people of the archdiocese who have been neglected
for some years…..this is another chapter in missionary journey which Rev Fr James says :
“ my waiting for the Parusia “
As the archbishop has known Rev Fr James personally and how the Providence of God has been using him all his years, for more than 30 years, and entrusted him with the task of
planning, fund raising and executing the project.
Rev Fr James accepted it as a finale of his missionary life in Indonesia, and with the confidence that , if it was God’s will, He will certainly provide all that is needed to do His work, and with the continuous support of the Tamil Catholic community of Medan ( The Keluarga Besar St Bonaventura of Medan ) he initiated
the process of this mission in Sept 2000.

Results (Indonesian) 1:

Kegelapan dimana Katolik Tamil di Medan tinggal, mulai mencerahkan pada 18 Mei 1972 dengan kedatangan Tuhan mengirimkan Pastor Paroki dari masyarakat Yesuit di India. Madurai lahir Rev Fr James Bharataputra, SJ. Rev Fr James pada ayahnya ulang tahun yang ke-100 Keluarga, dengan Rev.Sr Rosalia (Fr James' kakak)Rev.Fr James yang meninggalkan India pada tahun 1966 sebagai Jesuit Scholastic pada misi luar negeri, padahal mendarat pertama di Malaysia, di mana ia bekerja sebagai seorang Pastor Paroki di paroki-paroki tiga antara rakyat Tamil di perkebunan karet.Pada tahun 1967, Fr James datang ke Indonesia untuk melakukan studi teologi dengan harapan bahwa ia bisa kembali ke Malaysia Setelah pentahbisan nya. Tapi, Tuhan memiliki rencana yang berbeda... IA akan memiliki mendengar doa-doa sungguh-sungguh komunitas Tamil Katolik di Medan, yang hilang seperti domba tanpa Herder pada waktu itu, dan melalui banding kepada yang tinggi oleh Uskup Agung Medan di Indonesia yang tahu tentang Rev Fr James dan sedang mencari seseorang untuk membantu Katolik Tamil di Medan, Allah tetap mimpinya misionaris hidup ketika oleh atasannya bersedia meminjamkan untuk melayani Uskup Agung Medan. Ini adalah bagaimana kami Rev Fr James mendarat di Medan pada tahun 1972.Sebagai misi pertama di kemudian disebut "Kampung Kristen" (desa Kristen) dimana sebagian besar Katolik Tamil berdiam, daripada menyalahkan kegelapan sebagai penyebab hidup mereka, Fr James diluncurkan pada sebuah proyek pendidikan dengan memasang sebuah sekolah dasar di lahan kosong milik Keuskupan Agung di desa.This school, which was christened as “ Karya Dharma “ by God’s blessings, has given opportunity to hundreds of children from poorer socioeconomic groups, the school drop outs in general as well as to the children of the Tamil Catholics in particular to taste the meaning of Primary Education.Now it is a great joy and pride which we announce to the world that the Karya Dharma has produced many graduates in the last three decades, so to say that many of them hold white collar jobs and some are doing very well in business, thanks to the great founder, Rev Fr James who never had any experience in the field of education during his formation years as a Jesuit Scholastic.Those first five years “ were my Palm Sunday in my missionary life “ said Rev Fr James to the writer of this website. The next mission of Fr James was to bring about a radical change in the social and economic life of the people in the “ Kampung Kristen “in the late seventies.He tried to disperse them from this village where they lived with false security filled with inferiority complexes, but that became his “ holy week “ when he realized that some of the people were against his ideas and plans, they enraged him, he had to face a lot of oppositions, betrayals, mental sufferings, heartbreaks and frustrations. Even his very vocation and missionary life was threatened.. That was his “ Good Friday “ he said.However , one silver lining amidst the darkening clouds that threatened to destroy him, was the Unfathomable love and Grace of God that still wanted to use Fr James as an instrument to do some good to the poor and marginalized Tamil community through the ongoing service of the school he founded.His “ Good Friday “ ended when he went on a sabbatical in 1983, to a Parish in Banda Aceh, another province in Indonesia, far away from Medan. This he said was putting his life in the “ Tomb “ while awaiting his “ Easter “ Rev Fr James in Aceh traditional hat Hence Fr James was away from Medan for more than 10 years, during which he also worked in the island of Papua at the end of Indonesia, which according to him was the most difficult task in his missionary life where he had to spend sleepless nights to carry out his force of the God sent missionary.Finally, strengthened by the words of God “ be not afraid!! I am with you “ Fr James completed the job by giving what he has earned in his life as a Jesuit.The return of Rev Fr James back to Sumatera was another enlightenment for the Catholic Tamils in Medan in the year 2000, when he relinquished his job as Rector of the Spiritual Orientation Year for the candidates of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary in a small town called Pematang Siantar in Sumatera. It was in July 2000 when Fr James suggested to the Archbishop that a shrine be erected for the Catholic Tamil living in and around Medan , and it will be more beneficial to the spiritual life of the migrants to have a shrine with a Hall where they can grow in faith nurtured by the devotion to Our Lady of Good Health , Annai Velankanni who is so dear to the hearts of every Indians.His Grace ,the Archbishop himself has once visited Velankanni in Tamilnadu ,India several years ago and has witnessed the faith and religiosity of the pilgrims coming from all over India irrespective of religions, to worship and experience God’s saving power through the intercession of Our Lady of Good Health at the shrine in Velankanni.Hence he readily gave his approval and blessing for the construction of a Shrine-cum Community Hall, to be put up in a piece of land approximately 5000 m2 , that Rev Fr James has bought during his missionary service in Medan in 1979, for the purpose of relocating the Catholic Tamils living behind the Hayam Wuruk Church , the “ Kampung Kristen “ as mentioned before.This was the time through a mandate of Mgr A.G.P Datubara OFM Cap, the Archbishop of Medan, Fr James was given a special mission of putting up a shrine to His Beloved Daughter Mary, the Mother of His beloved Son Jesus , Our Lady of Velankanni at Tanjung Selamat , Medan, as it were to quench the prolonged thirst of the Medan Catholic Tamils, and to promote the devotion to Our Lady among the faithful people of the archdiocese who have been neglected for some years…..this is another chapter in missionary journey which Rev Fr James says : “ my waiting for the Parusia “As the archbishop has known Rev Fr James personally and how the Providence of God has been using him all his years, for more than 30 years, and entrusted him with the task of planning, fund raising and executing the project.Rev Fr James accepted it as a finale of his missionary life in Indonesia, and with the confidence that , if it was God’s will, He will certainly provide all that is needed to do His work, and with the continuous support of the Tamil Catholic community of Medan ( The Keluarga Besar St Bonaventura of Medan ) he initiated the process of this mission in Sept 2000.