From July 2004 to August 2008
In the opening speech of the 1844 synod of Pondicherry Msgr. Clement Bonnand put forth to the missionaries present, the agenda to start new schools and educate both the rural and the urban children of the region. Providentially, the Archdiocese has always felt the importance of education and hosted numerous plans to realize it. Following the legacy of his predecessors our Archbishop Antony Anandarayar from his very day of his consecration was doing all that he can to empower the children and the youth by assisting them monetarily to have a dignified future through education. He has sensed and thoroughly analysed the literacy pulse of the Archdiocese and concluded that education is empowerment. We have heard him saying,

“These people are poor, because they are not employed;
They are not employed because they are not educated;
They are not educated, because they are poor.
Education is power; Education is empowerment; Education is liberation.
The best way to empower the poor people, the Schedule Caste people, and the marginalised people is to give them the benefits of education at various levels.”

The Archbishop’s preferential option for the liberation and development of the schedule castes, poor and the marginalized can be very well sensed by his education mission to the faithful of the Archdiocese. The education mission of the Archbishop would have been an unrealized dream if the Priests of the Archdiocese, our faithful from different parishes, well wishers, and his personal benefactors shrunk their generous hands. Our deep sense of gratitude flows to each and every one of them.

Free education seems to be existing only in the land of Utopia. This Utopian reality has to be fuelled to become a tangible reality. The economic situation of our Country push many of the families to say “no” to the education of their children even if there exists a deep thirst for knowledge. As we live in this land the situation of our Archdiocese is no better than the situation of our Country. They are not educated because they are poor. The Archbishop was firm in disproving this proposition, for him poverty should not be a defeating cause to deny education to those who really have a deep desire to learn. This strong resolve of the Archbishop made him to establish the Archbishop’s education fund.
The Archbishop’s Education fund has two sources:LOCAL CONTRIBUTION: This includes the amount contributed by the Parishes, Institutions, individuals, well wishers and benefactors within the country instead of bestowing gifts and shawls on the Archbishop during his visits.

• OTHER SOURCES: This includes the money procured from
• LWA- Little Way Association, London.
• Kindermission, Germany and from
• Archbishop’s Personal Friends and Benefactors living abroad.

(This list is arranged according to the maximum amount spent on a Parish towards Education.)