A long history of the mission, until the year 1291 again

OFM Province in India covers the whole of the nation. It was built in 1985. The presence of the Franciscans in India, but extends to the year 1291, when Juan de Montecorvino on his trip to China, where he was archbishop of Beijing, India crossed. In the year 1518, the brothers organized a station, then under the patronage of San. Kustodie Thomas the Apostle was collected. Bassein in 1537, north of Mumbai, Fr Gonzalo Garcia was born, which later became the first Indian saint and martyr was 1597 when he was in Nagasaki in Japan, suffered martyrdom. In 1595 there were in the Portuguese territories in India, 395 brothers. 1612 Kustodie the province to collect, with headquarters in the convent of San. Francis in Goa. This great monastery was built to house 200 siblings, and still exists today has become a museum owned by the state has become. Contains, besides many valuable paintings, one representing the Blessed John Duns Skotus. The province was, together with all provinces and convents of religious Portugal and its overseas territories, to resolve.
In 1925 and 1935 English Dutch Franciscans arrived in the country. English and Dutch as understood by the Church Missionary clever and not as initiators of the Order in India. This view was not associated with Apollinaris Ms. van Leeuwen, Dutch County, the first secretary of education in the Order in the General Curia, then Generaldelegat for the Far East and, finally, Generaldelegat Korea. 1948, organized by the brothers in Bangalore and founded a student residence. 1949, a commissioner, then a vicariate, and in May 1985 the province, continue under the name San. Apostle Thomas. Currently, the province of 176 nuns. Despite its recent history and the great needs in the province of India has called upon his brethren in the other requirements of the Order to respond, especially in Eastern Africa, Singapore and Thailand.