Mgr.Hebert, due to his ill-health, wanted a successor. After much struggle he got the consent of Mgr.Bonnand to accept the bishoporic on 8th November 1833. Mgr.Bonnand was ordained under the title of Bishop of Drusipare at Oulgaret, near Pondicherry.
Mgr.Bonnand encouraged his priests to enter into the press media. Mgr.Bonnand himself published a “small” catechism book in 1837 and another “big” catechism book in 1841. Fr.Dupuis published two works in Tamil against Protestantism. Fr.Charbonnaux issued a booklet in 1840 to refute heresy and another one specially meant for catechists. Fr.Bigot-Beauclan wrote a Treatise on Religion. Fr.Bardonil began a Telugu Dictionary.
Printing all these books in different presses drained the resources of the mission. Therefore Mgr.Bonnand took a bold decision to set up a press in the Mission itself. In 1840 he obtained permission from the government and permission from Rome in 1841. With the help of the French Administration and with the Tamil types and a printing press bought from the ex-gazetteer of Pondicherry, the Mission Press was solemnly inaugurated. The first printer appointed was Fr.Dupuis, who undertook at once the writing of a Tamil-English-Latin- French Dictionary. He also brought out the famous Tamil-French Dictionary of the Mission with the collaboration of Fr.Mousset. It was one of the best of its kind then and still in use today. Within a period of four years hundreds of books were published.
The education of the children and the youth had always been one of the greatest concerns of the MEP Fathers. The education of the girls and their training in useful skills were ably looked after by the sisters of St.Joseph of Cluny.
A serious training of catechists was considered as most important and urgent. Mgr.Bonnand himself as a priest started a small training school for the catechists at Punganur. Now as a Bishop he wanted it on a bigger scale. He needed money and personnel. He tried to recover the villages of Marakanam, Cheyur and Kadappakkam, which had been given by Madame Dupleix precisely for the formation and maintenance of catechists. But the British Government politely refused to oblige him.
In 1844, the First Synod of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Coromandal Coast took place in Pondicherry. It was decided to call for a general meeting under the form of a synod “to decide what would be the best for the good of the Missions”. The main theme of the synod was defined:
‘promotion of indigenous clergy, care of Christians and conversion’. On 8th January 1844 the opening ceremony of the Synod took place with the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The subjects treated in the synod were; training of the Indian clergy, education of boys and girls, the opening of a Minor Seminary, and a Major Seminary, printing of books, training of catechists, the care of the Christians, Sacraments, Commandments of God and the Church, the missionaries and evangelization.
The synod closed on 13th February. The deliberations of the Assembly were read out and each priest signed the document. The document was sent to Rome and Paris. Propaganda approved the text on 26th July 1845 with some minor alterations. On 23rd November 1845, the Sacred Congregation published a general instruction on the usefulness of the indigenous clergy, on catechists and on schools, obviously inspired by the document of the Pondicherry Synod.
Mgr. Bonnand made the proposals for the creation of new vicariates to Rome. The Supreme Pontiff on 16th March 1845 divided the Apostolic Vicariate of Coromandel Coast into three Missions Pondicherry, Mysore and Coimbatore.
The mission of Pondicherry in 1846 still had 83,000 Catholics out of a population of 8,000,000 inhabitants: The separated brethren were about 5000. To administer to this community, there were, besides the Apostolic Vicar, 24 missionaries and 5 Indian priests only.
Between 1847 and 1861, the MEP Society was able to send 43 missionaries to reinforce the “old ones”. In contrast, between 1847 and 1861, only 9 Indians were ordained priests. A great help came to the missionaries in the form of Catechists. There were 102 Catechists and 164 “Kovil Pillais” or sacristans in 1846. Though untrained, they were of great use to the priests.
In 1848 the “Petit Seminaire” was opened on the model of a Minor Seminary in France, welcoming all young people, even non-seminarians for studies. A boarding home with 100 students was started. After settling the problem of the minor seminary, the good Bishop turned his attention to the problem of the Major Seminary. First, the two seminaries had to be separated. In 1850 a new building was constructed at the rear garden of the Mission and solemnly inaugurated on 18th September 1850.
The training of a local clergy is the first aim of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. This supposes the training of young seminarians. Hence indirectly the education of the youth is linked to the primary end. These good youth could come from good families with good mothers. Hence the education of the girls was felt necessary. Since education of girls was a felt need, this could be done more easily and effectively by religious Sisters. Hence starting of local congregations was decided.
In 1844 Sisters of St.Joseph of Cluny were managing some schools and the Carmelite nuns some orphanages. Mgr.Bonnand thought of starting a Congregation of Indian Sisters.
Fr.Dupuis undertook the responsibility of starting a new Congregation. Two candidates presented themselves. With the help of a Carmelite novice as Superior, he had three ladies to start the Congregation. The new convent was officially opened on 16th October 1844. In 1846, a second house was opened in Karaikal, which also depended on a Carmelite for its Superior. Thus the present Congregation of the Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary was launched.
