THOMAS GAJETAN RAGLAND

THOMAS GAJETAN RAGLAND (1815-1858) was born at Gibraltar in 1815.He had studied Maths in Cambridge University. He later worked in Corpus Christi College as a tutor. After working as a tutor he was drawn to missionary work by God.

In 1845, Ragland offered himself to the CMS for service in India and was accepted. He reached Madras in January 1846. He accepted the position of secretary of the Corresponding Committee of the Society in Madras, and he retained that appointment for nine years.  During his missionary exploits he noted that in Southern Tamil Nadu which was then called as Madras Presidency there were lots of people involved in Missionary work, but there were virtually no people involved in missionary work in Central Tamil Nadu. He then sought to start his work in areas around Sivakasi .It was not till 1854 that he commenced direct evangelistic work. In that year, assisted by two younger Cambridge men, David Fenn and E. R. Meadows, he founded the North Tinnevelly mission. In 1858 he died at Sivagasi, the indirect cause of death being exhaustion from over-exertion.

Buy "Thuyil"- the Biography of Medical Missionary Dr.Kumar Jesudasan

The effects of the missionary work of Thomas Gajetan grew steadily after his death. The women living in the area were especially involved in spreading the word. About 40 years after his death the need for a big church to worship was deemed necessary and work towards this was started. A church was then built and dedicated to the memory of Ragland. The four silver cups, engraved with the pelican (the symbol of Corpus Christi College), which he had won while a young man as mathematical prizes at Cambridge, are still in use as chalices in the churches of that northern Tirunelveli which he loved and for which he gave his life.