Sacred Hearts

Maruthu pandiars who were the rulers at that time were saved of their lives from the hands of the British soldiers by Fr.De Rossi by a small trick. Appreciating and thanking the valour and intelligence of Fr.De Rossi the village of Sarugani was gifted to the church of Sarugani.  A beautiful church in the name of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was built in sarugani in the year 1773 and blessed by the bishop of Cochin.
Fr.De Rossi was the instrument in building the Rosary church at Madurai to help the French soldiers. The church in Oriyur where St. Britto was martyred was modified by him. He also helped in the planning of the church of St.Sebastin at kokkoorani. He used to travel by Horse also if necessary and wherever went, did a lot of miracles and converted a number of people into Christianity covering idaikkaattur, palakkurichy and pattukkottai. He had a good relationship with the king of Sivagangai who had great regards for the priest after he was convinced of his miracles.
It was not only his religious activities he is known for but also wrote a lot of Tamil books [scrolls].He had written 7 books [on scrolls] for seven days of the week based on 365 miracles, life history of Saints  and recorded the history of many villages. If fr.Beschi [veeramamunivar] was doing a lot of service to Tamil literature in the northern side of tamilnadu, fr.James was doing a lot of service in the southern side. In spite of all the troubles and hardships and turbulations,  Fr.james preferred to stay in this place and as he writes "Rather than staying at rich and pleasurable 'Neples', I prefer to stay here and continue my work".
Wherever he went, people showered their love and affection and he had compassion on his flock since he saw them as a flock without a shepherd. Miracles were common those days because of his love for people who are poor and suffering and the faith he had in his Lord. He worked with dedication like St.Xavier and did a lot of miracles and so fondly called 'chinna savariar,[Little Xavier].He was laid to rest at Sarugani with much reverence. It is more than two and half a century now, but still he is a source of inspiration to thousands of people in this area. Even now miracles are glaring and the crowd that gathers on 3rd December every year is a silent witness to the continuous faith of the people.

Alleviating the poverty   of the people dominated his activities. Wherever he went people were attracted to him and listened to whatever he said to them. His love for the people knows no caste or creed. People had the faith that the palm leave with the prayer written on it by Fr.Leveil is more powerful than the pesticides.
After his tireless and strenuous missionary work at Andavoorani and Ramnad, towards the twilight of his life, he came to Sarugani, advised by his superiors to take rest. But he had a new definition for that word. People thronged sarugani to meet him, get his blessings, and go back happily removed of their sickness, sins and burden. "Come to me those who are burdened". People who came were relieved of their burden or their back was strengthened. People came to him from all walks of life believing that his prayers and blessings brought down the grace of God
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Sarugani was a centre for the priests of the diocese for their monthly retreat and many religious functions. The epic center for their religious renovation was no wonder Fr.Leveil.  Priests renewed their prayer- life through those retreats .On 13th January 1970 he had the great joy of celebrating the golden jubilee of his priestly ordination at Sarugani.  Added to his happiness his niece had come from France to wish him. She brought with her the love of her family, her community and the country.Father had been in India for 62 years and had never seen any of his kith and kin nor visited France - not even once

As the days came close Fr.Leveil chose his own place for the burial [the present cemetery] and conveyed the message that life is not an end but only a passage. Till the end of his days he was cherished as a holy priest and a most beloved father. It was on 21st March 1973 the soul of the faithful servant went to his creator and Lord. The burial was glorious and attended by thousands of people who came from far and wide. It was Fr.Leveil who started the practice of pilgrimage to Oriyur, the place where St.Britto was martyred and it is still practiced by both the diocese of Sivagangai and Madurai under the leadership of the bishops on 4th February every year.The people still consider it a miracle that a palm leaf containing the prayer of Fr.Leveil is enough to remove the insects of destruction from the field .Even now the miracle continues. People gather the sand from his cemetery and take home as a blessing with the belief that no evil can harm them.

 No wonder Sarugani the place where Fr.Leveil is buried also is visited by thousands of pilgrims especially on 21st March every year, the day Fr.Leveil left this world to his creator. All the people who come on the feast day are fed by the parish with the help of the donors who  contribute generously. No wonder  the number of beneficiaries crosses a few thousands.