John de Britto
Saint John de Britto Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves (now Portugal) | |
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Died | 4 February 1693 Orur, Kingdom of Ramnad (now in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, India) | (aged 45)
Venerated in | Catholic Church |
Beatified | 21 August 1853, Rome by Pope Pius IX |
Canonized | 22 June 1947, Rome by Pope Pius XII |
Feast | 4 February |
Patronage | Portugal,St. John De Britto Church Sakthikulangara, Kerala, Roman Catholic Diocese of Sivagangai, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madurai |
Styles of John de Britto, S.J. | ||
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Reference style The Reverend Father | | |
Spoken style | Father | |
Posthumous style | Saint |
John de Britto, SJ (also spelled Brito;
He is also called the John the Baptist of India.
Early life and missionary work
John de Britto, born 1 March 1647 in Lisbon, Portugal, was the scion of a powerful aristocratic Portuguese family; his father, Salvador de Britto Pereira, died while serving as Viceroy of the Portuguese colony of Brazil. He joined the Jesuits in 1662, studying at the famous University of Coimbra. He travelled to the missions of Madurai, in Southern India, present-day Tamil Nadu, in 1673 and preached the Christian religion in the region of the Maravar country. He renamed himself Arul Anandar (அருளானந்தர்) in Tamil. The ruler of the Maravar country imprisoned him in 1684. Having been expelled, he returned to Lisbon in 1687 and worked as a missions procurator. King Pedro II wanted him to stay, but in 1690 he returned to the Maravar country with 24 new missionaries.
The Madurai Mission was a bold attempt to establish an Indian Catholic Church that was relatively free of European cultural domination. As such, Britto learned the native languages, went about dressed in yellow cotton, and lived like a Tamil Thuravi/Sannyasi, abstaining from every kind of animal food and from wine. Britto tried to teach the Catholic faith in categories and concepts that would make sense to the people he taught. This method, proposed and practised by Roberto de Nobili, met with remarkable success. Britto remained a strict vegan until the end of his life, rejecting meat, fish, eggs and alcohol, and living only on legumes, fruits and herbs.[1][2]
Execution
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Mart%C3%ADrio_de_S%C3%A3o_Jo%C3%A3o_de_Brito.png/220px-Mart%C3%ADrio_de_S%C3%A3o_Jo%C3%A3o_de_Brito.png)
De Britto's preaching led to the conversion of Thadiyathevan (தடியத் தேவன்), a Maravar prince who had several wives and was required as a Christian to dismiss all but one of them. One of those dismissed was a niece of the neighbouring king, the Raghunatha Kilavan Sethupathi (சேதுபதி), the King of Ramnad (Ramanathapuram), who took for her sake launched a general persecution of Christians.[3] Britto and the catechists were seized and transported to the capital, Ramnad. From there he was taken to Orur (ஓரியூர்),[a] some 30 miles north along the coast, and was executed on 4 February 1693.
Britto was
Red Sand
This seashore sightseeing location is one of the most venerable pilgrim centres of Christians in the world over, as it is said to be the site of Britto's martyrdom. It was at this place where Britto is said to have been beheaded in 1693. The sand dune here is believed to have been stained by his blood. There is a shrine constructed in Portuguese style containing a statue of Britto, known locally as 'Arul Anandar' who had modestly offered his neck to the executioner.
The red sand dune here in this shrine where the blood of Britto was spilled has great significance. Numerous incurable diseases are said to have cured by the application of the red sand on the respective body parts. Couples are believed to have blessed with children on visiting the shrine and praying to the departed soul. During festivities, pilgrims mainly from Tamil Nadu and Kerala participate irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Thus, together with Christians, Hindus and Muslims also come to worship at the shrine in thousands, to mark respect to a unique holy man who shed his life and blood at that spot. The occasion appears to be more as a social gathering rather than a religious festival. The auspicious ceremony is a rare opportunity for these simple people to bring gaiety and enthusiasm in their life. The strong faith and enviable ability to combine pleasure and righteousness on a pilgrimage gives a divine atmosphere to the Orur festival.
Devotees from other dioceses and districts visit the shrine on specific dates. In February, believers from
In Portugal
His name was given to the Jesuit-run Colégio de São João de Brito (Saint John de Britto College), located in Lisbon, Portugal.
In India
The Basilica of St. John de Britto is in the village of Orur (also spelled Oreiour), where he is a significant figure revered by the Kallar, Maravar and Agamudayar.[5]
There is only one church in Coimbatore dedicated to John de Britto and located at R S Puram, and it is one of the largest parishes in the diocese of
One of the four houses in the Jesuit school, St Xavier's, Durgapur, is named after John de Britto. In the Campion School of Mumbai and St Xavier's Hazaribag there is a house named after Britto (Britto House). The other two houses are named for Francis Xavier (Xavier House) and Ignatius of Loyola (Loyola House). One of four houses in the Jesuit school, St Stanislaus High School. The other three houses named after Francis Xavier (Xavier House), Ignatius of Loyola (Loyola House) and Stanislaus Kostka (Kostka House). Also one of the four houses in St. Xavier's School, Kolkata, is named after Britto.
One of the four houses in the
Britto is the patron saint (referred as Pathukavul) of
Other countries
In the Philippines, Britto is honoured with several class sections named after him in the Jesuit-run schools:
- Section 11-De Brito in Ateneo de Manila Senior High School
- Four high school class sections in Ateneo de Davao University (1-De Brito; 2-De Brito; 3-De Brito; 4-De Brito)
- A Grade 8 level (formerly Grade 9 but changed into a Grade 8 section) class section in Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan
In
In Penang, Malaysia, there is a church called Church of St John Britto. The church is part of City Parish in the city of Georgetown, Penang. It was built in 1969. On 3 February 2019, the city parish held a Golden Jubilee celebration.
In Mauritius there is a chapel named St Jean de Britto dedicated to Tamil Catholics living in the area.
In Brazil there is a São João de Brito Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santo Amaro, one of the dioceses in the city of São Paulo. The parish was founded on 30 December 1952 and remains as one of the churches among the Pastoral Sector of Saint Amaro in the diocese.[6][7]
See also
- List of Christian martyrs
- List of saints of the Society of Jesus
- List of vegans
- Madurai Nayak Dynasty
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-1-142-04284-4. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
... se absteve até á morte de carnes, de ovos, de peixe, e de vinho, contentando-se com legumes, hervas e frutas; [... abstained from meats, eggs, fish, and wine until his death, contenting himself with vegetables, herbs and fruits;]
- ISBN 978-0-9754844-0-1. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
He distinguished himself by ... consuming a totally vegetarian diet
- ^ Woods, Henry (1910). "Blessed John de Britto". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York City: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
- ^ "Orur". 2011 Census of India. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-5519-7. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
- ^ "Paróquia São João de Brito".
- ^ https://paroquiasaojoaodebrito.com.br/
Bibliography
External links
- Hull, Ernest (1910). "Madura Mission". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York City: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
- Saint of the Day, February 4: John de Britto Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine at SaintPatrickDC.org