Saint John de Britto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Martyr | |
| Born | 1 March 1647 Lisbon,Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves (nowPortugal) |
| Died | 4 February 1693(1693-02-04) (aged 45) Oriyur,Kingdom of Ramnad (now inRamanathapuram district,Tamil Nadu,India) |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 21 August 1853, Rome byPope Pius IX |
| Canonized | 22 June 1947,Rome byPope Pius XII |
| Feast | 4 February |
| Attributes | Christogram,crucifix,staff,sannyasi robes,martyr’s palm |
| 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. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | The Reverend Father |
| Spoken style | Father |
| Posthumous style | Saint |
John de Britto, SJ (alsoBrito;Portuguese:João de Brito; also known asArul Anandar; 1 March 1647 – 4 February 1693) was a PortugueseJesuit missionary and an evangelist, often called "the PortugueseSt. Francis Xavier" byIndian Catholics. He is also called "theJohn the Baptist of India."
John de Britto, born 1 March 1647 inLisbon,Portugal, was the scion of a powerful aristocratic Portuguese family; his father,Salvador de Britto Pereira, died while serving as Viceroy of the Portuguesecolony of Brazil. He joined the Jesuits in 1662, studying at the famousUniversity of Coimbra. He travelled to the missions ofMadurai, in Southern India, present-dayTamil Nadu, in 1673 and preached the Christian religion in the region of the Maravar country. He renamed himselfArul Anandar (அருளானந்தர்) inTamil. 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. KingPedro 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 aTamil Thuravi/Sannyasi, abstaining from every kind of animal food and fromwine. 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 byRoberto de Nobili, met with remarkable success. Britto remained a strictvegan until the end of his life, rejecting meat, fish, eggs and alcohol, and living only on legumes, fruits and herbs.[1][2]
De Britto's preaching led to theconversion 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, theRaghunatha KilavanSethupathi (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 toOrur (ஓரியூர்),[a] some 30 miles north along the coast, and was executed on 4 February 1693.
Britto wasbeatified byPope Pius IX on 21 August 1853. He wascanonised byPope Pius XII on 22 June 1947. Saint John de Britto'sfeast day is 4 February.
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 asArul Anandar, who had modestly offered his neck to the executioner.
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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 fromDindigul arrive while in June, they are fromKarunguli andNagapattinam. During September more than 25,000 pilgrims used to visit the shrine for dedicating prayers and offerings. In October, nearly 25,000 pilgrims arrive from the neighbouringSivagangai district and in December, visitors are fromMadurai andMelur. Throughout the year, thousands of pilgrims fromSakthikulangara, a Catholic parish in Kerala, visit the shrine.
His name was given to the Jesuit-runSt. John de Britto College, located inLisbon,Portugal.
TheBasilica of St. John de Britto is in the village ofOrur (also spelled Oreiour), where he is a significant figure revered by theKallar,Maravar andAgamudayar.[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 ofCoimbatore. There is also a church in Subramaniapuram inTiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu dedicated to him. In 2016, a Church was built in honour of St. John de Britto at Laggere, Bangalore (Karnataka). There is also a Church dedicatedJohn de Britto inSesurajapuram, Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu.
One of the four houses in the Jesuit school, St Xavier's, Durgapur, is named after John de Britto. In theCampion School of Mumbai andSt Xavier's Hazaribag there is a house named after Britto (Britto House). The other two houses are named forFrancis Xavier (Xavier House) andIgnatius 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) andStanislaus 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 theInfant Jesus Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary SchoolTangasseri,Kollam is named after John de Britto (Brittos). The other three houses are named forJohn Bosco (Boscos),John Berchmans (Berchmans) andDominic Savio (Savios).Campion Anglo Indian Higher Secondary school Tiruchirapalli which is one of the prestigious schools inTiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu also has a house named after him.
St Britto High School inGoa is named after Britto as he lived there for seven months to complete his theological studies atSt Paul's College in OldGoa. The school is administered by the Jesuits. There is an Anglo-Indian Boys High School in theKochi Diocese, in the old Portuguese city ofFort Cochin, named after John de Britto, nearby the Bishop's House, inKochi. There is a St. John De Britto College of Education at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu (B.Ed. and M.Ed. college) since Britto worked in the Diocese of Thanjavur as well.
Britto is the patron saint (referred asPathukavul) ofSakthikulangara Parish inKollam Diocese,Kerala. Every year, Britto's feast day is celebrated inSakthikulangara with a big procession (pradakshinam). TheSt John De Britto Anglo-Indian High School is named after him.One of the Jesuit colleges established in Tamil Nadu is named after Britto asArul Anandar College (Arts & Science) which is in Karumathur, Madurai, as well asSt. Arul Anandar School, Orur, in the town where Britto died. These last two schools were established by the Jesuits to promote education in the rural parts ofTamil Nadu.
In thePhilippines, Britto is honoured with several class sections named after him in the Jesuit-run schools:
InYogyakarta,Indonesia, a Jesuit school for boys is named after him,SMA Kolese De Britto (De Britto College Senior High School).
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.
InBrazil there is a São João de Brito Parish in theRoman Catholic Diocese of Santo Amaro, one of the dioceses in the city ofSão 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]
... 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;]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)He distinguished himself by ... consuming a totally vegetarian diet
