Olé BC, please come down to AD! We have an apt saying in Konkani: When you pelt a stone at a dog, whether it is hit or not, it always limps on its left leg. For some people today, Devanagari script has become the left leg! (;-))
History might be a joke to you but to me it is a serious matter. I do get confused when I google for this topic and get the following in eight random sites: (1) The first missionaries sent to India after the discovery of the sea route were some Dominican Friars who came as chaplains of the Fleet on Albuquerque's ships. Soon a church dedicated to St. Catherine was set up after the conquest. The significance being the victorious conquest of Goa on St. Catherine's day, November 25th 1510. The next group that was more successful in propagating Christianity was the Franciscans, who arrived in Goa in 1517. For the next quarter century they were active in conversions not only in Goa but also the bordering areas of India. Upon hearing of this success, Pope Paul II subsequently raised the status of Goa to an Episcopal. He appointed the First Bishop to take charge who unfortunately never made it to India as he died soon after appointment. The Pope then appointed the Episcopal authority to Dom Fr. João de Albuquerque, who took charge of the diocese in 1538. The most successful group to arrive soon after were the Jesuits of the newly formed Society of Jesus. With the arrival of St. Francis Xavier S.J., one of its founders, the activity of the Jesuits went into overdrive. (2) In 1542, St. Francis Xavier of the Society of Jesus set foot in Goa and noticed the newly converted Christians were practising their old (often pagan) customs and traditions. (3) The wives of the Muslim soldiers were taken prisoners. They were, then, instructed in the faith and baptized and given in marriage to the bachelors in Albuquerque's army. Three Franciscan Friars, José Alemão, Rui Gomes and Francisco da Rocha accompanied Albuquerque in this expedition. Friar Francisco da Rocha was appointed 1st Parish-Priest of the City of Goa and in this capacity celebrated these baptisms and marriages. (4) Friar António de Lauro, who came to India with twelve Friars and became the First Franciscan Commissary of India in the City of Goa in 1518. In a short time, they baptized about 800 Hindus and the number might have been larger if it had not been for the secular clergy who went about opposing them, placing obstacles in their way, frustrating their desires and their services of God. Because of this problem, the Commissary asked the King of Portugal to order that they be favoured and granted powers to gather the newly converted men and women in their Friary so that they may be taught the things of the faith. He also requested the Monarch to forbid Hindu Yogis from entering the Island. He also writes to the King that a quantity of rice should be given as alms to the Gentiles and conversions will multiply rapidly. However, Fr. Nicholas Lancillotto was critical of this policy and in 1547 wrote to Ignatius of Loyola saying that those who become Christians do so purely for temporal interests and without any good purpose. Those who were slaves became Christians to attain freedom; others became Christians because of the material gifts offered to them. Nevertheless, it was the poor who were the first to be baptized because they were attracted by the charity of the missionaries who at the same time preached them the Gospel. (5) The first measure was the breaking of the temples. Between 1526 and 1541, the entire villagers of Daugim at the eastern extremity of Tiswadi, pulled down their temple and became Chris¬tians and a Church of Mother of God was built on the site. King João III ordered that the temples be demolished and that not one be left in the whole of the Island of Goa and its limits. Nor should the Gentiles be allowed to perform any Gentile ceremony in the land under his dominion, so that by this merciful rigour they would be made to forget the gentile cult and be converted to the Holy Faith. The first Provision of the law is that of 30th June 1541. This Order was carried out immediately and in the same year on the Island of Tiswadi. (6) Meanwhile, conversions to Christianity started by the Franciscans gathered pace when St.Francis Xavier founded the Jesuit Mission in 1542. (7) By 1543, the temples on the islands of Tiswadi, Chorão, Divar, Jua and Vansi were destroyed. (8) Around 1548, the head tax-collector, LOKU (who became Lucas de Sá), who had been very prominent among those who exhorted the people not to become Christians, himself became a Christian. After a brief prepara¬tion, he was received into the Church together with his wife and four others, two of them were village elders. The Baptism was celebrated with great pomp and was attended by several leading Hindus. The example of Loku was taken by other Hindus and between 1548 January and November, 912 non-Christians were baptized in city parishes. Hence, I feel the need for an intervention by a knowledgeable historian to sort out the matter. Perhaps, Locu was the first Brahmin to be baptised? Sebastian Borges On 22 Apr 2010 Bernado Colaco <ole_...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Sebs, What is more confusing is devanagiri script! BC This post is even more confusing.? 1548 is a part of the 1540's.? But why do we need to "believe"? Are written records not available? Sebastian Borges
