Understanding the Jesuits in Goa
By Frederick Noronha
fredericknoron...@gmail.com
They have been called the "schoolmasters of
Europe". For decades, if not centuries, this
religious Order has played a key role in exchanging
information, about science and plants, between
India and Europe. At times, they were
conservatives, and at other times, they've been
almost radical. The Jesuits -- or Society of Jesus
-- has also played a crucial, though sometimes
challenged and critiqued, role in Goa as well.
So, it is not surprising to see a book titled 'Jesuits of the
Goa Province: A Historical Overview (1542-2000)' emerge on
the bookstands. Even if this title may have not got the
attention it deserves, thanks to what seems to be like low
reading habits currently in Goa.
The book is authored by the veteran Jesuit, Gregory Naik SJ,
and has been published by Cinnamon Teal. Naik served the
Jesuit Headquarters in Rome, the Jesuit Educational
Association for South Asia in New Delhi, and was also the SJ
(or Society of Jesus) Provincial in Goa itself. Since 2009,
he established the Goa Jesuit Archives, and has been engaged
with it since despite his age and health.
The Jesuit link with Goa has been rather strong, from very
early times. They first landed here in 1542. That is very
early in the history of the Society, which was officially
founded only in 1540 itself, or barely two years earlier.
The Jesuits have played a role in shaping Goa's history,
though today they run only a handful of schools like Britto
in Mapusa and Loyola in Margao. They lack a single college
in their Goa Jesuit Province (which extends, actually, quite
some way beyond the borders of Goa). More on that latter
Depending on how you see it, this can be quite an
interesting book or an official version. You may
or may not be a fan of the Jesuits, but this book
is packed with colourful information and useful
facts. Even if these pages are written by a Jesuit
himself, it makes for an interesting read
nonetheless.
How did the Jesuits land in Goa? What was Goa like in the
1540s? How did the Jesuit Province of Goa -- sometimes also
called the Province of India -- come about in 1549? Is it
true that this was the first Jesuit Province outside of
Europe, and only the third after Portugal and Spain? Or that
its this Goa-based provice's area spread from the southern
tip of Africa to Japan in the east? Read and find out
The Jesuit story is rich and complex, and at times it is also
bizarre and unbelievable. The geographical spread of the
Society -- even from their base in tiny Goa itself -- is just
one part of the meandering and often surprising story. Their
achievements in various fields is another part of the story.
Recently, while working to comprehend the early linguistic
influences of Goa-linked individuals on India, I was
surprised to realise the extent of the role played by Jesuits
in fields such as Tamil (Fenicio, de Nobili), Sanskrit (Henry
Roth, de Nobili, Arnos Padiri or Ernest Hanxleden who
contributed to both Sanskrit and Malayalam); or Tamil
(Enrique Enriquez, Beschi) and of course in Konkani (Thomas
Stephens, who had in the late 20th century a Jesuit institute
named after him at Porvorim), just to name a few.
They were astronomers (Matteo Ricci), and Claude
Boudier and John Baptist Pons who helped the
maharaja of Jaipur set up his famous astronomical
observatory (jantar mantar), or explorers like
Brother Bento Goes who travelled overland from
Lahore to China via Kabul and others like
Castiglione who was famous for his paintings of
imperial horses in China.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. On reading books of
these kind, it becomes clear that tiny Goa has indeed played
a major role in global history, though it might not be
politically correct to say so in these times.
Jesuits shaped the churches of Goa, particularly those of
Ilhas (Tiswadi) and Salcete. Besides, of course, some
prominent ones at Old Goa, as the scholar Christina Oswald
has pointed out elsewhere. Page 29 lists all the many Goa
churches, built by the Jesuits -- about 20 in Tiswadi
(Azossim to Vanxim and a dozen and half in between), and 25
more in Salcete (from Assola to Benaulim, Betalbatim,
Cansaulim, to Varca, Vasco, Velsao and Verna, among others).
The rise and decline of the Jesuits in Goa is a complex
story. Fr Naik does a good job in letting critical
perspectives go through. He cites other Jesuit work (Dr
Charles Borges') to state how the Society of Jesus in past
centuries "bought lands, received donations and endowments
from pious lay folk, got a flourishing palm-grove business
going, sublet lands, accepted pawned goods and mortgages, and
helped the State with funds whenever the need arose. In
