Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares
Encyclopedia
Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares (Alvares Mar Julius, Julius Mar Alvarez) (April 29, 1836-September 23, 1923) was initially a priest
in Roman Catholic Church
in Goa
. He voluntarily joined the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and in 1889 was elevated to Metropolitan
of Goa, Ceylon and Greater India in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
, India
.
(papal privilege of royal patronage granted by pope
s beginning in the 14th century). The more modern Popes and the Congregation of Propaganda Fide separated these areas and re-organized them as Vicariates Apostolic ruled by non-Portuguese bishops, since the English rulers wished to have non-Portuguese bishops.
Successive Portuguese governments fought against this, terming this as unjustified aggression by later Popes against the irrevocable grant of Royal Patronage to the Portuguese Crown, an agitation that spread to the Goan patriots, subjects of the Portuguese Crown.
When, under Pope Pius IX
and Pope Leo XIII
, the hierarchy in British India was formally re-organized independently of Portugal but with Portuguese consent, a group of pro-Padroado Goan Catholics in Bombay united under the leadership of the scholar Dr. Lisboa e Pinto and Fr. Alvares as the Society for the Defense of the Royal Patronage and agitated with the Holy See
, the British India government and the Portuguese government against these changes.
Alvares was consecrated
as Mar Julious I on 28 July 1889, by the Orthodox Bishop of Kottayam
, Paulose Mar Athanasious, with the permission of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch
of Antioch
Ignatius Peter IV
to be Archbishop
of autocephalous Latin Rite of Ceylon, Goa and India.
St.Alvares and Fr.Lisboa e Pinto continued their efforts to draw many Goans from the Imperial Church and to Orthodoxy . The Orthodox Church of Goa failed in this goal, for outside this group, very few Goans acceded to this sect.
When Joseph Rene Vilatte
was searching for a bishop with orders recognized by the Catholic Church, in order to solicit consecration, he was guided to Alvares, who, jointly with Paulose Mar Athanasious, and with the permission of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch, consecrated him in 1892 in Colombo
, Sri Lanka. This became Alvares' seat.
As Mar Julious I, Alvares lived at Colombo and Brahmavar
-Calianpur (Kalyanpur), a village near the town of Udipi in the Canara Coast, and finally in the town of Ribandar
in Goa, where he died of dysentery
and was buried.
Dr. Lisboa e Pinto, acting in his capacity as the U.S.
Consul, witnessed Alvares' and Vilatte's consecrations.
, Mar Paulose Evanios of Kandanadu and Mar Athanasios (Kadavil) at Kottayam Old Seminary on 29 July 1889.He was elevated to the position of Metropolitan (Arch Bishop) with the jurisdiction of Goa
, India
(excluding Malabar) and Ceylon.
Government. Though he was advised by some off his old friends to reunite with the Catholic Church, especially when he was very sick, he refused and stuck to his Orthodox faith.
Episcopal Vestments till his death; he used only a black robe. When His Grace was persecuted, none of the Orthodox Church People were nearby. He suffered alone as forsaken by everybody; just like his own Master, Jesus. As a true Christian, Alvares Mar Julius Metropolitan suffered like the Disciples and Martyrs of the early Christianity.
For forty long years nobody visited the grave. His Grace Mathews Mar Athanasios, the then Metropolitan of out side Kerala Diocese (Later His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews First) during his visit to Goa in 1967, after a lot of enquiries, found the tomb. It was a coincidence that the first Holy ‘Qurbana” of Orthodox Church was conducted by His Grace in the St. Inus Church where the Late Alvares Mar Julius was laid to rest. As per his and the Panaji Orthodox Parishners’ wishes, a small Church was constructed in Ribandar and the Holy Relics were transferred to the Church by His Grace Philipose Mar Theophilose, the Diocesan Metropolitan Of Bombay on 5 October 1979.
When the St. Mary’s Church was reconstructed in the same place, the relics were shifted to the present sepulchre which was specially made on the side of the ‘Madbaha’, by the Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Church H.H Moran Mar Baselios Mathews II on 6 October 2001.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. He voluntarily joined the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and in 1889 was elevated to Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Goa, Ceylon and Greater India in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
Early life
Alvares was born to a Goan Catholic family in Verna, GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Career as a priest
Alvares was appointed by the Archbishop of Goa to minister to Catholics in territories of British India. The Portuguese Crown claimed these territories by virtue of old privileges of PadroadoPadroado
The Padroado , was an arrangement between the Holy See and the kingdom of Portugal, affirmed by a series of treaties, by which the Vatican delegated to the kings of Spain and Portugal the administration of the local Churches...
(papal privilege of royal patronage granted by pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
s beginning in the 14th century). The more modern Popes and the Congregation of Propaganda Fide separated these areas and re-organized them as Vicariates Apostolic ruled by non-Portuguese bishops, since the English rulers wished to have non-Portuguese bishops.
Successive Portuguese governments fought against this, terming this as unjustified aggression by later Popes against the irrevocable grant of Royal Patronage to the Portuguese Crown, an agitation that spread to the Goan patriots, subjects of the Portuguese Crown.
When, under Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
and Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
, the hierarchy in British India was formally re-organized independently of Portugal but with Portuguese consent, a group of pro-Padroado Goan Catholics in Bombay united under the leadership of the scholar Dr. Lisboa e Pinto and Fr. Alvares as the Society for the Defense of the Royal Patronage and agitated with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, the British India government and the Portuguese government against these changes.
Uniting with Orthodox Church
Their agitation failed to reverse the changes. Angry with the Portuguese government, the group broke away from the Catholic Church and joined Orthodoxy under the Malankara Orthodox Syrian ChurchAlvares was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
as Mar Julious I on 28 July 1889, by the Orthodox Bishop of Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
, Paulose Mar Athanasious, with the permission of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
Ignatius Peter IV
Ignatius Peter IV
Moran Mor Ignatius Peter IV or Ignatius Pathros IV , was the 116th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church...
to be Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of autocephalous Latin Rite of Ceylon, Goa and India.
St.Alvares and Fr.Lisboa e Pinto continued their efforts to draw many Goans from the Imperial Church and to Orthodoxy . The Orthodox Church of Goa failed in this goal, for outside this group, very few Goans acceded to this sect.
When Joseph Rene Vilatte
Joseph René Vilatte
Joseph René Vilatte was, at different times, a Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Russian Orthodox and Jacobite...
was searching for a bishop with orders recognized by the Catholic Church, in order to solicit consecration, he was guided to Alvares, who, jointly with Paulose Mar Athanasious, and with the permission of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch, consecrated him in 1892 in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka. This became Alvares' seat.
As Mar Julious I, Alvares lived at Colombo and Brahmavar
Brahmavar
Brahmavar or Brahmavara, "Ajapura" old name of Brahmavara is a main road town on NH 17, located 13 km north of the Udupi in Udupi district in Karnataka state of India. It has been mentioned "Lord Brahma's Vara or Ajapura"...
-Calianpur (Kalyanpur), a village near the town of Udipi in the Canara Coast, and finally in the town of Ribandar
Ribandar
Ribandar is an unincorporated town in Goa, India, in the district of Ilhas or Tiswaddi, lying in between the cities of Pangim and Old Goa....
in Goa, where he died of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
and was buried.
Dr. Lisboa e Pinto, acting in his capacity as the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Consul, witnessed Alvares' and Vilatte's consecrations.
Alvares Mar Julius Thirumeni
While he was a priest of the Catholic Church he was in search of the true Biblically Christian One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. He was against the false devotion and religious exhibitionism. He objected to the ‘Concordot’ of the Pope and interference of the Government in the Church Administration. He could not withstand the harassment meted out to him by the ecclesiastical and civil powers. He went to Western and Eastern Churches and finally came to Malankara and joined the Orthodox Church. Being pious and considering his faith, his way of life and attitude towards his fellow being, he was consecrated as Bishop by Mar Joseph Dionesious (Pulikkottil), Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of ParumalaParumala
Parumala is a small village and island on the Pampa River in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, India.Parumala is renowned for the presence of the Tomb of St. Gregorios , the Greatest Saint of India belonging to the Indian Orthodox Church and Syriac Orthodox Church, so it is a pilgrimage site...
, Mar Paulose Evanios of Kandanadu and Mar Athanasios (Kadavil) at Kottayam Old Seminary on 29 July 1889.He was elevated to the position of Metropolitan (Arch Bishop) with the jurisdiction of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(excluding Malabar) and Ceylon.
Patriot and saint
This designation was given to Alvares Mar Julius by Goan historians. After joining the Orthodox Church Mar Alvares was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. He was persecuted by the Catholic Church and the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Government. Though he was advised by some off his old friends to reunite with the Catholic Church, especially when he was very sick, he refused and stuck to his Orthodox faith.
Missionary
Since Alvares Mar Julius was not allowed by the rulers to work freely in Goa he was mostly based in Canara region of Karnataka with the main base at Brahmawar. He along with Fr. Noronha worked among the people along the west coast of India from Mangalore to Bombay. About 5000 families joined the Orthodox Church He ordained Rev. Fr. Joseph Kanianthra, Rev. Fr. Lukose of Kannamcote and Deacon David Kunnamkulam at Brahmawar on 15 October 1911. The Brahmawar mission remains active as of 2010.He was in Ceylon for more than five years. While there he ordained Timothy René Vilattee as Bishop in the presence of Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala in 1892.Journalist and writer
He started a number of periodicals including “A Cruz”(The Cross), “Vardade”(The Truth), O Progress De Goa”, “O Brado Indiano”, “Times Of Goa”. Most of them were educative and supportive for the right of the public. As he was a critic of the Government, most of them were banned and forced to stop publications after few years. “The Universal supremacy of the Church of Christ”, “Antioch and Rome” were two of his books.Educationist
Fr. Alvares was a great Scholar, man of high principles and had an impressing personality. He opened a college where Goan priests were teaching Portuguese, Latin, French and Philosophy. In 1912 Mar Julius opened an English School in Panaji. Both did not function for long, due to one reason or other.Social work
At that time Goa was frequently affected by epidemic like malaria, typhoid, small pox, cholera and plague. Alvares published a booklet “Direcoes Para O Treatment Do Cholera” (Directions for Treatment for Cholera). He was so concerned about shortage of food in Goa that he appealed to the people to produce cheaper food. He published a booklet “Mandioca” (about the cultivation of Tapioca).Apostle of charity
Though Portuguese Government dubbed him as a traitor, later he was considered by them and by all the Goans as an ‘Apostle of Charity’. In 1871 he started a Charitable Association in Panaji to render help to the poor, beginning with wandering beggars. After few years he extended the Association to other cities in Goa. During the last ten years of his life he concentrated his activities in Panaji. His home for the poor was having lepers, T.B patients, scavengers, beggars and all other destitutes as inmates. Since he was not having any income he was forced to beg with a bowl in his one hand and a staff in the other hand for support. One day Mar Alvares requested a shop keeper for contribution. Instead of giving any money, the arrogant fellow spat in the bowl. Without getting angry His Grace told to him “All right, I shall keep this for me. Now, give something for the poor”.(He was very much ahead of Mother Teresa in that respect). By seeing the dedication and determination of the Arch Bishop the shop keeper contributed generouslyMartyr
Mar Alvares was having a firm faith in the Orthodox Church. Leaving his fortune in the Catholic Church, he embraced the Orthodox Church. He was excommunicated and persecuted. He was falsely abdicated, arrested, stripped off his Episcopal vestments and taken through the street, only with his underwear, to the police lockup. There he was put in a filthy room without a bed or chair wherein the floor smelt of urine and faeces. He was also forcibly deprived off his cross and the ring, the episcopal insigne he was wearing. He was beaten and presented in the Court. But the Government could not prove the allegations and he was acquitted. After few days he was caught again on alleged charges of high treason but this time too the Justice found him innocent. He was not allowed to use hisEpiscopal Vestments till his death; he used only a black robe. When His Grace was persecuted, none of the Orthodox Church People were nearby. He suffered alone as forsaken by everybody; just like his own Master, Jesus. As a true Christian, Alvares Mar Julius Metropolitan suffered like the Disciples and Martyrs of the early Christianity.
Last days and funeral
His last days were in Ribandar Hospital, a charitable institution, ill with dysentery. It was his wish to be buried by any Orthodox designates, he was specific not to have any Catholic priest for the same. He died 23 September 1923. The citizen committee led by the Chief Justice, arranged a grand funeral. His body was kept in state in the Municipal Hall for 24 hours to enable the people to pay homage. All the newspapers were full of articles and homage about the departed. Though Alvares was considered an enemy by the government, the Governor General sent his representative to pay tribute to him. Thousands of people especially poor and beggars paid their last respects. Funeral speeches were made by high dignitaries. The funeral procession winding all the main roads of Panaji was taken and the body was laid to rest in the secluded corner of St. Inez Panaji cemetery on 24 September 1923 without any funeral rites.Sepulcher of Mar Alvares
After four years (23 September 1927) his bones were collected by his friends and admirers, placed in a lead box, buried in the same place, under a marble slab with the inscription “Em Memoria De Padre Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares, Diue Foimui Humanitario Missionario E Um Grade Patriota”(Padre Alvares a great Humanitarian Missionary and a great Patriot) and a large cross, still the biggest cross in the cemeteryFor forty long years nobody visited the grave. His Grace Mathews Mar Athanasios, the then Metropolitan of out side Kerala Diocese (Later His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews First) during his visit to Goa in 1967, after a lot of enquiries, found the tomb. It was a coincidence that the first Holy ‘Qurbana” of Orthodox Church was conducted by His Grace in the St. Inus Church where the Late Alvares Mar Julius was laid to rest. As per his and the Panaji Orthodox Parishners’ wishes, a small Church was constructed in Ribandar and the Holy Relics were transferred to the Church by His Grace Philipose Mar Theophilose, the Diocesan Metropolitan Of Bombay on 5 October 1979.
When the St. Mary’s Church was reconstructed in the same place, the relics were shifted to the present sepulchre which was specially made on the side of the ‘Madbaha’, by the Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Church H.H Moran Mar Baselios Mathews II on 6 October 2001.