John De Britto, S.J

Irish Jesuit Province

John De Britto, S.J.Author(s): Paul LeonardSource: The Irish Monthly, Vol. 75, No. 886 (Apr., 1947), pp. 161-167Published by: Irish Jesuit ProvinceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20515636 .

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161

John De Britto, S.J. By Paul Leonard, S.J.

ON the 21st August, 1853, almost a hundred years ago, John De

Britto was beatified by Pope Pius IX. Now once again his name

is brought before the world. For

the glory of beatification is to be

crowned by that of canonisation on

the 22nd June of this year. John De Britto was a Portuguese;

he was sprung from that race so justly renowned for their boldness and cour

age. Their heroes have even been

those who steered into unknown seas

or marched into the hearts of great

kingdoms. Young John De Britto was

quick to admire the adventurous

and the brave. Early in his life the

story of a great man stirred his soul.

But it was not the life of an explorer or crusader that fascinated his imagi nation and enkindled desires within

his soul but the life of one who had

pushed forward the boundaries of

Christ's Kingdom in the East, the life

of Francis Xavier.

This attraction towards the saint was the first manifestation of the way his thoughts were turning. No

miracles marked his birth nor pro

phetic utterances his early years. In

deed the first six years of his life were

very quiet ones. He was born in

Lisbon on March 1st, 1647. His

mother, Donna Beatrix Perevia, and

his father were both nobles. His

father had been a close friend of John,

eighth Duke of Braganza, even be

fore the latter became King of Portu

gal. Indeed, it was whispered that

Salvador De Britto had no small share

in securing the Duke's coronation as

John IV after the rising of 1640

which restored to Portugal her inde

pendence. In return for his loyal ser

vice Salvador De Britto was appointed

governor of Brazil, one of Portugal's most flourishing colonies at that time.

It was there he died in 1651 when

John was but four years old. After

his father's death the King had John

brought to the court of Lisbon to be

trained as a page and to act as a com

panion to his children. The most

notable among these were Catherine,

destined to become the queen of

Charles II of England, and Don

Pedro, the crown prince, later to be

come King of Portugal. John and

the prince quickly became friends and

their friendship was to last all through their lives. The King entrusted the

education of the young De Britto to

the Jesuits at Lisbon and it was from

them that he first heard the story of



162 THE IRISH MONTHLY

Xavier. His devotion to the saint

grew as he increased in years. And

when at twelve he fell sick unto death, it was, of course, to Xavier that he

turned. His mother joined him in

his prayers and made a vow that was

later to cause John some embarrass

ment. She promised to dress him for a whole year in a Jesuit gown if God

spared him. The boy recovered

quickly and duly appeared dressed like a little Jesuit. His sombre black garb

must have stood out against the

colourful silks and gay brocades of the court and no doubt too inspired

many a playful or teasing remark.

But few, if any, realised that the true

heart of a Jesuit was beating beneath

this miniature gown.

Becomes a Jesuit

When he was only a mere stripling of fourteen he revealed the desires of

this strong unselfish heart and declared his wish to enter the Company of Jesus. At first there were diffi

culties. The King did not like to

lose him from the court; Don Pedro could not bear the thought of part ing; his mother said he was too

young. But John triumphed over all. On the 17th December, 1662, at the

age of fifteen, John entered the Jesuit

noviceship at Lisbon to set about his Father's business. The court and

people of Lisbon followed his pro gress from afar. News came to them

that he was doing brilliantly at his

studies at Evora and later that he had

distinguished himself at the great,

university of Coimbra. When he came back to teach at St. Antony's

College he preached a most stirring sermon on St. Francis Xavier before the assembled fathers of the College.

The report about it spread through Lisbon. Soon all came to know this

young religious famed for eloquence and learning ; people would point him

out in the street. He was of medium

height, his face long and oval, his com

plexion pale. But his eyes were

bright, alive and there was an air of

gentleness about him that his smile, as

soon as you approached, accentuated.

For otherwise he passed along so

absorbed in thought or prayer that

you would think he saw nothing. All

expected great things from him. Some hoped to see him profess at

Coimbra, others destined him for a

career in the pulpit, none but his

superiors knew the yearnings of his

Christ-like heart. He had written to

his General, Father Paul Oliva, offer

ing himself for the mission in India. In time this news was rumoured

abroad. All Lisbon wondered how his professors who were so

proud of

him, the prince who was so fond of

him, his mother who loved him so

tenderly, would allow him to leave his

homeland. Besides he was not too

robust ; twice he had been at death's door. And India was a land not only of precious stones and gold but also



JOHN DE BRITTO, SJ. 163

of cruel pagans and wild beasts, a land

whose climate was worse than the

people who inhabited it. But the rumour was true. In the beginning of the year 1673 he was ordained and started his preparations for departure.

At last the 25th March, the day for

parting, came. The fathers walked

out in solemn procession from the Col

lege of St. Antony. With their

breviaries in their hands and their

crucifixes exposed upon their breasts

they filed through the streets to the

banks of the Tagus. All Lisbon was

at the port for it is the custom there to wish all missionaries farewell. The

fathers lined the quay. There were

two parties, one bound for China, the

other under the leadership of Fr.

D'Accosta for the Indies. Their

fellow-Jesuits. passed down the ranks

wishing each priest a last God-speed. Then the relations pressed forward for

the last embrace. But John De Britto was not at the port. He had gone on

ahead of his fellows to the ship, alone, to spare his mother the anguish of this

last good-bye. Only then did it

become known that while the young father had been imploring his

superiors to send him to India, his

mother had been striving to have him

kept in Portugal. She had enlisted the

help of the court, and for a time that

of the Papal Nuncio ; she had even

pleaded with the Jesuits themselves.

Her sacrifice was hard. She had lost

her husband some years ago and now

she felt she was being bereaved a

second time of all she held most dear.

The parting was not less hard for

John. But the Lord of the Harvest was calling him and so he left all to

answer that call and to sail to a land

where the labourers were few.

Arrival in India

His ship landed at Goa in September and there, praying at the tomb of

Xavier, John De Britto bound him

self, forever, to the mission and to this

people of India. After he had spent about eight months studying the lan

guage of the country at Goa he set out for the Seminary at Ambalagata, a town situated between the coast of

Malabar and the Ghats mountains,

being near Cranganore. There he

made the Spiritual Exercises for thirty

days and his final profession. Now he was ready to start for the mission of

Madura. Fearlessly he faced diffi

culties before which even brave men

had quailed. These difficulties were

both physical and moral. The caste

system had always been a discourage ment to the missioner. It is opposed to the fundamental Christian teaching of universal love. In order to over

come this obstacle he resolved to adopt the mode of life of the caste called

Pandarist s. He stained his body with

dyes and donned their long full orange robe. His sandals were made of wood

and fastened to the toes by pegs. For

his diet he was only permitted rice,




herbs and a little milk. The Pan

darists are a penitential caste and their

way of life is considered austere even

by the Indians themselves. Yet

undaunted De Britto set out on foot

for Madura in the south of India. His

journey, too, was difficult for it was

through the wild Ghats mountains and

his track was by sheer precipices and

through infested jungles. A storm

came upon the travellers : they lost

their way. For days they wandered

soaked to the skin, chilled and petri fied. At last they reached the settle

ment of Saltamangola. John sank

down exhausted and fever gripped him.

After a month he was on the way

again, marching over mountains by

day, keeping guard by the watch fires

at night for fear of tigers, snakes and

marauding elephants. Finally he

reached Colei in the kingdom of Gingi in the Cauvery Delta and commenced

his work. He dealt with the problem of caste indirectly. He worked among the Pandarists alone seeking to win

them from false gods, knowing that

once they were instructed in Christi

anity, their caste prejudices would dis

appear of themselves. Yet he did not

neglect the Pariahs, the outcasts, but

worked among them in the darkness of

night. His efforts were blessed, con

versions came. Then sorrows came in

their battalions. He saw plague sweep

away most of his neophytes, a usurper

ravage their kingdom. No sooner had

they established themselves in a safe

retreat than the river Coralam burst

its banks and a seething flood came

upon them. They fled once more to

higher ground. But here they found

themselves surrounded by hissing

snakes, driven from their poisonous nests by the flood. But they came

through this danger safely, for De

Britto had the Apostle's power over

snakes and they did them no hurt.

Appointed Superior

After some years spent in these

labours IV. De Britto was made

superior of the whole mission. This was a great responsibility?an almost

crushing task. As well as doing an

ordinary missioner's task he had to

visit all the mission stations. His

travels took him northwards at least as far as Madras and Vellore. But the

Cauvery Delta, Tanjore, Madura and

Marava were his chief field. John

did not spare himself. He was

journeying always, ever encouraging

and strengthening his fellow-Jesuits.

He imposed even still more penances

upon his poor body, disciplining him

self daily unto blood to bring down

God's blessing upon his mission and

his men. Of all the missions under

his care he showed the greatest interest

in the Kingdom of Madura for it was

the most wretched of them all. The

missioners had been driven forth, the

Christians persecuted. Only cat?chiste

remained to strengthen any of the neo

phytes that had been left unmolested?




To try to penetrate into this kingdom was a dangerous task. So dangerous indeed that Fr. De Britto decided that it was his duty as superior to attempt It and to attempt it alone. He

appeared among the frightened neo

phytes, revived them with his pres ence, consoled them with the sacra

ments and strengthened them with the

Bread of the Strong. He had bap tised 2,700 before the persecutors

closed upon him. He was taken

prisoner along with six neophytes. When all refused to worship the pagan

god, Civa, the tortures commenced.

They were stripped and flogged with

heavy iron chains till they collapsed into pools of their own blood ; then

they were flung into a dungeon. Next

morning they were led out to a deep pond into which they were lowered by

ropes. When they were on the point of suffocation they were dragged out

only to be immersed again and again. As the dying Christ heard the blas

phemies of an unrepentant thief so Fr.

De Britto, in the midst of his tortures, had to witness the apostasy of one of

his neophytes. More scourgings fol

lowed the water torture and after the

last of these he was carried to a large

jagged stone intolerably hot from the

Indian sun. Bleeding as he was, he was

rolled over and over upon this until

his body was nothing but wounds and

swelling sores. At last he was con

demned to death but a violent storm

prevented the sentence from being

carried out. During the delay popular

opinion rose in his favour for his

courage and gentleness had astonished

all and they were afraid to kill him for

fear of the multitude. So they sent

him bound to the ruler of Marava.

But to his bitterest disappointment he was then set free. He had seen the rare and crimson flower of martrydom blossom before his eyes but had not been allowed to pluck it.

Immediately after his release he was recalled to Topo. After a few weeks' rest he asked to be permitted to return to his mission. But he learned that he was appointed to succeed Fr. Payes, who had died on his journey to Rome, as Procurator of the Indian Mission. On the 8th September, 1688, he was

back in Lisbon again. Everywhere he was greeted with the greatest joy and

veneration. For the story of his tor

tures had come to them from India

and the rumour had gone round that

he had been martyred. His mother was allowed to come out from the con

vent she had entered. She embraced

her child once more, thanking God for having called him to the missions.

Don Pedro, now become king, sent

his royal carriage drawn by six mules to take him to his palace of Salvatena

in L'Estremadura. There he met

with a most affectionate welcome.

Marie Elizabeth of Bavaria, the

beautiful, religious, and beloved

queen, begged the favour of hearing his Mass and of receiving Holy Com




munion from his hand. The boys of

St. Antony's College gazed in awe at

him as one who had been scourged and

tormented for the Faith. His own

fellow-Jesuits said that to see him was

to make you want to go on the mis

sions. But all this praise had no effect

upon John. He threaded his way

humbly through the streets wearing the strange orange-coloured robe of

the Pandarist. Even at the king's table he would touch no dish that was

not allowed to the members of the

caste he had assumed. He had

become a Hindoo forever to bring all

the Hindoos to Christ. And in this

warm affectionate atmosphere of

Catholic Portugal he was ever think

ing of the dark land of India where

his Christians were abandoned and

souls were in the power of the devil

and where also the flower of martyr dom grew. M

His Martyrdom

Many were the efforts made to keep him in Portugal and to prevent him

returning to the cruel people he had

left. But he resisted them all and

refused even the Archbishop of Cran

ganore. In 1690 he was on his way once more for India and arrived at

Goa on November 3rd. On board

ship he could not restrain his joy and

people had heard him cry out, "

I am

going to die for my fatherland?my fatherland is the land that gives me

birth into heaven. In the kingdom of

Marava I will shed my blood for my God." For, as the decree of Beati

fication expresses it, "

he was iBu

mined by an interior light that he

would fructify this land with his

blood." So joyful was he that he could even joke about it. Once he

took a child of a catechist into his, arms. When the child stretched forth

its hands towards his beard he

remarked playfully?" Don't touch

that, it is reserved along with my head for the Ruler of Marava." All

this time he had not whereon to lay his head for the country around

Marava was plunged in civil war*

" For the last four months," he

wrote, "

I have been living under a

tree." But all the time he was

making converts. Among these was

a Prince Tariadevan. He was the

rightful heir to the throne of Marava

which was in the hands of an usurper, a rajah of the Rangadevan family. Before administering Baptism, Fr. De

Britto told him he would be required

by the Faith to abandon his many wives. The prince made the sacrifice and all except the first were dismissed.

The youngest of these, however,

Cadelei, who was the niece of the

usurper, became jealous and spiteful. When she returned to her uncle*s

court in disgrace she inflamed the

rajah's rage against the father and his

Christians. Soldiers were despatched to capture them. The father met the

band with the meek words. "

Are you




seeking me? "

Amidst the barbaric

clangour of tambourines and cymbals he was led to the rajah at Ram wad, who condemned him to death. He was led forth to the public square, the

place of execution. All was ready, the father bound and calm, the archers

poised and eager. Suddenly the

newly-converted prince burst in and

flung himself between the father and

the executioners. The crowd were so

moved by this act of loyalty that the

usurper feared a riot. The execution was postponed. Then the father was

taken away to the residence of the

usurper's brother at Oriyur, some

thirty miles northward along the

coast. Here nothing could save him

from death?not even the Claudia

Procul-like appeal of the prince's wife

to have nothing to do with this just man. The next day, February 4th,

1693, he was led out to a low sandy mound near Oriyur. The large crowd

that followed were lost in admiration

at his courage and calmness. They heard him cry out in a loud voice to

God the Father for the conversion of

their land, then they saw their own

countrymen tear off his gown, batter

his head with their brutal tomahawks and sever it completely from his body.

Father De Britto had died, like

Christ, praying for his enemies.

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