The Christian Missionary activity begins in Madras in 1642

The English Factory at Madras

In the year 1639, the English obtained Madras from Aiyappa Naik a local representative of King of Chandragiri for trade and commerce. Francisday and Cogan the English merchants with 25 Europeans came to Madras and laid foundation for St. George Fort in 1640 and the fort was completed in 1668.[1]  This was the first settlement of the English at Madras and the first territorial acquisition by the English in India.[2] They constructed a Fort consisted of a tower or house enclosed by a rectangular wall 400 by 100 yards with bastions at four corners. More than 400 families settled permanently in the new township. They put up the industries of weaving and cotton fabrics and they invited the weavers and native merchants to settle near the fort. By 1652 the factory of Fort St. George was recognized as a presidency and between 1668 and 1749 the company expanded its control.[3] At about 1801, Madras had become their administrative and commercial capital.

Fr. Ephrem De Nevers (1603-1695)

            Fr. Ephrem was born in Nevers, France in 1603 and he joined the Capuchins.[4] He prompted to be a missionary and he was sent to the Eastern Missions in Levant. He came to Surat, India and collaborated with Fr. Zeno to found the first stable Capuchin mission in India, 1639.  Fr. Ephrem was a man of great learning and linguist.[5] He knew French Portuguese, English, Dutch, Persian, Arabic and some other Oriental languages. Fr. Ephrem having helped Fr. Zeno at Surat moved on towards Pegu in South Burma (Today, Myanmar) where 2,000 native Christians were held prisoners by the King of that place.[6] He was sent as papal ambassador to get release of the Christians and look into their spiritual needs. On his way to Pegu, he stopped to rest in the kingdom of Golconda. The King Abdulla Khuta Khan in Bhagnagar, the Capital, gave him a warm reception. Since Ephrem was a great linguist and mathematician, he enjoyed the privileges of a royal guest. The King pleased to have him as dignified professor in his court but Ephrem pleading the orders of his superiors proceeded to Madras, hoping to find a boat to take him to Pegu.[7] Fr. Ephrem reached Madras, the British township on 8, June 1642.[8] His arrival was certified with a witness in the book of Fr. Meersman,

“I, The Undersigned, Fr. Manoel de S. Jose [OFM], a professed religious of Our Holy Father St. Francis of the province of the Apostle St. Thomas in the East Indies, certify to the following. When I was Rector of the Church and parish-priest of our Lady of Light in S. Thome and Commissary on the Coramandel Coast over all the Friars of the Province of the same Order, there arrived at Madras, the fort of the English, a Capuchin Religious by the name of Fr. Ephrem de Nevers”.[9]

The unexpected arrival Fr. Ephrem de Nevers to Madras caused a great jubilation among the Catholics. The few catholics in this new English settlement were aspired for the Sacraments and the Word of God. His mission was in Pegu and he arrived to this small hamlet to start his voyage to South Burma. But God’s mission was to begin a mission in the land of Tamils, which would be a flourishing Christian centre in the future.

Foundation of the Capuchin Mission in Madras

            The Christian community at Madras enthusiastically received Fr. Ephrem and pleaded him to stay and cater their spiritual needs.[10] But he explained to them that he must obey his superiors’ order to go to Pegu. Thereupon, eighteen prominent Catholics of the town presented a petition to Andrew Cogan, the English Governor of Fort St. George, entreating him to prevail upon Fr. Ephrem to stay at Madras to care the spiritual needs of the Catholics. The English were happy to have French than a Portuguese priest in their territory. The Governor wrote this following invitation to Fr. Ephrem;

            “Having seen the petition of the Catholic community, we invite Father Ephrem de Nevers, Capuchin, to give his answer and inform us, if he desires to take up the spiritual care of the Catholics of this Fort, before we give our decision.

Madraspatan                                            Andrew Cogan

8^th June 1642                                              Thomas Winter

                                                                     Henry Greenhil.”

Having seen the petition of the Catholic community Fr. Ephrem struck by their spiritual desolation and accepted the invitation and replied,[11]

            “In Compliance with the orders notified to me by the Honourable President, I state that my wish and desire is to pass over to Pegu, and beg your Honour to allow me to do so; however, to conform myself to the wish of the Honourable President, I will abide by his orders.”

The Governor issued the following order;

            “With reference to the application of the Roman Catholics, who reside in this Fort of St. George, I command and ordain that as the Rev. Fr. Ephrem has no objection to stay for the well-being and consolation of these Christians, a church shall be built in a convenient place.

Madraspatan                                                       Andrew Cogan

8^th June, 1642                                                       Thomas Winter

                                                                               Henry Greenhil.”

            Thus Father Ephrem presuming his superiors’ permission[12] thus founded the Capuchin mission in Madras on 8^th of June, 1642.

The Establishment of Prefect Apostolic of Madras

            One of the first documents relating to this event is the Catholic Directory of Madras, written by Dr. S. Fennelly, Vicar Apostolic of Madras (1868-1882), it says that “The Capuchin Mission of Madras commenced in the year 1642 with the sanction of Pope Urban VIII and Madras was made Prefecture Apostolic independent of the territory of the Episcopal See of Mylapore yet within the Padroado territory.[13] Dr. J. Fennelly, Vicar Apostolic of Madras (1841-1868), tells that the Capuchin Mission in Madras was an independent mission.[14] Fr. Hull “on referring this matter” to Rome, he speaks in his book Bombay Mission History, Vol.1, p. 271 that the Pope confirmed their design and appointed one of their Fathers as Prefect Apostolic of the Capuchin Mission of Madras.

Fr. Ephrem – The First Prefect of Apostolic of Madras

            Thomas Pothacamury, Archbishop of Bangalore (1942- 1967) also certifies that “In 1642 Father Ephrem, a French Capuchin was made Prefect Apostolic of Madras”.[15] The Capuchin establishment in Madras was providential and Fr. Ephrem received his formal appointment from the Propaganda.[16] Subsequently, he came under the jurisdiction of a Propaganda Vicar Apostolic. The Capuchin missionaries and the Catholics of Madras did not come under the jurisdiction of Padroado Bishop of Mylapore neither they were under the Vicar Apostolic of Bijapur. But the Portuguese Bishops illegally claimed jurisdiction over the Indian missionaries and were denounced by repeated papal documents.

Pope Clement X in his letter to Archbishop of Goa dated on the 10^th November 1673 declared that all the missions and Vicars Apostolic of India are immediately subject to Propaganda Fide and the Holy See. He forbade the Archbishop, Bishops and priests of the Portuguese patronage to exercise any act of jurisdiction on them out side the domain of the king of Portugal. And Madras did not come under the spiritual domain of king of Portugal. In such circumstances, the Holy See to give more power to a religious order and make that territory a prefecture apostolic. The religious superior of the mission was called Prefect Apostolic. Thus Fr. Ephrem independent of Padroado carried out his mission in a great success. After Fr. Ephrem, the Bishop of Mylapore claimed ecclesial jurisdiction over his successors at St. George. The English government refused to accept the jurisdiction of the Bishop over the territory of their company.[17]

The List of Prefects Apostolic of Madras[18]

1. Rev. Fr. Ephrem de Nevers OFM. Cap.,                   (1642-1695)
2. Rev. Fr. Michael Anges of Bourges OFM. Cap.,       (1695-1708)
3. Rev. Fr. Renatus of Angouleme OFM.Cap.,               (1708-1713)
4. Rev. Fr. Thomas of Poitiers OFM. Cap.,                    (1713-1742)
5. Rev. Fr. Severini of Savoie OFM. Cap.,                     (1742-1768)
6. Rev. Fr. Victor of Niort OFM. Cap.,                          (1768-1785)
7. Rev. Fr. Ferdinand of Alasce OFM. Cap.,                 (1785-1796)
8. Rev. Fr. Benjamin of Thonon OFM. Cap.,                 (1796-1797)
9. Rev. Fr. Benedict of Monterotondo OFM. Cap.,       (1797-1807)
10. Rev. Fr. John Baptist OFM. Cap.,                              (1807-1819)
11. Rev. Fr. Fidelis of Cuneo OFM. Cap.,                       (1819-1824)
12. Rev. Fr. John Baptist OFM. Cap.,                              (1824-1834)

Capuchin Mission Madras became an Archdiocese in 1886

          This Capuchin Prefecture was raised into the Vicar Apostolic of Madras in 1834 and to the Archiepiscopal See of Madras in 1886.

-          Fr. A. Thainis OFM.Cap.,

thainiscap@gmail.com

thainiscap@yahoo.co.in

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[1] Subburaj (ed.), Tamilnadu Year Book (jkpo;ehL ,aHGf;), Chennai: Sura College of Competition, 2002, Tamilnadu Yearbook 2002, 03.

[2] The English soon acquired Tondiarpet, Purasawalkam and Egmore in 1693; Vyasarpadi, Nungambakkam, Tiruvottiyur and Ennore in 1708 and Vepry, Perembur and Pudupakkam in 1742 and the town was expanded widely. David Packiamuthu, “The Beginnings of Protestant Missions in Madras,” ICHR, vol., xxxiv, no., 2, December 2000, 94f.

[3] Here and the following, Robert P. Guinn, “Madras”, 659.

[4] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, 96.

[5] Here and the following, C.S. Srinivasachari, 18.

[6] Here and the following, Norbert Wolf, 13.

[7] Joachim, (ed.), 12.

[8] Clemens a Terzorio, 145. Arulappa, An Outline of the History of the Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore, Madras, 1986, 18. Joseph Thekkedata, 206.

[9] Achilles Meersman, 365f.

[10] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, 97f. Cf. A copy of the original of the petition of the Catholics of Madras to retain Fr. Ephrem in Madras (as found in) the Archives of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore (MMAA): (Bundle 8) No. 5110, Madras: 8.7.1642. The names of the eighteen prominent Catholics of Madras:

                Luis da Costa                                       Bernardo Loitao                                  Sebastiao Roiz

                Joao Pra                                                                Matheus Pra                                         Gonsalo de Moraes

                Luis de Menzande                               Anto Correa                                          Joao de Rocha

                Custodio Barreto                                 Pero Marquez                                       Anto Caldro

                Anto Barreto                                        Sis to                                                      Anto de Souza

                Mill. De Souza                                      Thomas Dias                                        Diego Vas.

               

The date 1642 on the gate pillars of the Roman Church, now the Cathedral, marks the founding of the Capuchin mission. Cf. Love H.D, Vestiges of Old Madras 1640-1800, vol., ii, London: Published for the Government of India, 1913, 465.

Attenta praesenti petitione invitamus R.P. Ephraem a Nevers Capuccinum, ut suam responsionem exhibeat, edocens, an ipse spirtualem curam assumere Velit Chirstianorum, qui inveniuntur in hac arce, et resolutionem nostrum accipere. Madraspatan, die 8 junii 1642. – Andreas Cogan, Thomas Vinder, Henricus Grenit. Cf. P. Clemens a Terzorio, 144-145.

A Capuchin Mission was established at Madras by Ephrem de Nevers during the Cogan’s rule. He had been originally commissioned to go to Pegu but accepted the invitation to be here for the benefits of the Portuguese Catholics. Cf. C.S. Srinivasachari, History of the City of Madras, P. Varadachary & Co, Madras, 1939, 22f.

 The Portuguese and the other Catholic residents in the English garrison asked the Fort authorities to detain Fr. Ephrem to minister the “Christian Catholics” in the Fort. The petition was addressed on the 8^th June, 1642 and it was granted by the Fort council on the same day. Cf. Arulappa, 18.

[11] Ibid, 98. Cfr. AGC, H 55, XIII/2, Capuchin Missions in India, 16; MMAA (Bundle 8), No 5110.

[12] Ephrem suos Superiores informavit, qui approbationem dederunt et Missio Madras eodem illo anno 1642 fundata fuit. Cf. P.Clemens a Terzorio, 145.

[13] Ibid., 98-111.

[14] Arulappa, 19f.

[15] Thomas Pothacamury, 155.

[16] Here and the following, Peter Celestine, 109f.

[17] Joseph Thekkedath, 208.

[18] This information was collected from the books of Peter Celestine and Arulappa. The information does not always mention the term Prefects at times the Superior of the mission.