‘Satyamev Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs).

Life and times of Blessed Alvares Mar Julius Metropolitan (of blessed memory). Commemorated on 23^rd September.

In the early hours of 14 September 1895, around 298 Maratha sepoys of the Portuguese Indian army broke open the door of the ammunitions store at the Panjim police headquarters, gathered the arms and ammunitions and with the Maratha war cry of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, rose up in rebellion. This was the second mutiny witnessed in the Portuguese Indian army after the great mutiny of 1857 that jolted their next-door colonial neighbor in the Indian subcontinent- the British.

Blessed Alvares Thirumeni’s name was in focus as being the instigator of the mutiny alongwith fellow Goan - Mr. Ignacio Caetano de Carvalho, the Viscount of Bardez.

Mozambique was another colony of Portugal and the services of the Marathas from Goa, whose fighting spirit the Portuguese were appreciative of, was called to crush the revolt in Africa. The highhanded decree, pitiable working conditions, low wages, no guarantee of the period of stay in Africa or maintenance of their families while they were away led to a high discontentment among the soldiers. The final blow was when the soldiers were threatened to be sent to Mozambique by force and subjected to physical violence. A fertile cause for mutiny. Later, the mutineers were joined by the Ranes and the revolt became so explosive that a military expedition under the command of a royal family member had to come from Portugal.

The allegations against Blessed Alvares Thirumeni was levelled by Captain Gomes da Costa, the Administrator of Ilhas, who claimed that Bishop Alvares and Viscount of Bardez were instigating the masses and the soldiers to unite and fight for the cause “India for the Indians”. Bishop Alvares had nothing to do with the revolt save for the fact that him pleaded for the cause of Maratha Sepoys in his periodicals and thus the establishment’s needle of suspicion focused on him.

Another reason why Bishop Alvares was suspected is because that newspapers in Lisbon attributed the mutiny chiefly to Lt. Col, Julio Luis Felner, the commander of the battalion who was greatly respected by the sepoys for he treated them fairly. Interestingly, Lt. Col. Felner, was also accused of lending a voice in the defense of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni when Thirumeni was tried by the Portuguese government for ‘inciting seditious’ sentiments through his newspaper, ‘O Brado Indiano’. Lt. Col. Felner’s visiting card had been found in the possession of Bishop Alvares leading to speculation that both worked hand in gloves in inciting the mutiny. What followed was a ruthless attempt by the government to crush any ‘anti-national’ voice. A war council was established filling the jails all those who were suspected to be associated with Ranes revolt/mutiny. Alvares Thirumeni's periodicals were banned and his press burnt. Thus, Alvares Thirumeni was forced to flee from his home state.

This wasn’t the first time Blessed Alvares Thirumeni suffered for siding with the truth and certainly it wasn’t the last.

As a Roman catholic priest, Padre Alvares took up the editorship of the journal, ‘A Cruz’, a religious journal dedicated to the defense of the religious and social interests of the country that appeared in 1876,  after the untimely death of its editor Fr. Manuel Agostinho de Carvalho due to tuberculosis. The young Padre exposed fearlessly, in each journal issue, the excesses and the shortcomings of the Portuguese government. The situation started to worsen with the coming of the new Archbishop- Dom Sebastião António Valente, who also became the first Patriarch of the East Indies when Goan archdiocese was elevated to the position of the Patriarchate of the East Indies in 1886. Within two months of his arrival, the Archbishop issued a decree banned ‘A Cruz’ calling it scandalous and revolutionary, forbidding the faithful from reading it. Padre Alvares wasn’t going to take it lying down and appealed to the Crown. The Goa High Court gave a ruling in Padre Alvares’ favour. Satyamev Jayate.

The was a blow to Archbishop Valente, and he used his might to file an appeal in the Supreme Court which refused to take cognizance of his petition.

Padre Alvares was forced to start another ‘A Verdade’ (meaning truth) since ‘A Cruz’ lost its readership due to the Archbishop’s orders. He also started other periodicals as well- ‘O Progresso de Goa’ and ‘Times of Goa’. Archbishop Valente became the chairman of the governing council in 1885 and Padre Alvares decided to quit Goa owing to harassment by Archbishop Valente who now exercised both ecclesiastical as well as civil powers. The following years saw Padre Alvares accepting the Orthodox faith and discharging his ecclesiastical duties as being ordained to the Episcopate as the Metropolitan of Goa, Ceylon and India (outside Malabar).

Blessed Alvares Thirumeni continued his journalistic duties to expose the corruptions and shortcomings of the government. In the July 1895 issue of 'O Brado Indiano', a riddle was published wherein the readers had to guess the name of the army officer who did a series of offences while stationed at different places. This provoked Capt. Gomes da Costa as he felt the references were attributed to him. Capt. Gomes da Costa not only took the matter to court but also demanded that a clear explanation be made in the journal's next issue as to whether the riddle was targeted at him.

Blessed Alvares Thirumeni gave a sharp-witted response in the next edition; he stated of all the people, only Captain Gomes da Costa demanded for such a clarification and that only he (Captain da Costa) can throw some light regarding his demand. Capt. Gomes da Costa was in a spot!

The matter ended in court when the respondents explained that it's just a riddle and will remain so unless the reader comes with a solution.

Vengeful Captain Gomes da Costa plotted a revenge against the venerable bishop. On 19th August, at 7 PM, Blessed Alvares Thirumeni was returning in a horse driven car from Santa Cruz when few policemen arrested him near the Phoenix fountain. On the way, the policemen forcefully tried to snatch Thirumeni's pectoral cross and ring, to which Thirumeni offered stiff resistance and said that they could remove those only after he was dead. But the violence used against Thirumeni was so great that he was forcibly deprived of the Episcopal signia. The policemen didn't stop there. They stripped the venerable bishop of his ecclesiastical vestments and paraded him to the police station in his undergarments. Alvares Thirumeni was kept in a small filthy cell measuring 3 metres long and 1.5 metres wide smelling of urine and faeces without light, air, or even a chair. 

Cases of apostasy, offences against Portugal's religion, including undue wearing of clerical vestments (a 'crime' Alvares Thirumeni was convicted and cleared of in 1890). Bishop Alvares was honorably acquitted by court on reviewing the documentary evidences. Satyamev Jayate.

Capt Gomes da Costa's vengeance wasn't satiated. He had Alvares Thirumeni arrested two days later citing treason and being a security threat both internally and externally. A leading lawyer Mr. F.X. Sales de Andrade offered security of Rs 5000 (a princely sum in those times!) for Alvares Thirumeni's bail which the judge accepted. The public prosecutor claimed that the offence was non-bailable and submitted an appeal in the High Court. Truth triumphed again as the High Court upheld the ruling of the lower court. Satyamev Jayate.

Facing innumerable persecution from the Portuguese civil and clerical authorities, Blessed Alvares Thirumeni accepted British citizenship (being a subject of British India) in 1904 and had shifted his residence, for a considerable time to Castle Rock (present day Karnataka).

In 1906, Alvares Thirumeni visited Goa and this time too, the Portuguese authorities illegally detained him. The ordeal lasted more than 30 hours. The authorities had the blessings of Archbishop Valente- the Patriarch of East Indies (the same Archbishop who we read earlier as having banned 'A Cruz') to take such action. That Alvares Thirumeni was a British subject or that he was an old man  was all thrown to the winds. The vengeance of the authorities knew no bounds. The British Consul in Goa had to intervene to release Thirumeni.

We can't even fathom the extent of harassment and dangers which Alvares Thirumeni had to undergo for speaking the truth and choosing the Orthodox faith. Even in his deathbed, there were attempts to make him renounce the Orthodox faith.

It is worth mentioning that the same Portuguese government authorities which had accused Thirumeni of being a traitor had sent distinguished representatives to stand in the first row of the funeral procession of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni. In the annals of history, the names of oppressors are forgotten but names of brave souls like Blessed Alvares Thirumeni, who fought for truth and justice till the last breath, are etched for eternity. Truth can never be hidden forever. Satyamev Jayate.

May the memory of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni be eternal! 

In Christ,

Rincy John

 

References: 

Carmo Azevedo; Patriot and Saint- The Life Story of Bishop Mar Julius –I, Panjim 1988

Edavaka Pathrika, 1906- Kumbham.

George Kurian, Saint Alvares Mar Julius (A life history), St Mary’s Orthodox Church, Ribander, Goa, Pgs-141-146 (includes photographs).

Pratima Kamat, Mutiny in the Portuguese Army, Farar Far, Local resistance to colonial hegemony in Goa-1510-1912, Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji, Goa.

 

 

The Treasure

Life and times of Blessed Alvares Mar Julius Metropolitan (of blessed memory). Commemorated on 23^rd September.

Friday, October 05, 1979. A feeling of excitement and anticipation prevailed over a small group of people assembled at St Inez church situated in the Santa Inez part of Panjim. An uncommon sentiment since the sight of a graveyard usually evokes the emotion of sorrow, prayer, remembrance of the dear departed and of course, fear and dread in many.

At around 3 PM that day, His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Theophilus Metropolitan (Bombay and Angamaly diocese), Mr. Francis Alleluia Menezes (Panjim Municipal Council Chairman), Rev Fr. T.E. Isaac (Vicar- St Mary’s Orthodox Church, Panjim) along with the managing committee members of the parish were present at the St Inez Cemetery beholding a cross that stood tall amongst the wild bushes and plants which had engulfed its surroundings. That cross indeed was a simulacrum of the blessed soul, buried underneath eons ago, who withstood his ground against the ruling establishment and the Roman religious authorities even as he faced severe persecution.

The wild vegetation was cleaned with the help of cemetery workers. The onlookers bowed their heads to the tomb over which was a marble slab that stated, ‘Padre Alvares, who was a great humanitarian missionary and a great patriot.

“Offer incense before opening the grave. Gather any bone fragments found therein. If there are none, then collect the topmost portion of the soil just beneath the grave, bring it to the church and entomb it in there with grandeur.” Such were the instructions from His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews I Bava Thirumeni.

Theophilus Thirumeni offered incense and prayed at the grave. The cemetery workers removed the marble slab. The sound of the church bell resonated in the premises (another burial was shortly to happen in the cemetery and a large gathering was present). It appeared a thrilling discovery was about to be made. Everyone was anxiously waiting.

The journey to this stage was a long one. There was no Orthodox Church in Panjim during the period following the Goan liberation. As the time passed, Holy Qurbana used to be celebrated in the military camps at Margao and Bambolim as and when a priest was available. Thereafter, Rev Fr. Philip Pallichira would come from Mangalore once in a month and celebrate the Divine Liturgy. This proceeded on a regular basis and thus a congregation of Orthodox faithful was formed in Goa.

In 1967, His Grace Mathews Mar Athanasios Metropolitan (Outside Kerala Diocese) (later His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews I Catholicose of the East and Malankara Metropolitan) visited Goa and celebrated Holy Qurbana at St Inez Church (St Inez Church had opened its doors for the Orthodox Christians to use the church for Divine Liturgy). Thirumeni was aware that Alvares Thirumeni spent his last days in Goa and was buried there. 

After the Holy Qurbana, while having a casual chat with the vicar of St Inez Church, Thirumeni inquired about Bishop Alvares. The vicar- Rev Fr Joaquim Augesto Dias knew about Blessed Alvares Thirumeni and the exact place where he was buried. The bushes were cleared and the tomb of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni was identified. On the same day, a meeting of the Malankara Orthodox Christians was held, and it was decided that an Orthodox Church should grace Goa and the relics of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni should be translocated into this church. The realization of this dream took another 12 years. On the occasion of the golden jubilee commemoration of Alvares Thirumeni- 23 September 1973, the foundation stone of the Orthodox church in Panjim (Ribander) was laid. It was a daunting task for this small congregation to build a church, financial issues being an important concern. 

Coming back to the events of October 05, 1979. When cement and soil was removed from the grave, a lead box became visible which was taken outside with due devotion.

With trembling hands, the cover of the box was removed. The bones of the venerable bishop, whose body became one with the earth fifty-six years back, was intact and well preserved! It was indeed a glorious witness to his blessed life.

“Achen and I are taking this. You all can come after the tomb has been organized properly”, Theophilus Thirumeni’s voice choked as he said. Theophilus Thirumeni and Isaac Achen proceeded to St Mary’s Orthodox Church, with such joy and enthusiasm as if they had secured a treasure. A treasure it indeed was!

The box was brought to Ribander church with piety and respect. The lead box was covered with a black covering and a sign of cross was made over it with a white cloth. Amidst candles and cross, the relics were kept for public viewing. Two days later, on October 07^th Sunday, after the Holy Qurbana, the remains of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni were entombed in St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Ribander, Panjim.

During the public meeting which happened after the services got over, Theophilus Thirumeni said that this tomb/church will become a pilgrim center not just for Bombay diocese (St. Mary’s Orthodox church, Ribander now comes under the diocese of Brahmavar) but of the entire Malankara Orthodox Church. Those prophetic words were fulfilled thirty years later in the year 2008. Panjim Municipal Mayor expressed happiness that, with the veneration accorded to Blessed Alvares Thirumeni that day, the decision taken by the Panjim municipality in 1923 was fulfilled to a certain extent (in 1923, the Panjim Municipal council had decided to erect a memorial in remembrance of the great Goan freedom fighter- Alvares Thirumeni which was refused by the Portuguese government).

When the church was reconstructed in the same place, Blessed Alvares Thirumeni’s relics were moved to the present mausoleum made on the side of the altar by His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, Catholicose of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, in the year 2001.

St. John Chrysostom extols Antioch which received he relics of St Ignatius Noorono (who was martyred in Rome) thus: “For that city (Rome) received his blood as it dropped, but you (Antioch) were honoured with his remains, you enjoyed his episcopate, they enjoyed his martyrdom. They saw him in conflict, and victorious, and crowned, but you have him continually. For a little time, God removed him from you, and with greater glory granted him again to you.” (Homily on St. Ignatius, NPNF, Series-I, Volume IX)

The oppressors thought they had erased the memory of Blessed Alvares Thirumeni forever, but truth triumphed, and the treasure was revealed. With greater glory, God granted back to the children of the Malankara Orthodox church the venerable holy father who continuously intercedes for his spiritual children and whose life is a mighty inspiration for generations to come.

By the prayers of our holy father among the saints-Blessed Alvares Thirumeni, Lord have mercy upon us!

In Christ,

Rincy John

References:

1) (Abridged; Translated from Malayalam): Rev Fr. T.E Isaac, The Great humanitarian missionary and a patriot, Malankara Sabha, September 2001, Pg-6,7.

2) George Kurian, Saint Alvares Mar Julius (A life history), St Mary’s Orthodox Church, Ribander, Goa, Pgs-141-146 (includes photographs).