Dom Thomas de Castro (c.1621-1684) was a native of

Divar The island of Divar (formerly ''Piedade'') ( knn, Divaddi, pronounced ) (derived from the word ''Dipavati'' or 'small Island' in Konkani) lies in the Mandovi river in the Indian state of Goa. It is one of the of 6 major islands within the M ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...

. The

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

appointed him

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Canara Kanara, also known as Karavali is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The region comprises three civil districts, ...

on 30 August 1675. He later founded the famous Milagres Church in

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

South Canara South Canara was a district of the Madras Presidency of British India, located at . It comprised the towns of Kassergode and Udipi and adjacent villages, with the capital in Mangalore city. South Canara was one of the most heterogeneous areas o ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. He was the nephew of Dom

Matheus de Castro Dom Matheus de Castro ( 1594–1679) was a native of Divar, Goa, Portuguese India. He was the first Indian Bishop of the Catholic Church. Consecrated Bishop of Chrysopolis in Rome by the Vatican and appointed Vicar Apostolic to the Kingdoms of Bi ...

(c.1594−1677), the first Indian Bishop of The Catholic Church.

Biography

While in his teens he was taken to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

by his uncle Matheus de Castro Bishop of Chrysopolis. there he joined the congregation of ''Divina Providencia'' or the

Theatine The Theatines officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium), abreviated CR, is a Catholic order of clerics regular of Pontifical Right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa in Sept. 14, 1524. I ...

order. It is recorded that in Rome he was appointed professor of Philosophy and Theology and Prefect of the aspirants for various sacerdotal degrees. He was consecrated Bishop of Fulsivelem by the Vatican in 1671. In 1674, he arrived in India to begin his missionary work. On 30 August 1675, the Holy See appointed him the

for the kingdoms of

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, Tamor,

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

, Cranganore,

Cannanore Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a Cities in India, city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city a ...

and the Coast of Canara. He also remained the Vicar Apostolic of the

Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly The Archdiocese of Verapoly (Verapolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church, composed of Latin Catholics of Malabar and headquartered at the city of Cochin, in the south Indian state of Kerala. Th ...

(1675–1689), in present-day

Varappuzha Varappuzha, , (also known by its former name Verapoly) is a northern suburb of the city of Kochi. It is a census town in Paravur Taluk, Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Situated around 15 km (9 mi) from the city centre ...

in Kerala. He was gifted land by the rulers of Canara, on which he built the Milagres Church,

. Completed in 1680, this church is a prominent place of worship for

Mangalorean Catholics Mangalorean Catholics ( kok, Kōdiyālcheñ Kathōlikā) are an ethno-religious community of Latin Catholics in India typically residing in the Diocese of Mangalore in the erstwhile South Canara area, by the southwestern coast of present-day Kar ...

. Bishop de Castro died in Mangalore on 16 July 1684 at the age of 68 years, his grave in the Milagres Church cemetery can be identified by a bronze slab next to the St. Monica Chapel.

Notes

References

* ''The Christian impact in South Kanara'', by Kranti K. Farias. Church History Association of India, 1999. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Thomas de Roman Catholic missionaries in India History of Mangalore 1684 deaths Scholars from Goa Apostolic vicars Indian Roman Catholic priests Theatines 17th-century Portuguese Roman Catholic priests Christianity in Goa Christian clergy from Mangalore Year of birth uncertain Theatine bishops Indian Roman Catholic missionaries Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries

Biography

See also

Notes

References