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

Divar The island of Divar (formerly ''Piedade'') (, 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 six major islands within the Mandovi, the others ...

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 bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Portuguese India The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...

. The

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

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 pre ...

Canara Kanara or Canara, also known as Karāvali, is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern Konkan coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The subregion comprises thr ...

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

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

South Canara South Canara (South Kannada) was a district of the Madras Presidency of British Raj, located at . It comprised the towns of Kassergode and Udipi and adjacent villages, with the administration at Mangalore city. South Canara was one of the mos ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. 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 Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

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 (; abbreviated CR), is a Catholic order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa on 14 September 1524. Foundation The order was f ...

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 ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

, Tamor,

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

, Cranganore,

Cannanore Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and 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 and commercial hub ...

and the Coast of Canara. He also remained the Vicar Apostolic of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly (1675–1689), in present-day

Varappuzha Varappuzha, , ( formerly known as 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 and 8&nbs ...

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 () are an ethno-religious community of Latin Church in India, Latin Christians from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mangalore, Diocese of Mangalore and the erstwhile South Canara area; by the southern 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 17th-century 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