By Leon Bent –
Agnelo Gustavo Adolfo de Souza, S.F.X. ( 21 January, 1869 – 20 November, 1927), was a Roman Catholic priest of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, Pilar, who performed missionary work in the province of Goa, then part of Portuguese India. He also worked in the Mangalore Diocese for some years. The cause for his canonization has progressed to the point that he has been declared Venerable.
A ‘feast day’ is granted only to beatified or canonized persons. As Agnelo is not yet beatified or canonized he does not have a feast day. Fr. Agnelo was made a Venerable on November 10, 1986, and requires a first-class miracle to be beatified. The Vice-Postulator for his cause is Fr. Hilario Fernandes.
Pilar Missionary:
God had destined Agnelo for a perfect life. He wanted to live the Evangelical counsels (just the way Gandhi did) in a religious Order. After much prayer, reflection and discernment, on 17th July 1897, he joined the Diocesan Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier of Pilar, Goa, on 17th July 1897. On 24th Sept. 1898, he was ordained a priest by Dom Antonio Sebastiao Valente.
Spiritual Guide
The then Patriarch of Goa, Dom Matheus de Oliveira Xavier, seeing the holiness of Fr. Agnelo appointed him as the Spiritual Director of the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol on 20th May 1918. Both, the Professors as well as the students referred to Fr. Agnelo as, “our saint”.
Holy Death
He had a very holy death on 20th November 1927. It was on the Vespers of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Fr. Agnelo was the preacher. Towards the end of sermon he collapsed in the pulpit. When he was brought down he insisted on being allowed to stay on until the Benediction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Even in his last moments he showed the tranquillity of a saintly man. The day he died everyone who knew him exclaimed, “a saint has passed away”. Even before his funeral had taken place, the staff and the students from the seminary began picking up the few possessions of Fr. Agnelo. Latecomers began cutting his nails and even hair to keep as “relics”. At his funeral the then parish priest commented, “I have just laid a saint to rest”. From then on crowds began to flock to his grave; they even collected mud from his burial site, mixed it with water, and drank the concoction expecting to be healed from various ailments, including serious illnesses.
Gandhiji’s Revolutionary Story
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, India, and was assassinated on January 30, 1948, in Delhi). Gandhi transformed himself from an ineffective young lawyer into the Mahatma, the “great soul,” who led 400 million ordinary men and women in their nonviolent struggle for Independence?
It is hard to imagine the frail, round-framed, bespectacled, half-naked fakir, Gandhi, working in the rough and tumble world of law, but Gandhi did get his start in politics as a lawyer in South Africa, where he supported the local Indian community’s struggle for civil rights through ‘disobedience’ and silent confrontation – not bullets. Returning to India in 1915, he carried over his desire to improve the status of the lower classes. When news about this sneaky feat spread across India, he earned the nickname “Bapu” — or Father.
India finally gained full independence on 15th August, 1947, when Gandhi was 78. Ironically, the ultimate proponent of non-violence was killed by assassination in 1948, while walking to his evening prayer meeting.
The Influence of Jesus on Mahatma Gandhi
The teachings of Jesus – particularly the Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes) found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5, 6 and 7 deeply impacted Mahatma Gandhi. He said: “I once did seriously think of embracing the Christian faith,” “The gentle figure of Christ, so patient, so kind, so loving, so full of forgiveness that he taught his followers not to retaliate when abused or struck, but to turn the other cheek, I thought it was a beautiful example of the perfect man…” “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ”.
He kept hanging in his little hut a black and white print of Christ with an imprint “he is our peace”. The picture of the crucified Christ wearing only a loin cloth, such as millions of poor men wear in Indian villages, had touched Gandhi’s heart very deeply.
In Matthew 5:38, 39 Jesus taught “You have heard it said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” And in verses 43–45 he further taught: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Truly it was Jesus who started the ideals of non-violence.
Now, these two gold nuggets! Gandhi’s life continues to inspire and baffle readers today. How did an unsuccessful young lawyer become the Mahatma, the “great soul,” who led 400 million Indians in their struggle for independence from the British Empire? Add to this his appeal and lure spread internationally. The world would be a better place if people choose satyagraha or non-violence to gain swaraj!
We must all walk in the footprints of the Mahatma by opting for dialogue and peaceful resistance as a process of awakening. Fr. Agnel’s holiness calls us to live the “Blueprint for holiness: The Beatitudes,” just the way the great Indian Saint and Freedom Seeker lived them. Both, Venerable Fr. Agnelo and the ‘Father of the Nation,’ were suffused with the love of Jesus!
And this final flourish! One Man “changed the World by changing himself,” to bring Freedom to India! Mahatma Gandhiji! Another man lived purely, deftly, in “the image and likeness of God”, and is awaiting Sainthood! Fr. Agnelo!
The punch line: Fr. Agnelo walked the path of ‘Jesus of the Beatitudes’ and became “another Christ.” So did Bapu! Both lived holy lives on parallel lines! Both shared sacred space! Both were contemporaries who brought healing to a broken world! Both were irreplaceable witnesses of Jesus Christ! One had a ghastly death by murder; Agnelo, passed away peacefully. Both are blissfully enjoying the beatific vision, eternally!
The last word! Venerable Fr. Agnel and the Mahatma are an inspiration for millions of people across the seven seas. They continue to touch countless hearts with the fire of Jesus’ infinite love!
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.