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Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier
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The Venerable Pilar Father - Fr. Agnelo de Souza
Fr. Bento Martins will always be remembered not only as the Founder of the Society of Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier of Pilar, but as a man who changed the course of the history of the Church in Goa. If Fr. Bento was able to inspire several zealous priests to go on proclaiming the word of God not only to Christians but even to those who had never heard the Good News, the Pilar Fathers that followed him have left an indelible mark in the apostolic field in the decades that followed. Pilar Fathers were known to be preachers as missionaries. One of them is Fr. Agnelo Gustavo Adolfo de Souza who is now a Venerable and whom we hope to see on our altars very soon. Venerable Fr. Agnelo was one of those “Padres do Pilar” that touched the hearts of people from the Church pulpits, through retreats, in the confessionals and through counseling, what, at that time, was called spiritual direction. Born in a pious and educated family, well known and respected in the village of Anjuna, Agnelo Gustavo Adolfo de Souza, lost both his parents at a very early age. However, the teachings of his saintly mother had made a deep impression on that child whom the parents affectionately called Querobin (Cherubin). Following in the footsteps of his eldest brother, Fr. Manuelinho, Agnelo too opted to be a priest and joined the Minor Seminary in Mapusa, and in his simplicity attracted the eyes of his co-villagers who pointed at him as a model to their children. From the first days he spent in the Inter-diocesan Seminary of Rachol, where he won laurels (“accessit” was the highest distinction the students could aspire to have in their studies), to his last days in the same Seminary, where he was the Spiritual Director, when he breathed his last, Fr. Agnelo’s was an ascent in a life of Service and love witnessed. The first beneficiaries of a dedicated life of the young were school children. Fr. Agnelo began his apostolate as a teacher till one day he decided to join religious life. With the expulsion of the religious orders from Goa by the Portuguese Government, missionary Societies had tried to fill up the gap and Fr. Agnelo’s choice was the Society of Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, that made its headquaters in Pilar and catered to the needs of remote areas.
This is how, after a few years of silent apostolate and preaching missions and retreats in parishes, the Venerable was appointed Chaplain and then parish priest in Siroda, Kumta (North Kanara) and Sanvordem, where he worked with zeal and dedication. To the poor he proved to be a father by going out of his way to meet their needs. The Patriarch of Goa soon saw in him the qualities required for the formation of young future priests and appointed Fr. Agnelo first, the Confessor of the Seminarians of Rachol and then, their spiritual Director. It is this unseen and unmeasurable work of molding the young people for the service of the Church that was highlighted by Holy See in the Decree of approval of the process on the life and the heroic virtues of the Servant of God. It is this work of one full decade that merited Fr. Agnelo to be held by the Holy See as a model to those who are entrusted with the counseling of Seminarians and religious. Frail health or weak constitution did not deter Fr. Agnelo from fulfilling his duties. It is meaningful that the crowning of a life dedicated to the preaching of the word of God should come after coronary thrombosis that came to Fr. Agnelo as he was preaching with unction and enthusiasm the glories of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If, “He was a saint” was a very common experience heard on the funeral day of the guide and comforter that everyone was going to miss, it did not come as a surprise to those who knew him, that people in great numbers started going to Fr. Agnelo’s grave to pray for their needs right from the next day. As the crowds grew, the favors obtained through the intercession of the Venerable multiplied and the frame of sanctity went on spreading. The long itinerary towards the Canonization of the Servant of God began with the Cause being introduced at the Diocesan level in 1947. The various processes were successfully completed and approved not only by the Archbishop Patriarch of Goa, but also by Holy See that did not hesitate to declare Fr. Agnelo a Venerable by the Decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Causes of saints approved by Pope John Paul II on 10th November 1986. The frame of sanctity of this zealous priest went on spreading all over the world. People seem to have realized that there was greatness in his simplicity. Devotees, Christians and non-Christians, from all five continents have written to express their gratitude for favors received. Favors recorded in the books of the Postulation of the Cause and published in newspapers and magazines have crossed the number of one hundred and fifty thousands. The great hope of the millions of devotees, that include Bishops and
Cardinals has been expressed in the hundreds of letters written by them to Holy
See from all over the world. It is our prayers and hope to see Venerable Fr. Agnelo on our Altars. But one thing is certain. This Venerable is with a
difference. His life serves as a model to all kinds of people and history has
proved that he can and does inspire people of every walk of life to witness
faith in love for others. |
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