John de Brito

Saint John de Brito Martyr Born March 1, 1647, Lisbon, PortugalDied February 11, 1693, Oriyur, Tamil Nadu, IndiaVenerated in Roman Catholic Church Beatified August 21, 1853, Rome by Pope Pius IX Canonized June 22, 1947, Romeby Pope Pius XII Feast February 4 PatronagePortugal, Roman Catholic Diocese of Sivagangai Saints Portal

Saint John de Brito (Portuguese: João de Brito) (born in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 1, 1647 – died at Oriyur, Tamil Nadu, India, on February 11, 1693) was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and martyr, often called the Portuguese St. Francis Xavier.

St. John de Brito was the scion of a powerful aristocratic Portuguese family: his father died while serving as Viceroy of Brazil (see Colonial Brazil). He joined the Jesuits, in 1662, studying at the famous University of Coimbra. He traveled to the missions of Madura, in southern India, present-day Tamil Nadu, in 1673. He renamed himself as "Arulanandar" in Tamil. He returned to Europe, as a missions procurator, arriving in Lisbon, in 1683. King Pedro II wanted him to stay, but he returned to India, with 24 new missionaries, in 1690.

The Madura Mission was a bold attempt to establish an Indian Catholic Church that was relatively free of European cultural domination. As such, Brito learned the native languages, went about dressed in yellow cotton and living like a Hindu Kshatriya, abstaining from every kind of animal food and from wine. St. John de Brito tried to teach the Catholic faith in categories and concepts that would make sense to the people he taught. This method, proposed and practiced by Roberto de Nobili, met with remarkable success.

He was sentenced to death, due to his preaching, by an Indian chief or king, the Setupati of Marava, in January 28, 1693, and executed by beheading the following February 11, 1693. It is said the executioner hesitated, not fully willing to kill de Brito. Fr. Brito responded to the executioner, "My friend, I have prayed to God. On my part, I have done what I should do. Now do your part." The executioner obeyed, and St. John was slain.[1] In a letter he wrote to his superior, Father Francisco Laynes, he stated that "When guilt is virtue, to suffer is its glory."

St. John de Brito was beatified by Blessed Pius IX on August 21, 1853. He was later canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 22, 1947. St. John de Brito's feast day is February 4.