Carta que el pe. enrrique enrriquez escreuio al pe M. ignatio y M. simon &c. Vltimo de Outubro de 1548.
This is a transcription of a 1548 Jesuit missionary letter authored by Henrique Henriques, written from Bombay (then part of Portuguese India) and addressed to Ignatius of Loyola, Simon Rodrigues, and other members of the Society of Jesus. The document details pastoral activities, ecclesiastical adm...
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| Format: | Manuscripts |
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| Published: |
1548-10
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| Subjects: |
Antonio Criminal
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Cape of Good Hope
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Christian presence
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Conversion Efforts
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Enrique Enriquez
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Henriques, Pe. Henrique
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Indigenous beliefs
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Interfaith dialogue
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Inácio de Loyola, Santo
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Jesuit Missionary Letters
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Jesuit Missions
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Language learning
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Mission operations
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P. Ignacio
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P. M. Simon
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Portuguese India
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Religious practices
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Rodrigues, Pe. M. Simão
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missionary activities
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Manuscripts
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| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/6MSL96DI/viewer_6MSL96DI.html |
| Summary: | This is a transcription of a 1548 Jesuit missionary letter authored by Henrique Henriques, written from Bombay (then part of Portuguese India) and addressed to Ignatius of Loyola, Simon Rodrigues, and other members of the Society of Jesus. The document details pastoral activities, ecclesiastical administration, linguistic acquisition, catechetical instruction, and interreligious engagement across coastal South India—particularly in regions extending from Cape Comorin to Bombay—during the early decades of Jesuit presence in the subcontinent. Key figures include António Criminal (superior on the coast), Francisco Ariq., Cipriano, Manuel Francisco, Nicolau de Morais, and indigenous collaborators such as Ana, Brother R. Elvita, and a learned Hindu *jogi* engaged in theological dialogue. The text records systematic efforts to establish vernacular liturgy and pedagogy—including translation of prayers into Ma Fãnãr and Malay (*Malauar*), reorganisation of canonical hours by gender and age, baptismal practice, sacramental ministry, and the founding of schools for children, women, and enslaved persons. It documents sustained engagement with local religious specialists (*yta*, *joge*, *brāhmaṇas*, *carkas*, *ves*), polemical encounters with Hindu and Muslim interlocutors, exorcistic claims, and observations on indigenous cosmology and ritual practice. Linguistic methodology, spiritual formation, communal discipline, and appeals for missionary reinforcements are recurrent themes. The letter constitutes a primary source for the history of early modern Catholic missions, colonial linguistics, religious encounter, and the institutional development of the Society of Jesus in Asia. Entry number 24 in catalogue "Jesuítas na Ásia" |
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