HINDI MASS DAY 7/ 17 November 2021/ FR AGNELO D'SOUZA BEATIFICATION NOVENA

STORY OF VEN.AGNELO DE SOUZA Born in Anjuna, Goa, on 21st January 1869, Agnelo was invited by the founder of the Society of Pilar, Fr. Jose M. C. Bento Martins to join the nascent Society, but the latter could not oblige him immediately, as he had a three years’ teaching commitment in Calangute. Fr. Martins died at the young age of 49 on 16-8-1896. Agnelo passed through a deep crisis doubting his vocation to the priesthood and felt complete dryness and abandonment in his prayer life. He made a month-long discernment retreat under Fr. Lucio Vaz, and entered the Society of Pilar on 17th July 1897. Fr Agnelo spent the first ten years of his priesthood in the Pilar Monastery , completely submissive to his Superior and in a life of prayer. He used to spend hours on end, before the Blessed Sacrament in rapt contemplation. Many a times he fell into ecstasies while celebrating Mass. There were only 11 members in the Society of Pilar in 1908. The Superior Fr. Lucio Vaz, with the help of the other 4 members including Fr. Agnelo, was conducting the Catechumenate, Retreats and other activities staying in the Pilar Monastery. Fr. Agnelo was appointed the Confessor of the Seminarians of Rachol and auxiliary to the Missionary Vicar of Shiroda. At this time, most of the elite officers of the Government had ideas of Atheism and Freemasonry, and priests were ridiculed, insulted and humiliated. One day, when Fr. Agnelo was walking in Panjim, a student of Lyceum ridiculed him, took the ends of his cassock, lifted them up and said, “Let us see if these priests are females or males”. A companion slapped the offender and they both started fighting. Fr. Agnelo, however, pacified them, forgave the offender and exhorted him to good behavior . The Patriarch appointed Fr. Agnelo as the Missionary Vicar of Kumta in 1909. Fr. Agnelo would pass hours and hours in the Confessional. On one occasion, Fr Agnelo received a letter from his Superior to go to preach in a remote village Church. He was down with high fever. Still he went, preached and returned cured. On another occasion, while preaching in Calangute, the Parish priest sensing that Fr. Agnelo was sick, called a doctor to check him. When the doctor arrived Fr. Agnelo, told him that he was perfectly all right, but that the doctor himself needed attention for his spiritual sickness of not practicing his religion, exhorted him to change his life and gave him a frame of O.L. of Perpetual Help to hang it in his clinic and invoke Her help. An old man, Intru D’Souza from Mirjan narrated that as a small boy, he had gone to see Fr. Agnelo in Kumta. Fr. Agnelo asked the little boy whether he was going to School. When the reply was negative, Fr. Agnelo took out a rupee from his pocket and gave it to him with a slate and pencil and sent him to enroll in the local school at Mirjan. It is, narrated that once Fr. Agnelo arrived at a chapel on foot late at night, on the eve of the nuptials, and found that the Sacristian had locked the Chapel and gone to sleep. Not willing to disturb anyone, Fr Agnelo asked his attendant to bring a candle and a mat so that he could recite his Breviary, and sleep under the sky, sheltered by a tree. These two incidents are pointers to the man of God who had great consideration towards others and no concern for his own needs. As a Pastor and Guide Fr Agnelo was always ready to help those entrusted to his care, both spiritually and materially. He went out of his way to help a family in distress at the time of their daughter’s wedding, by taking a loan to help provide a dowry. He visited the houses, was concerned about the needs of his parishioners, cared for their sick and consoled the afflicted and downtrodden. One night some drunkards started banging the Church doors demanding to see the parish accounts. Fr. Agnelo calmly received them in and brought the books of accounts and placed them on the table saying, “It is your money, you have the right to know how it is spent”, His meek behavior conquered his opponents, who immediately asked pardon and left the parish house. In July 1918, Fr. Agnelo was appointed Spiritual Director of the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol, where he served for over 9 years, till his death. This proved to be the most fruitful period of his life, for himself because he attained a high degree of perfection and spiritual maturity, and for those who came under his guidance, for he was a father, teacher, friend and guide for them. He preached his last nine-day Novena of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at that Seminary; fell on the pulpit while preaching the last sermon on the Vespers of the same, and died a few hours later at dawn of 20th November 1927. Before his death, when the Society of Pilar was visibly declining and its members were dejected, Ven. Fr Agnelo used to animate them by saying “God’s finger is here …… the Society will not die!” His process of Canonization has reached the last process of Miracles. – by Fr. Cosme Jose Costa sfx