Agnelo de Souza

Agnelo Gustavo Adolfo de Souza SFX (21 January 1869 – 20 November 1927), was a Portuguese Roman Catholic priest in India. He was a member of the Society of Pilar and performed missionary work in Goa, then part of Portuguese India. The cause for his beatification has been accepted for investigation by the Holy See, and has progressed to the point that he has been declared venerable.

Life

Early life De Souza was born in the village of Anjuna, Portuguese Goa, to Miguel Arcanjo de Souza and Maria Sinforosa Perpetua Magalhães.

Seminary With the encouragement of an older brother who was already a priest, de Souza pursued a call to the priesthood. He studied philosophy and theology at the Patriarchal Seminary at Rachol. Always in very poor health, he was allowed to live in a private dwelling off the seminary grounds, where he was able to do his studies diligently. He secured the much coveted and singular honor of acessit in his final year of study.

Souza wanted to enter a religious institute, but they had been banned in the lands under the Portuguese Crown since 1835. After much prayer and reflection, de Souza joined the Diocesan Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier of Pilar on 17 July 1897.

Death and beatification process De Souza died on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was on 20 November in 1927. He collapsed on the pulpit towards the end of the sermon. He insisted on waiting till the Benediction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus before leaving his post. He was buried in Rachol. The parish priest who buried him roughly said these words "Hanvem atanch eka Santak matiek laila", which means "I have just laid a saint to rest." His remains were brought to Pilar on 10 January 1939.

Beatification process The beatification process was begun by the Society with the permission of the Patriarch of Goa in 1947. The second process was presented to the Sacred Congregation of Rites on 5 October 1959. The Sacred Congregation of Rites approved the third process of De non-cultu on 27 May 1969. besides Padr Agnelak, Altaracho Man and several others.

A road in Panaji, Goa is named as Father Agnel Road. A road in Gogol, Margao is also named in his honour.