Madras Catholic Union collection on the Catholic Church in India, 1880 -- 1893
Collection context
- Creator:
- Madras Catholic Union (Chennai, India)
- Abstract:
- A collection pertaining to the interests of the Catholic Church in India as gathered by the Secretary of the Madras Catholic Union, and including church publications, newspaper clippings, and handwritten notes.
- Extent:
- 7 linear feet 7.00 linear feet; 6 boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains extracts and newspaper clippings connected with the Catholic Church in India from 1880-1893 in Portuguese, English, and French. These volumes are attributed to the secretary of the Madras Catholic Union, William Reese Philipps. This collection includes portions of the following contemporary publications: Catholic Truth Society – Bombay Branch, India Sacra, O Crente, The Bombay Catholic Examiner, The Bombay East Indian, The Catholic Register, The Catholic Watchman, The Cochin Argus, The Epiphany, The Illustrated Catholic Missions, The Indian Churchman, The Indo-European Correspondence, The Messenger of the Sacred Heart, The Mylapore Catholic Register, The Sind Gazette, The Tablet, and The Weekly Register. Also included are collections of bound issues of the following publications: Les Missions Catholics, O Vinte e tres Novembro, O Portugues Britannico, The Anglo-Lusitano and The Catholic Union. The material covers obituaries of missionaries and clergy, dedications of new churches and schools, budgets for construction, accounts of festivals, ecclesiastical appointments, the Pope's jubilee, congratulations and correspondence with the Queen of England for her jubilee, as well as circulation records and reviews of books.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Early missionaries in India were affiliated with The Church of St. Thomas Christians. In 52 AD, the Apostle Thomas arrived in South India via the Malabar Coast. Before his death in 72 AD, Thomas is credited with converting thousands in India and founding seven Christian communities. The National Shrine of St. Thomas Basilica is built over his venerated tomb in Mylapore, Chennai. In the 15th century, Portuguese Catholic missionaries officially began arriving in India following the declaration of Pope Nicholas V on the 18th of June, 1452 that instructed the King of Portugal to "invade, conquer, subdue and subject all the kingdoms and lands of the infidels." The Catholic population in India in 1891 reached 1,313,653 of the total 286,912,000 population. The Catholic Church in India had three objectives: conversion, pastoral activity, and ethical order. Conversion brought the missionaries to India in order to spread the ideology, rituals, and ethical code of Catholicism. Pastoral activity would teach the community social aspects of Catholicism as well as introducing roles of the clergy in ritual. The aim of ethical order applies a standard of lifestyle as prescribed by the church that can include social norms and interpersonal relations. Schools would become the main focus of the Catholic missionaries in India. Western education was considered to include Christian morals so much so that the missionaries hoped these schools would lead to a renunciation of prior beliefs in favor of conversion. Eventually, an emphasis on converting students to Catholicism was dropped for the sake of generally encouraging education. At one point as high as seventy percent of the schools in India were mission-run. As of 2004, it is estimated that there are 17,005,000 Catholics in India, or 1.55% of the population.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is open for research.
The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1-5. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.
- Terms of access:
-
Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.
- Preferred citation:
-
Item description, UTS1: Madras Catholic Union collection on the Catholic Church in India, 1880-1893, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers must book an appointment at least 5 business days in advance to view special collections material in the reading room. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to one item per hour of appointment time.
- Contact:
- burke@library.columbia.edu