Mystical Roses
India
THE
PARAVARS OF THE PEARL FISHERY COAST
The history of Shrine Basilica is closely connected with the history
of the conversion of the PARAVARS, the indigenous people of the Pearl Fishery
Coast. In fact, Our Lady of Snows, is fondly called in Portuguese senhora, Das
Nevis which means Our Lady of Snows. She has been given the unique title of Yelu
Kadalthurai, Yega Adikala Thai in Tamil which means the
Mother of Refuge for the seven major coastal villages, viz Vembar,
Vaippar, Thoothukudi, Punnaikayal, Virapandianpatinam, Thiruchendur and Manapad.
THE MASS CONVERSION
Once the paravars of Pearl Fishery Coast had a sharp dispute with the
Muslims of this area regarding the right of Pearl Fishing. The Pattankattimar
(The leaders of Parava villages) requested the Portuguese to rescue them form
the cruelties of the Muslims and the Portuguese and the Muslims were routed. As
a token of gratitude to their redeemers, the Portuguese, the Paravars from about
22 villages numbering about 30,000 embraced Christianity in the y ear 1535-37 .
In October 1542, St. Francis Xavier arrived on the shores of the Pearl Fishery
Coast to catechize them and strengthen them further in their faith.
THE PERSECUTION
Soon there arose a great religious persecution by the Nayak of Madurai who had
by this time taken control of the Pearl Fishery Coast. They set fire to churches
and houses of Catholics. Hence the Paravars left Thoothukudi and fled to a
nearby Island named Raja Theevu (known as Hare-island today). They took along
with them the statue of Our Lady of Snows and solemnly installed it in a newly
built church there. It was there till the Jesuits returned to Thoothukudi in
1610.
Another tradition says that during the war, the church of Our Lady of Snows at
Raja Theevu was destroyed and therefore, the people removed the statue from
there and installed it in a small chapel of St. John the Baptist at
Sivanthakulam near Thoothukudi. When the Dutch occupied that area, they carried
away the statue to a church at Korkai. And it was brought back to Thoothukudi in
1699.
THE MIRACULOUS STATUE
The beautiful statue of Our Lady of Snows has always been looked upon as a
miraculous one, as many miracles are said to have occurred in the Shrine from
the time of its installation at St. Pauls Church.
SAVED FROM A THUNDERBOLT
The first miracle is narrated by Rev. Fr. Vigilius Mansi himself
who built the present Church of Our Lady of Snows. In a letter dated September
24th, 1708 addressed to one Father Maria Ignacy in Rome, he narrates how on
April 4th, 1707 at mid-night, a sonorous and fierce thunderbolt fell in his
residence where he had kept the miraculous statue for a short time and how he
was miraculously saved by Our Lady herself.
Links: http://www.snowschurch.org
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