'Not to answer the vocation as you ought, would be to provoke the justice of God.' St John De Britto

John de Britto was born in Lisbon in 1647 to parents who belonged to the Portuguese aristocracy. Devoted to Saint Francis Xavier and in exchange for healing, his mother vowed to make him wear the robe of the Society of Jesus for a whole year, while attending court. He endured numerous jokes but remained exemplary in his behaviour. At sixteen, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. His heart dreamt of the East, following the footsteps of his patron saint and model, Saint Francis Xavier.

In 1673, after his priestly ordination, he travelled to serve the missions of India. When he arrived in Goa, John visited the tomb of Saint Francis Xavier in the Church of the Jesuits. He studied the local languages and after refusing to become a professor of theology, he reached the destination determined by his superiors, Colei, in the kingdom of Gingia. Overcoming a new serious illness by the intercession of Saint Francis Xavier, he worked from 1674 to 1679 in Colei, Tattuvancheri and other places in the kingdoms of Tangiore and Gingia. From 1685 to 1686 he was the superior of the mission.

Having learned that no missionary had reached the kingdom of Maravà, east of Madura, for eighteen years, he wanted to go there personally. Within three months over two thousand people became Christians. John spend entire nights hearing confessions and baptizing hundreds. To solve the problem of the castes and to be able to attend to the evangelization of everyone, he adopted the method of assimilation with which his friend and predecessor, Father Baldassare da Costa. He became pandara-suami, that is, an ascetic and penitent. Thus, he enjoyed the privilege of dealing with all social conditions, even living with the pariahs, members of the low caste. His missionary action had attracted numerous hostilities from the powerful locals that led to his arrest. He was tortured, but the King freed him after his conversation with John.

In 1686, John returned to Europe because he was summoned to Rome by the Superior General to be appointed procurator of the mission. However, the attempts to hold him back, even the offer of the episcopate, did nothing. In fact, in 1690 he returned to India preferring not to abandon the novices. In 1693, he was again taken a prisoner in the kingdom of Maravà. There he baptized Prince Teriadevem, thus obliging him to live in monogamy. However, the princes who were relatives of the rejected brides looked for revenge. To prevent Churches from being burnt down and Christian houses being plundered, John de Britto handed himself over to the torturers.

After having been subjected to harsh torture, he was beheaded. He was called as the John the Baptist of India.

He was declared a saint by Venerable Pius XII in 1947.

During the apostolic pilgrimage to India in 1986, St. John Paul II said in the homily of the Eucharistic celebration in honor of Saint John de Britto: "Saint John de Britto’s life faithfully reflected the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for it was a life of service unto death. Today it challenges all of us to continue with fresh vigor the Church’s role of loving service to humanity. The immense and tender love of Jesus Christ for the poor and the downtrodden, for sinners and the suffering, remains a challenge for every Christian. Christ’s unrelenting stand for truth is a compelling example. Above all, the generosity shown in his suffering and death, as the culmination of his service to humanity and the supreme act of Redemption, is the example for us. We are called to serve."
-Pontifical Missionary Societies

Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Joseph of Leonessa
2. Saint Jane of Valois
3. Saint Aventinus of Troyes
4. Saint Gilbert of Sempringham
5. Saint Theophilus the Penitent

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