The Fragrance of Carmel (Concl.)
Significance of the Carmelite way
There are many Carmelite Orders, both male and female, in the Catholic Church of the Roman and Eastern Rites. The original Carmelites were an Order founded on Mount Carmel, by Berthold, a Crusader from Calabria, about the year 1155 A.D. They constitute the Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo, abbreviated O. Carm.) who were constrained to leave the area and settle in Europe.
Thereafter the Order underwent many reform movements, the most important one being the one initiated by Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross. They founded the Order of Discalced Carmelites (O.C.D.), also called Barefooted Carmelites, to differentiate them from their predecessors who were ‘calced’. There is also an Order of Cloistered Carmel nuns.
Interestingly, the Stella Maris Monastery presently on Mount Carmel in Palestine is considered the spiritual headquarters of the Carmelite Order.
The Carmelite charism is an important jewel in the Catholic crown. Here are some reasons why:
SPIRITUALITY: Centuries of Carmelite history shows us that longing and living for God is the essence of their spirituality. It is clear from the numerous exemplary lives of their confreres that it is indeed possible to encounter God very intimately. This is an experience attained through simplicity, detachment, contemplation, prayer and work, all of which produces an apostolic spirit, in many ways similar to the life led by Our Lady.
MODELS: The Carmelite Order has given several saints to the Catholic Church, among them mystic authors like Teresa of Ávila (1515-82) and John of the Cross (1542-91), who shine out as Doctors of the Church. Centuries later, Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-97, also known as Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face) whose highly influential model of sanctity marked by a simple and practical approach to the spiritual life also won her the title of Doctor of the Church.
Elsewhere in the world, the richness of the Carmelite spirituality was evidenced by Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-71), a Syro-Malabar priest of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (C.M.I), from Kerala, and by Edith Stein (1891-1942), a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a Discalced Carmelite nun.
LITERATURE: Several Carmelites have endowed us with the fruits of their study and contemplation, the chief among them being St Teresa of Ávila and St John of the Cross. To the former belong many poetical works and spiritual classics like The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, besides her engrossing autobiography; the latter author has to his credit poetic works like Spiritual Canticle and Dark Night of the Soul, and prose works like The Ascent of Mount Carmel, among others. Thérèse of Lisieux’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul, was published posthumously. In the monastery where she lived, Edith Stein was assigned the task of completing her autobiography, Life in a Jewish Family; she also wrote Finite and Eternal Being – An Ascent to the Meaning of Being and Science of the Cross, commenting on St John of the Cross and the Carmelite understanding of the depths of the soul.
MESSAGE TO THE WORLD: At the Apparitions in Fátima, whose full import the world is yet to understand, Our Lady of Mount Carmel appeared to Sister Lúcia holding the Brown Scapular. The famous visionary, who later became a Carmelite nun, stated that our Divine Mother wished everyone would wear it as a sign of their ‘consecration to her Immaculate Heart.’ For sure, the sacramental is a quiet and comforting reminder that Our Lady is always there for us.
There is therefore no doubt that we are in the presence of a prophetic Religious Order: The Carmelites!
The Fragrance of Carmel (Part II)
Pentecost, a red-letter day
According to a pious tradition, supported by the liturgy of the Church, on the day of Pentecost a group of men devoted to the holy prophets Elijah and Elisha embraced Christianity. They were disciples of St John the Baptist who had prepared them in view of the advent of the Saviour. They left Jerusalem for Mount Carmel and there they erected a sanctuary to the Virgin Mary, at the same place where Elijah had seen the Cloud. They called themselves Brothers of the Blessed Mary of the Mount Carmel.
These Brothers would suffer much at the hands of the Roman Emperor. At the time of the Muslim conquest of the Holy Land, the Crusaders freed them. And soon many pilgrims began joining the Order, among them St Cyril, St Angelo and St Simon Stock. Later, when the Brothers began to be persecuted once again, St Cyril, who was then the General, had recourse to Our Lady who spoke thus:
‘It is the desire of My Son and Mine that the Carmelite Order be not only a light for Palestine and Syria but that it may illumine the whole world. Hence, I attracted you to it and shall attract numerous children from all the nations of the world.’
Truly, the Order flourished in various countries. However, in the twelfth century there were many misunderstandings against it in the West.
St Simon Stock
In 1251, Simon Stock, weighed down by age and austerity – he had lived 20 years in the empty trunk of a tree, as penance – went to Cambridge to inaugurate a new Carmelite convent. Meanwhile, his soul suffered a lot in view of the opposition that his Order suffered in his country.
On the night of 16 July 1251, at the height of his suffering, St Simon was praying hard; his fervent prayer was transformed into a marvellous hymn:
Flower of Carmel,
Tall vine blossom laden;
Splendour of heaven,
Childbearing yet maiden.
None equals thee.
Mother so tender,
Who no man didst know,
On Carmel's children
Thy favours bestow.
Star of the Sea.
Strong stem of Jesse,
Who bore one bright flower,
Be ever near us
And guard us each hour,
who serve thee here.
Purest of lilies,
That flowers among thorns,
Bring help to the true heart
That in weakness turns
and trusts in thee.
Strongest of armour,
We trust in thy might:
Under thy mantle,
Hard press'd in the fight,
we call to thee.
Our way uncertain,
Surrounded by foes,
Unfailing counsel
You give to those
who turn to thee.
O gentle Mother
Who in Carmel reigns,
Share with your servants
That gladness you gained
and now enjoy.
Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.
Amen. (Alleluia)
The Saint prayed and sang all night. At the first sign of dawn, Our Lady appeared to him, surrounded by the angels, dressed in the habit of the Carmel. She smiled and brought in her virginal hands the Scapular of the Order, with which she clothed the man of God, saying: ‘This is a privilege for you and all the Carmelites. Whoever dies wearing this scapular shall not fall into hell.’
Of course, we cannot be carried away by the false idea that the mere wearing of the scapular is sufficient to win us Heaven. It allows us to hope; we must live a Christian life, fulfilling the Commandments!
Saturday Privilege
In 1316, the Virgin appeared to Cardinal Tiago who, on the second day of the vision, was elected Pope bearing the name John XXII. She spoke to him of a Sabbatine or ‘privilege John XXII’, which was approved and confirmed by Pope Clement VII ("Ex clementi", 12/8/1530), Pope St Pius V ("Superna dispositione", 18/2/1566), Pope Gregory XIII ("Ut laudes", 18/9/1577), and others, and also by the Holy Roman General Inquisition under Pope Paul V (20/1/1613).
Accordingly, ‘it is permitted to the Carmelite Fathers to preach that the Christian people may piously believe in the help which the souls of brothers and members, who have departed this life in charity, have worn in life the scapular, have ever observed chastity [according to one’s state], have recited the Little Hours [of the Blessed Virgin], or, if they cannot read, have observed the fast days of the Church, and have abstained from flesh meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays (except when Christmas falls on such days), may derive after death — especially on Saturdays, the day consecrated by the Church to the Blessed Virgin — through the unceasing intercession of Mary, her pious petitions, her merits, and her special protection.’ (Cf. summary approved by the Congregation of Indulgences on 4 July 1908).
(Talk delivered at Regina Angelorum Cultural Centre, Panjim)
Tomorrow: Significance of the devotion for our day and age
The Fragrance of Carmel (1)
Carmel is a mount that figures in the Old Testament. Devotion to Our Lady began there, indirectly, with Prophet Elijah (also called Elias); it culminated in the formation of the Religious Order of the Carmelites in the thirteenth century. It is a fragrance we are still enjoying!
In 1 Kings 19: 16B, 19-21, we meet Elijah, a prophet who lived in Israel nine centuries before Christ. He proclaimed Yahweh, the one true God of the Israelites, against Baal, a false god of the Canaanites. God worked miracles through Elijah as a sign that he was His favoured one. Because of the sins committed in Israel, the Prophet appeared before the evil king Acab and announced a terrible chastisement. There followed a drought throughout the kingdom.
First resurrection
Elijah withdrew to Sarepta and was helped by a poor and honest widow. She had only flour and oil for herself and her son to consume, after which they expected to die. But she counted the Prophet in and the reward was that flour and oil multiplied in the containers. This is a lesson in heroic faith and confidence that we must have in God.
But then, the son died and, all agonised, the woman said to the Prophet: ‘What did I do, oh man of God? Did you come to my house to remind me of my sins and kill my son?’ Elijah called out to God and the Lord heard his prayer: ‘the little boy’s soul returned to him and he won back his life.’ This was the first miracle of resurrection we see in the Old Testament.
Combative spirit
After three years in which the kingdom was without dew or rain, Elijah was before the king again. The king asked him: ‘Are you the troublemaker in Israel?’ In a typical example of holy daring or courage, Elijah answered: ‘It is not me who disturbed Israel but you and the house of your father, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following Baal.’ Then, turning to the people, he said: ‘When are you going to stop making the mistake of turning to the Lord and to the idol of Baal all at once?’ If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal is it, follow him.’
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to work a miracle. They failed. The people were dumbstruck. Elijah then worked a prodigious miracle on Mount Carmel, bringing fire from heaven for the holocaust, and wood and stones to erect the altar. And the 450 false prophets of Baal, the main responsible for the people’s sins, ‘and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and killed them there.’ (3 Kings: 18: 40) – an example of combativeness for God, a trait lacking in modern man.
Prefiguring the Immaculate Conception
After this healthy and admirable eradication, Elijah began to pray on the Mount. After he implored God to stop the terrible drought, a little cloud began rising from the sea, which soon caused a great shower to fall (3 Kings: 18: 44). This little cloud is interpreted as the symbol of Our Lady and Her Immaculate Conception – because, just as the light and winged cloud rose from the salty sea, without a trace of its bitterness, the Virgin Mary emerged faultless and immaculate from the sea of fallen humanity. Elijah understood this symbolism and was the first to venerate Our Lady.
Elijah’s was snatched from this earth by a chariot of fire. Before that he threw his mantle upon Elisha, who then lived on Mount Carmel. Centuries later, Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration of Our Lord on Mount Tabor and it is believed that he (together with Enoch) will return at the end of the world, to combat the Anti-Christ.
(Talk at Regina Angelorum Cultural Centre, Panjim)
(To be continued: St Simon Stock and the Carmelites – Significance for our day and age)
Fresh Legal Insight
Legal System in Goa, Vol. 1, Judicial Institutions (1510-1982), by Carmo Souza, [Self-published, 1995] pp. 189; Rs 150
Carmo Souza's book on the legal system in Goa is a welcome addition to the literature on a subject hitherto found only in Portuguese. Originally his doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Poona, it traces the developmental history of the judicial system in Goa from 1510 to 1982. This had been singled out for praise by the then chief justice of India, Mr Y. B. Chandrachud, when he inaugurated the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court at Panjim, in 1982.
Logically, the present work should have been preceded by a study on the legislation and legislative institutions of the corresponding period, in an independent volume. This is now expected to be out shortly.
The present volume assumes importance for several reasons. The Portuguese were the first colonial power to set foot and control a vast Oriental empire. Once Goa became their headquarters, the Tribunal da Relação, or High Court, was established in the old city of Goa in 1544. It administered justice at the appeal level to all the Portuguese settlements from the Cape of Good Hope to the China seas. With them was formed the modern concept of international law in trade, commerce, and navigation.
In the introductory chapter, the author refers to old and modern judicial institutions in Portugal and compares them with those set up in the Estado da Índia. Chapter 2 gives a brief idea of the pre-Portuguese judicial system in Goa, including the Comunidades, and goes on to discuss twenty major offices and institutions that administered justice sectionally, that is, "taking into consideration the different interests and pressures rising in the cosmopolitan society created by a maritime empire.” That list includes, among others, the Tribunal da Relação (treated in detail in chapter 3) and the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition which, says the author, quoting a contemporary (ex-) Jesuit historian, had “apparently won the confidence of the natives.”
Chapter 4 dwells on the tumultuous period from 1800 to 1961, which saw the advent of constitutionalism in Portugal. A new process began with the decrees of 1832/36. Goan territory expanded with the addition of the New Conquests, where the indigenous system of judicial administration was allowed to continue, and uniform dispensation of justice came only towards the end of the nineteenth century.
"Post-Liberation Judiciary” makes up the final chapter. It treats the dismantling of a “vibrant system”. Problems encountered in the transition phase are brought out.
('Panorama', The Navhind Times, 1 Oct 1995. For longer version of the review, see 'Long Arm of the Law', in Herald - The Illustrated Review, 15-30 June 1995)
Love in Verse
VISIONS FROM GRYMES HILL, by António Gomes. Turn of River Press, 1994, 95 pp. Rs. 100
António Gomes, a eleven-year Goan veteran of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, is presently metamorphosed into a poet-philosopher. He examines the chemistry of suffering and joy, and attempts to decipher the mystery of life and death. After his wife died of cancer, in 1989, he thought he would never write poetry again. His inner world had been shattered by her departure. But God and Time are better healers than all our earthly physicians put together, and Gomes gradually came to terms with his loss and became whole again.
Visions from Grymes Hill is divided into two sections: “The Twilight Landscape” and “Poet’s Den”. In the first, the poems are more personal, reflecting his intense pain on the death of Marina. Gomes feels helpless that as a doctor he could not save her life. As he confesses in the Preface, “a doctor, a scientist and a heart specialist, I was engrossed in the miracles of Science. Yes, indeed! Science for me then was the one god I knew and understood above all gods. I was angry at this god for abandoning me. This god through whose intercession I had often mended the hearts of many men and women.”
Death laid its icy hands of her like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower on all the field. The poet, unable to save her, is now in search of her. The poem “Visions” is a series of dreams reflecting this search, if not to find her – to find the answer. Born into a Roman Catholic family from Loutulim, Gomes now presents himself as an eclectic philosopher travelling through Hindu and Buddhist mythologies to find “the noble truth of the cessation of suffering” through “renunciation”.
The sad and humdrum life of a lonely man is reflected in the tone of some of the verse; but the sombre atmosphere turns to light whenever the poet chances upon the understanding of the mystery of life. Then he transcends his troubles and marvels at the myriad colours of human nature. His magnanimous heart looks upon the suffering of the “beggar and the hungry child”; his singing soul revels in music and dance as he draws the fine “portrait of a jazz pianist”, and Stan Getz.
Despite the magical confusion of his inner world, Gomes does spare a thought for Tiananmen Square and the Berlin Wall, communist dictatorships and Mikhail Gorbachev. All this is woven into his sensibility but he compulsively returns to “the image of my dear sick wife/Falling, rising, struggling/ Beautiful and hopeful to the very end”. Beautiful and hopeful, which is why even while a window closes on him with loss and sorrow another opens up with joy and hope. And as he turns his back on the images of the fateful year of 1989 “I welcome 1990, dancing with Tania, my only child”.
The “Poet’s Den” is an epic poem in which we follow the poet’s journey to disparate worlds and cultures. On seeking inspiration from the muse to write an epic, the poet is taken to a den where he encounters dead poets, ancient and modern. We are thus privileged to listen in on his intimate and far-reaching conversations with the great Bards from Dante, Goethe, Rilke, and Camões to Whitman, Tagore and Neruda.
The thematic range of this Section goes from the personal and religious to the social, economic and political. The issues reflect the events of the late 1980’s and early 90’s, “new challenges that have the immense potential of changing our world and our civilization”. Curiously, in these poems, written in the form of dialogues, Gomes blends his own poetry with that of the bards he encounters.
In Visions from Grymes Hill, which is his residence at Mount Sinai, António Gomes comes out as a man with the heart of a physician and the soul of a poet. Most touching is his line in the Preface: “I hope that those who read this book or parts of it will find these poets healing”. Witness the selflessness, the devotion, and the magnanimity of a fine doctor and sincere husband who invites us to partake of the pathos and passion of being fully human. The reader cannot help wishing that the poems have been cathartic for the writer himself.
(Herald -The Illustrated Review, 1-15 Sep 1995)
The long arm of the law
Legal System in Goa, Vol. 1, Judicial Institutions (1510-1982), by Carmo Souza, [Self-published, 1995], pp. 189, Rs 150
With the debate on the Uniform Civil Code picking up in the country, the history of the legal system in Goa can well be expected to come into focus very soon. Our Civil Code, framed by the Portuguese and still in force, as well as the judicial system developed by them, had been the object of praise for the then chief justice of India, Y. B. Chandrachud, when he opened the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court in Pangim, in 1982.
Carmo Souza's book on the legal system in Goa is a welcome addition to literature on the subject hitherto found only in Portuguese. Originally his doctoral thesis submitted at the University of Poona, this academic presentation traces the developmental history of the judicial system in Goa from 1510 to 1982. Logically, this should have been preceded by a study of the legislation and legislative institutions of the corresponding period, in an independent volume. But this will hopefully come as a sequel.
The present volume assumes importance for several reasons. The Portuguese were the first colonial power to set foot and control a vast Oriental empire. Once Goa became their headquarters of the empire, the Tribunal da Relação, or High Court, established in the old city of Goa in 1544, administered justice at the appeal level to all the Portuguese possessions and settlements from the Cape of Good Hope to the China Seas. With them was formed the modern concept of international law in trade, commerce, and navigation.
In the introductory chapter, the author refers to old and modern judicial institutions in Portugal and compares them with those set up in the Estado da Índia. Chapter 2 gives a brief idea of the pre-Portuguese judicial system in Goa, including the Comunidades, and goes on to discuss twenty major offices and institutions that administered justice sectionally, "taking into consideration the different interests and pressures arising in the cosmopolitan society created by a maritime empire.” That list includes, among others, the Tribunal da Relação (treated in detail in chapter 3) and the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition which, the author says, quoting a contemporary (ex-) Jesuit historian, had “apparently won the confidence of the natives.”
Chapter 4 dwells on the tumultuous period from 1800 to 1961, marked as it was by the advent of constitutionalism in Portugal. A new process began with the decree of 1832/36. Goa saw the addition of the New Conquests, wherein the indigenous system of judicial administration continued. Uniform dispensation of justice came only towards the end of the nineteenth century.
"Post-Liberation Judiciary” makes up the final chapter. This treats the dismantling of "a vibrant system”. Problems encountered in the transition phase are brought out. Interviews with judges and lawyers of the erstwhile regime, if included here, might have thrown more light on the topic.
Souza attempts to provide insight into whether certain institutions under the civil law system may be used in the Anglo-Indian system and the possibility of creating healthy hybrid institutions. He mentions the possibility of Goa having a High Court of its own.
Legal system in Goa is not critical as to advance any value judgements. This does not, however, detract from the rich documental value and the pioneering effort at systematization undertaken by Carmo Souza of a much neglected body of knowledge. His work could well serve as a background for the studies of judicial institutions of erstwhile Portuguese colonies in Asia, Africa and South America too.
(Herald - The Illustrated Review, 15-30 June 1995. A shorter version of this review, titled 'Fresh Legal Insight', appeared in 'Panorama', The Navhind Times, 1 Oct 1995)
The Hypnotist in Holy Orders
He is better known as a personage in Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte-Cristo Chateaubriand mentions him, albeit in derogatory terms, in his memoirs. In Goa, he is only vaguely known for his father’s cry ‘Hi soglli bhaji!’ which instantly filled with confidence the faltering preacher son at the royal chapel at Queluz, Portugal.
Precious little remains till date in the memory of the average Goan. There is a statue of him in the capital city and a street takes his name in Margão. He has been forgotten in his native village of Candolim; only a primary school is named after him there and in some other villages too. He is almost unknown where he worked and lived – Lisbon, Paris and Marseilles. Only an obscure street is named after him in Marseilles.
People may not be apt to remember somebody who lived two centuries ago and with a mysterious sounding name such as Abbé Faria. But what if he has some original scientific contribution to his credit? Never mind that he was a theorist of hypnotism by suggestion, which has since become a vital aid to psychiatry, psychoanalysis and surgery. Very often his name is omitted when the subject comes to the fore. Not even does the Encyclopaedia Britannica refer to him as they do Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) and James Braid (1795-1860), who have only usurped his pride of place.
Such has been the fate of José Custódio de Faria (1756-1819), a priest and doctor of theology, who without any medical training did perceive and lend respectability to the true nature of what he called ‘sommeil lucide’ (lucid sleep). It was an intuition characteristic of a true genius. And for this original contribution to the field of science he is regarded at home as the greatest Goan that ever lived.
Early Life
José Custódio de Faria was born on 31 May 1756, to Caetano Vitorino de Faria of Colvale and Rosa Maria de Souza of Candolim. His father was a seminarian and had already received minor orders when he met and married Rosa, the only daughter of a rich landlord of Candolim. He was clever and she was rich, but the combination did not work out that well. Even their son born two years after their marriage, could not prolong their mutual love. Around the year 1764, they got a canonical decree of separation in 1764. He took holy orders and she joined the Santa Monica convent in the 
old city of Goa.
No bonds linked them ever since. The father and the son stayed a few years at their friends in Candolim – the Pintos of the Conspiracy fame – and at Colvale too. On 21 February 1771, four years after being ordained a priest, Caetano Vitorino left for Lisbon, en route for Rome, to continue his priestly studies. He had similar intentions for his son. Their social circle in Goa and particularly a letter of recommendation they carried for the nuncio in Lisbon, Mgr. Inocencio Conti, won them access to the royal court. Moreover, the reigning monarch, Dom José I, and his prime minister, the Marquis of Pombal, were favourably disposed towards the Goans, whom they strongly recommended for civil, military and ecclesiastical positions at home.
Student in Rome
Thus José Custódio was awarded a scholarship to study in Rome. The father returned to Lisbon in 1777 on attaining a doctorate to further his objective of objective of being appointed the bishop of Goa. His great disappointment and frustration on this count determined much of what followed in his life and his son’s too.
José Custódio stayed on and was ordained on 12 March 1780. At 24 he completed his doctoral thesis titled Theologicae Propositiones: De Existentia Dei, Deo Uno et Divina Revelatione (Theological Propositions on the Existence of God, One God and Divine Revelation) and joined his father in Lisbon.
The duo were good friends but a different purpose animated them. Caetano Vitorino, the more political minded and diplomatic of the two, was fully immersed in matters Goan. He was a sort of self-appointed protector of and influential reference for the Goan community. The Court had been impressed by the fact that, though immensely influential at the highest levels of the kingdom’s administration, he had never asked favours for himself, though it was known that his personal finances were far from bright. But then, intelligence reports began to pin him down as the mastermind and coordinator in Lisbon of a political revolt at home in 1787. As soon as news of this reached Lisbon, they hunted for the duo and their good friends, clerics and laymen.
Meanwhile, all except Fr. Caetano Vitorino had fled to Paris, reportedly to meet and discuss with their envoys of Tipu Sultan, who proposed to be on the French side in their ascendancy against the British in India, but nothing was confirmed in this respect. Others believe that simpler reasons motivated Fr. José Custódio’s sudden departure – that he was attracted by the intellectual climate of France. His father did, however, stay back, still persevering in his designs and probably even overestimating his influence with the high officialdom. He was then put under house arrest in the Carmelite convent where he gave his priestly assistance, and probably died in 1799.
In Paris
Nothing is known of Fr. José Custódio’s activities in the French capital except that he was accused, in 1792, of being a gambler and frequenter of the Palais-Royale. He was acquitted, or at least no action was taken against him by the police. Three years later, on 5 October 1795, he led a battalion of revolutionaries against the National Convention. This political stand made him popular with the supporters of the Directoire and won him the friendship of the Marquis de Chastenet de Puységur.
The latter relationship was decisive. The Marquis had been a disciple of Mesmer whose quackish furrows into ‘animal magnetism’ and tall claims of cures had initially won him the acclaim of high Parisian society. But, in 1785, his exit was shameful. The Marquis, on the other hand, was an honest, well-meaning and cultured person, who took over from where Mesmer had left. Dr Egas Moniz, the Portuguese Nobel Prize Winner and biographer of Fr. José Custódio de Faria, speculates that he acquired knowledge of magnetism in Paris after he struck up an acquaintance with the Marquis.
The first news of Fr. Faria’s activity as a magnetizer is of the year 1802, in the memoirs of Chateaubriand (published in 1843), who referred to his experiments in derogatory terms. He had dined with Fr. Faria at the house of the Marchionesse of Custine. Here, Fr. Faria reportedly declared that he could kill a canary by magnetizing it. However, when the magnetizer was put to the test, he failed, which led Chateaubriand to conclude: ‘O Christian, my presence itself will be enough to make the tripod ineffective!’ Chateaubriand was a devout Catholic. He had strong reservations against magnetism – because of the Church’s attitude of suspicion towards it. But what is more is that Fr. José Custódio de Faria was a Catholic, no less!
Fr. José Custódio continued his research into the subject up to the year 1811, when he was appointed professor of Philosophy at the Academy of Marseilles. The Imperial Almanac of 1811 records that he lived there a year and was elected member of a medical society. Since he had no medical qualifications, the membership can only be attributed to his skills as a magnetizer. But for some mysterious reason, he was transferred, in fact, demoted, to the post of auxiliary professor at the Academy of Nimes. He felt slighted and frustrated and, unaccustomed as he was to life in a small city like Nimes, he returned to Paris, in 1813, in search of greener pastures. Unattached to any institution, he initiated his course in magnetism on 11 August 1813, 49, Rue de Clichy.
Sessions
The sessions were held every Thursday, on an admission fee of five francs only. He began with a lecture in halting French. The audience, which consisted largely of women, paid scant attention to this part of the session; their eyes were set on what was to follow – his experiments to substantiate his theory.
Contrary to the claims made by Mesmer, the he could control the body fluids of his patients and rectify their course through special methods invented by him, Fr. José Custódio very humbly put forth that not all individuals could be hypnotised, and that the degree of response to his hypnotic powers necessarily varied from person to person. He was the first to establish that hypnotism was a science of suggestion.
Fr. Faria’s method consisted of a series of well-reasoned and effective actions: he got the patient to sit comfortably and, through concentration, to relax, imagining that they were going to sleep. When the patient was ‘tranquil’, he gave the command, ‘Sleep!’ and, if necessary, repeated it, with a certain degree of urgency, three or four times. If he failed, he would either sportingly give up or try other methods.
The sessions became the rage of the town. There were detractors, critics and skeptics, no doubt. Once, a journalist attended his session and then unjustly criticised and ridiculed the priest in the press. At another session, a leading stage actor, Potier, offered himself for his experiments. He feigned to be in a trance and suddenly rose to say, ‘Ah, Abbé! If you magnetize others as well as you magnetized me, you don’t seem to be doing much.’
Fr. José Custódio put up very well with all such betrayals. He also withstood quite stoically criticism from the clergy and Rome, who then viewed his experiments with suspicion always on the look-out for diabolical influences therein. But the priest always expressed respect for the Church and a firm desire to stay within the Catholic fold. ‘Un esprit supérieur,’ as his disciple Gen. Noizet said of him, he wished to convince the Church that his experiments were fully within the natural realm and that there was no magic or witchcraft involved.
Thus, Fr. Faria took everything in its stride. Only once did he break down, when at Potier’s request the playwright Jules Verne put up a play, on 5 September 1816, the Variétés, titled La Magnétismomanie, ridiculing the Goan priest.
Sad end
The time was now ripe for Fr. Faria to stop his activities. He retired soon thereafter, rendering priestly services in exchange for boarding and lodging.
During the last years of his life, he decided to organize his material in book form. It was an ambitious project in four volumes, of which only the first one is known to have appeared. It is his magnum opus is titled De la cause du sommeil lucide ou Étude de la nature de l’homme (On the Cause of Lucid Sleep or Study on the Nature of Man). In it he referred to the shameful play:
‘With regard to Magnétismomanie, I cannot ask which laws permit the modern Terence to expose an unknown foreigner to public ridicule. I presume that even the savage would be ashamed to insult his kind, which has nothing in common with actors and the theatre.
‘Far from me the idea to disturb public pleasures: But I might have added to Magnétismomanie a new scene – an extremely pungent one – had my condition not prevented me from doing so, and had my own aversion for such amusements not kept me away from playhouses.’
According to one biographer, by a strange coincidence, the day of his death, also marks the release of his book. His famous words, ‘There are evils that sometimes do good to those who discern their utility,’ might have very well served as his epitaph – if only he had the money for a decent burial. He died at the age of 63, unsung as he was born. A life full of ironies, for born of a rich family he died poor; born of parents who were in love, they separated after his birth; a man with original contributions to posterity, he died with no godfathers to promote his name.
(Herald Illustrated Review, Panjim, Goa. Vol. 95, No. 30, February 1-15 1995. Slightly updated version)
Mando Moments
Whether the Mando is an art or a folk song or both could be a point for serious debate elsewhere. But regarding the 26th mando festival held under the auspices of the Goa Cultural and Social Centre (GCSC) at the Kala Academy last year end, a few considerations 'pro bono mando' will not be out of place.
Though the vibrancy of a culture may best be judged on the degree of popular acceptance of a non-competitive cultural event, contests are often a necessary evil. It is lamentable that Goan art circles having become timid and overly sensitive to even the mildest of criticism. Cultural participation has in turn become bankrupt. It is perhaps the accidental nature of our cultural history coupled with the notorious apathy of the powers-that-be that are responsible for the battered state of our culture.
The efforts of the GCSC are thus all the more laudable. They could do well to keep up the tradition of holding the mando festival every year – a tradition that began with Bernardo Fernandes, better known as Benferds, whose ideal received organisational backing from Clube Nacional (Panjim) way back in 1965.
It must be admitted, however, that a lot of homework has yet to be done in making the mando and the festival more appealing to the general public. It is noteworthy that children have been given a place in the programme. But on the adult ensembles, divided as they are into four categories (original, traditional, dance and opera), the nomenclature is ambiguous. In fact, the four ought not to be clubbed together, for "original" (new) and "traditional" can at best be broad categories, whereas "dance" and "opera", being styles only, may be fitted under either of those categories.
There are other incongruities about the criteria adopted that would certainly merit clarification in the souvenir booklet. In the adult tradition section, there is seldom anything traditional (that is, distinctly Goan and reminiscent of the mando of old) about the apparel; or for that matter little that might legitimately claim originality. Every single ensemble this year was unconventional about the selection of musical accompaniment. The electric organ and guitar stood side by side with the violin, double bass and gumott, which is certainly a weird mix in the traditional section. And ironically, it was the dear gumott, the most Goan of them all, that suffered a bad "beating": while the traditional playing has it that the stress should fall on the fifth beat, the common error (which had only one exception) was invariably to strike the third!
In this context it could be suggested that the GCSC take upon themselves the task of long range preparation. This could be in the form of lectures, workshops and demonstrations for mando enthusiasts, by knowledgeable manddekars like Augusto Nazaré, the Veiga Coutinhos, the Monteiros of Loutulim, José Velho Pereira, Micael Martins and José Pereira, to name just a few.
Considering the fact that the festival was held in the capital city only, it was expected that more than a mere 15 groups would participate. Villages like Curtorim, Loutulim and Raia, known to have cradled the mando more than a century ago, had no representation but for the chief guest Francisco Sardinha who attended the formal inauguration, and the ubiquitous Sebastião Veiga, the violinist.
The mando, though the preserve of the Catholic community of Goa, refreshingly saw non-Christian individuals too in some of the ensembles. The lyrics of the new mandos were topical and referred to such issues as tourism, the Konkan railway, drug addiction, unemployment, crime and the Konkani language. That the mando is a love song was spicily highlighted by the compere with his inimitable brand of jokes. At least two groups in the original category pinched the music of some well-known dulpods – an affront to all manddekars in the audience, and which should have fetched them a disqualification.
To enhance the festival spirit, is would certain pay to recreate the olden ambience of the mando, not only on stage but outside it. For instance, Goan sweets and delicacies could be made available during the intermission. To foster a greater involvement of the audience, a traditional dress contest could be held in the auditorium itself. Finally, in an effort to popularise literature and audio-visual material on the mando, the works of Agapito de Miranda, Antscher Lobo, Lúcio Rodrigues, Lourdino Barreto, José Pereira and Micael Martins could be exhibited and sold. This would mean a service to the general public and a fitting tribute to the past and present masters of the mando.
(Goa Today, February 1993)
A Paean to the Woman
The lines that follow form an insufficient paean to the Woman.[1] Yet, in this month of Mary, a few reflections may not be out of place.
The role of the woman in the affairs of human destiny is invaluable. It is as wife and mother that she reveals the larger part of her noble self. Guide, inspirer, defender and lover of everyone in the family. she herself eventually becomes the best loved one.
She is the muse for her husband, and he sings of her glory. Feel the flow of his poetic vein as in Proverbs 31:10-31 –
A good wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
………………………………………………………..
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
Motherhood is a vocation which began to be better understood and appreciated in the glorious light of the Angelic Salutation to Mary, when she was called to be the Mother of God! The event has been a watershed in the history of humankind, with a Woman playing a definitive role in God’s Plan.
It can well be said that, with Mary, “God brought the dignity of woman to unsuspected heights. Mary is the guarantee of feminine greatness; she reveals the specific form of being woman, with her vocation to be spirit, to surrender, which spiritualises the flesh and incarnates the spirit.”[2]
With Mary, human life became a transfiguration. And what better example of this than the Holy Family of Nazareth? Nazareth became a splendid illustration of the Catholic spirit and lifestyle. The institution of the family began to grow and blossom ever since.
Now, if any family is found wanting or breaking, it could well be that the mother is either physically or spiritually absent. Modern-day circumstances sometimes make her physical absence a necessary evil. So, it might happen that when the mothers are away some serpents could be at play...
On this day, we hail the Goan wife and mother who has always been the pride of our people. Whatever her educational status, it is often she who teaches her learned husband the matrimonial equation 1+1=1. And when herself in a state of grace, she is able to nurture the household with grace!
Woman of today, let Mary be thy model, so as to ensure that our families become at least pale imitations of Nazareth. “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
O Woman of today, let thy name be Maria ! Or, as that hymn[3] in Portuguese says –
Tudo seria bem melhor Everything would be better
Se o Natal não fosse um dia If Christmas wasn't just a day
E se as mães fossem Maria And if mothers were Maria
E se os pais fossem José And if the fathers were Joseph
E se a gente parecesse And if we looked
Com Jesus de Nazaré Like Jesus of Nazareth.
-o-o-o-o-
[1] First published as editorial titled ‘Let thy name be Maria’, in Yuvayana, a youth magazine of the Diocesan Youth Centre, Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, May 1991. Reprinted here with the addition of the last paragraph.
[2] "Apostleship of Prayer", in Don Bosco’s Madonna, May 91, p. 7
[3] “Estou pensando em Deus”, by Padre Zezinho, stage name of Fr. José Fernandes de Oliveira (1941-), a Brazilian priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, singer and songwriter.
Fated to sing...
International star Amália Rodrigues spent a few days in Goa to meet her fans and lovers of the Portuguese fado. She performed at Kala Academy's Dinanath Mangueshkar auditorium to a 1000-plus audience on the evening of June 5.
Despite her 70 years of age, Amália, as she is affectionately called, regaled one and all. Her language is universal, so the youngsters understood her too. But for the older folks which comprised 75 per cent of the audience the performance was tinged with nostalgia. The sentimental Portuguese sang their fado (fatum, fate) far from their country, on the banks of the Mandovi.
Born of humble parentage in Lisbon, in 1920, Amália, who sang fados and tangos at the tender age of three, made her debut at 20.
At the Campal auditorium she regaled the audience with twenty-eight fados, old and new: ‘Rosa Fogo’, ‘Amêndoa’, ‘Entrega’, ‘Povo’, her own ‘Grito’, ‘Lágrima’. And lágrimas de alegria (tears of joy) flowed down her cheeks when she noticed the excitement of her fans as she sang the older numbers like ‘Que Deus me perdoe’, ‘Nem às paredes confesso’, ‘Madragoa’, ‘Barco Negro’, ‘Mariquinhas’, ‘Lisboa Antiga’, ‘Alfama’, ‘Lisboa, não sejas francesa’, ‘Coimbra’, ‘Ai Mouraria’, ‘Foi Deus’, to end with ‘Casa Portuguesa’.
And a Casa Portuguesa (Portuguese house) it was indeed. Remarked an All India Radio staffer, ‘This is probably the audience we have for our weekly Renascença…’
Amália sang and conquered. She had four brilliant accompanists: Pinto Varela and Carlos Gonçalves (Portuguese guitar); himself a composer, Joel Pina (viola baixo), and Lelo Rodrigues (viola). The sustained brilliance of the foursome dramatically underlined the romantic and expressive nuances of the fado which came effortlessly to the Queen of the Fado. The enraptured audience only wished Amália had come here in her younger days.
A charismatic personality, Amália is said to have ‘rescued’ the fado, transforming it into a universal art. Today her strongest point lies in the fact that she can still draw a big audience the world over, but oddly enough not in Portugal itself. Still she is easily Portugal’s best cultural ambassador to the world.
The show in Goa was sponsored by Fundação Oriente. Amália’s stopover in Goa, on her way to Macau, South Korea, Japan, USA and Monte Carlo, was definitely a landmark in the cultural calendar of this tiny state, but sad to say, the occasion was mismanaged by local co-sponsors INTACH.
Things began going wrong, right from the word go. Invitations and passes were distributed at the fancies of INTACH members, much before the general public even became aware of the show. A member of the audience commented that the passes finally went not to Amália fans but only to a coterie. The result: an indignant public responded by gate-crashing. And, certainly, enthusiasm overflowed from the back rows of the auditorium which comprised, among others, several gate-crashers!
What was also unbecoming was the near-anarchic scene at the gate and inside the auditorium where there were no ushers. The compere too was a poor choice: with scant knowledge of Portuguese, he faltered at every step, and even mispronounced the key word, fado, to rhyme with mando!
Finally, unpardonable was also the fact that while Amália was showered with gifts, garlands and bouquets, from the Government of Goa, Panjim Municipal Council and INTACH, her four smart accompanists were left high and dry! Minus points for the fabled ‘Goan hospitality’…
An international star deserved better coverage in the press, not for her sake but for the benefit of the public at large. But Amália was hardly in the limelight. And it was hardly her fault. Her fado was to have the local entourage impose themselves on the Queen to the point of disallowing her contact with pressmen, barring a few instances of journalists who had to fight their way in.
But to Amália these things mattered little. It was also in her fado to lose her baggage in transit. But that did not deter her. She wore that beautiful smile and lent everyone her magic voice…that’s because the fado turns magical with Amália.
This even makes us redefine the fado. The Portuguese language dictionary calls it destino, fatalidade, canção popular e dolente (‘destiny, fatality, a song popular and sorrowful’). But the face of the fado has changed over the years. This compels us to redefine the fado as Amália!
(Goa Today, July 1990)