Saint John de Britto

I was born on the 1st of March, 1647, in a powerful aristocratic family in Portugal. I joined the Jesuits in 1662 and studied at the University of Coimbra. Then I travelled to Goa and later to Madurai in India. I began to preach the Catholic faith and renamed myself Arul Anandar in Tamil, which is the language of one minority there. The local ruler put me in prison in 1684. After my release I returned to Portugal. The King wanted me to stay but I wanted to return to Madurai. This time I brought with me 24 other missionaries. There I learned the native language and dressed as the locals to adapt to the culture. My preaching led to the conversion of a prince but this led to protests from his wives. The local ruler started a general prosecution against the Christians. I was executed on 4 February 1693.