A CHURCH WITH A STRANGE HISTORY

New Zealand Tablet, 16 January 1913, Page 15

A CHURCH WITH A STRANGE HISTORY

A correspondent in! the course of an interesting article in the Times of Ceylon says:Recently the Ceylon Government made tentative enquiries with regard to the purchase of the old Catholic Church of St. Anthony, situated in the Kochchikadde district of Colombo, but it was found that the sacred edifice is the centre of so much mingled reverence and superstition, which is not confined to Catholics but extends to Hindus and Mohammedans, that its destruction would be bound to give rise to serious trouble. Incidentally it would be a gross piece of vandalism. The church goes back to the beginning of the eighteenth century, and legend unites with history in attributing to it the most romantic origin probably of any religious structure in Ceylon. To the present day it is an object of great curiosity which presents problems full of interest to the student of religions, for not only Christians but Mohammedans, Hindus, and Buddhists are to be found amongst those who worship inside its walls. The story of the church carries one back to the stirring times when the Dutch ruled the seaboard of the island and the Catholic Church found it a matter of difficulty to retain a foothold in the present metropolis. The church’s history is said to date back to 1740, and the following story of its foundation has been handed down from generation to generation.

Between the advent of the Portuguese and the year 1740 the number of Catholics at Colombo had increased so greatly that it was considered no longer possible to leave the town without a resident priest. The Oratorian Fathers from Puttalam, and those stationed hear the limits of the Dutch territory, visited the town frequently, but with the ever-increasing number of Catholics such visits were no longer sufficient, and it became necessary that a priest should have permanent quarters there. On the other hand, it seemed impossible that a priest could remain at Colombo for any length of time without being discovered, the persecution of Catholics by the Dutch Protestants at this time being extremely rigorous. The Dutch Governor, Baron Van Imhoff, an able administrator but a bigoted Protestant, did all he could to crush the Catholics, and such elaborate police precautions were taken that even the visits of the missionaries were becoming - from day to day more difficult and risky, and the absence of a resident priest resulted in many Catholics dying without receiving the Sacraments. Father James Gonsalvez was deliberating what to do, in order to remedy this state of things, when an Oratorian Father, whose real name, unfortunately, is unknown, came to him and volunteered to settle at Colombo at the risk of being taken by the Protestants and put to death, or transported to Batavia as a prisoner for the rest of his life. The good of souls required it, he said, and the sacrifice must be made. He entered Colombo disguised as a fisherman from Cochin, and remained in hiding in the house of a Sinhalese fishermonger in Maliban street. He was known theie under the name of Anthony Cochial, meaning Anthony from Cochin, from whom the church derives its name. He succeeded in eluding the vigilance of Van Imhoff’s police for more than a year.. In the daytime he was selling fish in his host’s shop, dressed as a native from the Malabar Coast, and in the early hours of the morning, in some secluded suburban house, he celebrated Mass and administered the Sacraments to the faithful. . At last, however, he was betrayed . and had barely time to escape before the Dutch soldiers, who came to arrest him, had surrounded the house. He was running along the sea-shore toward Mutuwal, where he knew the Catholics there would find a way to hide him, carrying with him the box with the requisites for Mass, when he was stopped by a group of heathen fishermen. For several day they had been offering sacrifices to the devil to check the advance of the sea, which was encroaching on the shore where they used to dry their nets. Having recognised Father Anthony they seized him, saying: ‘ The Christians say that God grants you whatever you ask Him. If you obtain from your God a sign that the sea does not undermine this shore in this place, we will protect you against the Dutch soldiers.’ Whilst they were speaking the soldiers, who were hunting the Father, arrived, and the officer in command, much amused by the priest’s embarrassment, began to laugh and said: ‘Yes, Father, do what they request of you, and we will leave you alone, and allow you to exercise your ministry as long, as you like, but do what they request.’ Then, Father Anthony Cochial, the story goes, inspired by God, opened his Mass-box. He took from it the stole, put it on, planted the crucifix in the sand and knelt down in prayer. Whilst he was praying the waves receded and left uncovered a sandbank of more than a hundred yards, which slowly rose, so that the sea could no longer cover it. The officers and the soldiers looked on in amazement, and then retired without daring to arrest the Father. story produced such an impression on the fishermen of Colombo, who were a strong and turbulent body, that the Dutch Government did not dare to touch them, and Father Anthony Cochial was left in peace. To this legend can be traced the curious reverence _ m which the Church is held by people of all religions. A few days after these events the term of office of Baron Van Imhoff expired. His successor, Governor Bruminck, was a man of a different stamp He could not bear the idea of hunting and persecuting poor and harmless people, simply because they were catholics, and he took advantage of the events just narrated to grant them considerable liberty. He sent for Father Anthony, received him with great courtesy and told him that he ratified the promise given by the

officer, and that henceforth he would be free to exercise his ministry in Colombo. Moreover.,, he gave him the ground thus miraculously gained from the sea to build a chapel on. Next day, all the Protestant ministers of the town came in a body to the Governor to object to • this act of justice done to the Catholics, the first for eighty-four years, and threatened to report him to the Governor-General at Batavia; but Bruininck’s only reply was that the word, given by a Dutch officer was sacred, and could not be broken.

Father Anthony Cochial built a chapel on the ground given to him by the Governor, and the Protestants in derision called it Cochikada, the shop of the Cochin man. He worked among . the Christians -of Colombo, more or lessunmolested to his death, and was buried in Its modest chapel. At present St. Anthony’s Church stands on the spot of the ancient chapel, and the quarter of the town is called Cochikade or Kochchikadde. Father James Gonsalvez died in 1742 at Bolawatte,and was buried in the church of this village, where his grave is still to be seen.