That St. Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ came to India in the first century A.D. is a fact that has been questioned by some. perhaps there are still some people who do so. and the vast majority of our people may not even be aware of the fact. In the last say 70 or 80 years, a great deal of research has been done. which only confirms the centuries old tradition about the Apostle. In India, it has almost been taken for granted.

    Dr. Rajendra Prasad, former President of India, said in 1995, in a celebration held in honour of the Apostle: " Remember that St. Thomas came to India many centuries before Christianity went to Europe..... Hence, it is a matter of pride to us... Some of the doubters have tried to deny the fact saying that it was not to our India that the apostle came but to some India called India Felix, etc. They do this assuming that India was not known to the west in the first century. Nothing could be more ridiculous, since history asserts that Alexander the Great (B.C.) knew it, and the Bible itself asserts that King Ahassuerus (of Persia) ruled "from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces". Besides, trade between India and the West from early times is a historically known fact. In the very early writings there are dozens of references connecting India with St. Thomas. Some of the earliest books include "The doctrine of the Apostles" (2nd. Century A.D.). "The Acts of St. Thomas" (3rd. Century A.D.) speak of this. Writers well known like St. Amrose, St. Jerome and many others of later centuries link the apostle St. Thomas with India.

    Histories of Saints also mention St. Thomas in India. Church calendars do the same. from every early times there have been pilgrims to the tomb of the Apostles in Mylapore. Well known is the witness of St. Gregory of Tours (France) in the 6th. century who speaks of one Theodore who came to Mylapore on a pilgrimage and reported to him. In the 9th. century, King Alfred of England sent gifts to the tomb in Mylapore as told in the most reliable 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicle', and confirmed by the English historians.We have testimonies from Travelers from the West in the 13th. and 14th. centuries: (i) Marcos Polo (1293 A.D.) who visited the tomb in Mylapore and records it. (ii) Marignolli of 14th. century. After the coming of the Portuguese to India in 1498 A.D., we have a good deal of information in detail - the opening of tomb in Mylapore.

    A geographical map of 1516 named after Waldsee Muller in the place corresponding to the present day Mylapore has this script in Latin: "HIC SEPULTUS EST S. THOMAS" i.e. Here lies buried St. Thomas: Milapur is the same as Mylapore. In connection with this most ancient tradition, one cannot overlook the fact that the Christians of Kerala (called usually St. Thomas Christians) till today come to the tomb at Mylapore to venerate it. It is difficult to understand why they continue doing so if the Tomb here was not genuine.

THE TOMB OF ST. THOMAS

    In 1545, St. Francis Xavier visited Mylapore with the purpose "to sonsult" St. Thomas about his mission to Malacca and the far east. He stayed at the parish house at Mylapore for four months, daily visiting the tomb of St. Thomas. In 1523 the tomb of the saint was excavated. They contained documents in the form of a statement by a certain Marignolli dated 1349. The process of the excavation is contained in a statement made under oath, (now kept in Rome) by a Portuguese, "Diego Fernandez, " a virtuous old man of good conduct in the presence of the vicar Gaspar Coelho.

    Diego Fernandes said that in March 1517 he was invited by Bastiao Fernandes to see the abode of the saint together with some Armenians. He said that the place was in ruins though the monument to the apostle was still standing. He found a Moor looking after the place. He led them to the place where the footprint of the apostle on stone lay. He also showed them the knee-print of the apostle at the place where he fell down when he was slain. (This fact is mentioned in a passage in the Revelations of Catherine Enmerick - a German nun in the 1800's who said - "I have seen that he (Thomas) set up a stone upon which he knelt in prayer and upon which the mark of his knee remained impressed").

    In his account Diego mentions that Fr. Antonio Gil was put in charge if the repairs. They worked on the outside of the Copula of the chapel. On digging the foundation near the left side of the chapel to build a sacristy they same cross the bones of the first king converted by St. Thomas. This they knew from the inscription on the tomb. The local church authorities gave them permission to dig up the grave of the Apostle which they began on a Saturday of July.

    They dug ten spans deep and found the grave plastered walls, with bricks embedded in mortar and lime. They dug further and found a layer of bricks and mortar two spans deep. They dug further three spans of earth and found another two spans of mortar which was rather difficult to break. Digging continued the next day, after a further four spans of earth they found sand and quicklime. It was now sixteen spans deep. Clearing this they came upon "some bones of the skull, some of the spine and at the foot of the tomb "an earthen vessel" containing earth. (it could contain six gallons of water). They also found an iron spearhead of an olive leaf stuck on a wooden shaft, "at the place corresponding to the thigh." The priest put the bones in a box and locked it.

    Two years later a Father Penteado who had come from Portugal felt it was not safe there and had it re-buried in another place unknown to all except one, Rodriguo a Luis. Later on in years when forced under oath to reveal the place he said it was under the altar of the saint. The account of Marignolli mentions that the "priest gathered up the earth with which his (Thomas's) blood was mingled and buried it with him. One may ask why then the layers and the layers of earth and bricks and mortar. Well the answer is simple in itself. St. Thomas was venerated by both Christians and non-Christians alike. The people had earlier lost some of the relics which were taken to Edessa. Fearing that they would lose the remaining bones they secured it well. Secondly when the shrine was rebuilt over the centuries the foundation was raised a number of times. This could account for the depth as seen by the surrounding drop in the earth outside the Church.

THE BLEEDING CROSS....... OF ST. THOMAS



Tradition has it that St. Thomas carved it. It was discovered by the Portuguese during excavation for a new church on the hill. The Bishop at that time of the excavation Bishop Frey Andre de Santa Maria of Cochin who was responsible for the shrine has this to say:

" This stone is as big as a mill-stone was lying with the cross carved on it turned down, and the reverse upwards. The whole reverse of the stone was rough and unpolished; it looked just a rough stone lying about. they did not take much notice of it since it was not in the way. By some turn of events someone working on the foundation turned it upwards and found the beautiful cross carved on it with an inscription. On one side of the cross was a streak of blood, it looked so fresh, as if it had been shed at that very moment; which although it went on disappearing both by action of time and by the sweat and water which the stone exudes when the miracle takes place, which although people scrape -- even now gives traces of what had once been there, notwithstanding that already fifty years had elapsed since the stone was discovered and placed there by way of the altar."

EDITED BY: FR. EUGENE BENEDICT
SOURCE:"IN THE STEPS OF ST. THOMAS BY RT. REV O'SOUZA, M.A., M.Ed, Ph.D,
(DIOCESAN PRESS. MADRAS. 1983)


Personal comments:

    The Apostle Thomas known as the "doubter" must be understood together with the post - Easter experience of His ie. "Unless I see the wound and put my hand in his side, I refuse to believe". John 20:24-25. With this, then St. Thomas is truly a contemplative. He was (as recorded for us) praying before the cross when he was killed. It is no ordinary cross. Rather a cross deep with the rich signs and symbols of the faith.
    
a. If you were to enlarge the cross, one could see that there are two pillars on both sides.
b. Resting on top of the left pillar, Jesus the Word, at the Incarnation in the arms of Mary his Mother.
c. Resting on the top of the right pillars - Jesus after his death when brought down from the cross was     
    placed in the hands of his weeping Mother.
d. The two pillars of the Church - Faith and Tradition is very much founded in the life of Christ from the  
    beginning to the end.
e. This life is a continuation of the old Testament Covenant (the rainbow above).
f.  From the Incarnation to his death and beyond, he is anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit (top centre).
g. He is anointed King of kings (the cross and the the throne is the symbol of the roman empire. The King  
    of all kingdoms).
h. The three steps (symbol of the golgota hill on which this was achieved)
i.  The triple curve at the cross - The symbol of the Indian Jasmine flower. The fragrance and sweetness  
    of  the price that Jesus' suffering has brought for us.

The apostle's gift then to us is the beauty of the faith and the wonder of belonging to the church. That we too must train ourselves to see and touch (and experience, taste, smell, hear and much more feel the Lord in the church and the church in the Lord).

Patron of Architects, builders, construction workers, stone masons, masons, geometricians, theologians, blind people, people in doubt of faith.

Seek his intercession and guidance … before Jesus!

1.      When choosing a site for your factory.

2.      When searching for a place to locate a manufacturing plant.

3.      Before submitting your architectural plans to authorities.

4.      When waiting for the approval of plans from the authorities.

5.      When the date, for the groundbreaking of a site is set.

6.      If a construction project is still in progress.

7.      If you have acquired new machinery for your plant.

8.      If you are drawing plans for a new house.

9.      If you are doing some renovations to your house or factory.

10.  When waiting for the CF of your new building or house.

11.  If you have employed construction workers for a project.

12.  If you are an agent for foreign workers in construction.

13.  If you have masons or stone masons at a work site.

14.  If you are having doubts about your faith.

15.  If you know someone who is struggling with faith.

16.  If you are an architect by profession or draftsman.

17.  If you are a surveyor.

18.  If you are student of architecture or its related field.

19.  If you are a contractor in the building industry.

20.  If you are a developer.

21.  If you are involved in the world of building / construction.

 

Write and tell us about it. Give us details. Here in the Parish of St. Thomas , Kuantan we will pray for your intention and take up your petition with the novena to St. Thomas.

Send the information to:

 

PARISH PRIEST,

CHURCH OF ST. THOMAS,

JALAN GAMBUT,

25000 KUANTAN,

PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR.

 

(anonymity of your intentions and petitions is assured)


Please be reminded that apart from the photo where the sources are identified, all other photos are the property of the parish. If you do use them, kindly acknowledge the parish of St. Thomas Kuantan.



OTHER NAMES
: - "DOUBTING THOMAS",
                     - DIDYMUS, THE TWIN,
                     - APOSTLE OF INDIA

FEAST DAY: 3RD JULY

BORN: PANSADA IN GALILEE

OCCUPATION: FISHERMAN

MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES: HE WENT PREACHING IN MANY COUNTRIES AND FOUNDED CHRISTIAN  
                                   CHURCHES IN PALESTINE, MESOPOTAMIA, ETHIOPIA AND INDIA

DIED
: A MARTYR'S DEATH - PIERCED WITH 5 SPEARS

PATRON OF: INDIA, PAKISTAN AND SRI LANKA

PATRON OF
: ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, STONECUTTERS, MASONS, 
                  ST. THOMAS..... APOSTLE OF INDIA GEOMETRICIANS, BLIND PEOPLE 
                  THEOLOGIANS, PEOPLE IN DOUBT OF FAITH.