105:, France. He was baptized Etinne (Stephen) and his family Leclerc a native of Nevers. He became a Friar Minor Capuchin in the Capuchin province of Touraine and took the name of St. Ephrem. He was a well learned man and particularly in Science and Mathematics. He was first sent as missionary to the Middle East in 1636 and he served in various missions in Lebanon, Syria and Persia. His Superiors always entrusted him with the affairs to look for new foundations for the Capuchin province of Tours, thus he traveled to
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colony, Father Ephrem lade a strong foundation for a
Catholic faith in spite of the oppositions from the Anglican clergy. He founded a new church dedicated to Our Lady of Angels for the local converts at Armenian street in 1658, (this Capuchin church of St. Mary's served as the cathedral of Madras archdiocese from 1886-1952,today,
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in 1952). Thus, he was credited to be the first
Christian missionary of Madras, he built the first church of Madras dedicated to St. Andrew the apostle in Fort St. George and in the same year 1642, Pope Urban VIII raised this Capuchin mission into Prefecture apostolic and Father Ephrem de Nevers was
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of Madras-Mylapore archdiocese and a famous shrine of St. Anthony of Padua). He was always acclaimed a holy and saintly priest and lover of all who possessed the real missionary spirit. Having served 53 years as missionary in Madras, Ephrem de Nevers increased his flock from 40 to 8000 and he died
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and imprisoned him for about two years in Goa. By the grace of
Bijapur Sultan, Ephrem was released from the Portuguese Inquisition in 1652. Ephrem de Nevers returned to his mission of Madras and served with a great missionary spirit and brought many souls to the Christian faith. In an Anglican
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Ephrem de Nevers came to Madras (Chennai) in 1642 to get a boat take him to Pegu. The
English who founded the city of Madras in 1639, requested him earnestly to stay there for the spiritual benefits of the Portuguese Catholics. Since, Padroado diocese of Mylpaore was very close to this English
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settlement, Ephrem de Nevers refused to their appeal but seeing the spiritual desolation of the people accepted to found the first
Christian mission in Madras, (This Capuchin mission of Madras was elevated to archdiocese of Madras in 1886 and later amalgamated into Mylapore diocese as
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appointed the first
Prefect Apostolic of Madras. He was a man of great intellect and a linguist who was able to converse in French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian and Tamil. He founded the first English school in India in his priestly residence.
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on 13 October 1695 and he was buried in the church of St. Andrew in Fort St. George. when the
English demolished this first church of Madras in 1752, the tomb of the first Christian missionary disappeared from the soil of Madras.
85:. De Nevers founded the first Christian mission in Madras on June 8, 1642, and was appointed the first Prefect Apostolic of Madras Capuchin Mission. Initially, it was known under the name the Apostolic Prefecture of
141:. Father Ephrem de Nevers came to India in 1640 to report about the first Indian Capuchin mission in Surat and to take up new mission in Pegu, Burma. Because, in 1639, the French Capuchin Father
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Frank Penny, The Church in Madras Being the
History of the Ecclesiastical and Missionary Action of the East India Company in the Presidency of Madras: With. Ill, Volume 2, Murray, 1917, p. 213.
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Thainis A, The First
Christian Missionary of Madras (Fr. Ephrem de Nevers, OFM Cap. d. 1695). New Leader Publications (NLP), Catholic Centre, Armenian Street, Chennai, 2021, p. 163.
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Norbert de Bar-le-Duc, Memoires utiles et necessaires, tristes et consolans, sur les missions des Indes
Orientales, de l'Imprimerie d' Antoine Rossi, Paris, 1742, p. 93-94
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Mgr. P. Thomas, 'The Catholic Mission in Madras', The Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume, Asian Educational Services, Madras,Jan 1,1994, p. 375-383.
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Leon Mirot, D'un Capucin Auxerro-Nivernais aux Indes Le Père Ephrem de Nevers, Imprimerie National, Paris, 1951, p. 46-52.
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Arulappa R, An Outline of The History of the Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore, San Thome, Madras, 1986, p. 184.
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G.Clouzier (ed.), Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier,...: qu'il a fait en... Paris, 1676, p. 138-140
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Love H.D, Vestiges of Old Madras, vol., ii, Published for the Government of India, London, 1913, p. 44-45.
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founded the first mission for the Propaganda Fide in India with a lot of opposition from the
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8:
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89:. He served for 53 years as a missionary and died in Madras on October 13, 1695.
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Felix Antrwap, Essays on the Capuchin Mission in India, Lahore 1913, p. 46-47
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The Padroado Portuguese system which resented to the missionary works of
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257:(trad.), vol. III, Low Price publications, Delhi, 1996, p. 408-409.
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priest and the first Christian missionary in Madras (Chennai),
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66:(between 1607 and 1610 - 13 October 1695) was a native of
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Glyn Barlow, The Story of madras, London, 1921, p. 87-88.
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The Foundation of The First Christian Mission in Madras
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Father Ephrem de Nevers was born between 1607-1610 in
160:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore
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175:in India, arrested Ephrem in 1649, under the
251:Storia Do Mogor or Mogul India 1653-1708
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319:Roman Catholic missionaries in India
93:Birth and mission in the Middle East
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324:French Roman Catholic missionaries
26:The First Christian Missionary of
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329:Capuchin missionaries in India
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52:(aged between 84–85 and 87–88)
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182:St.Mary's Co-Cathedral
177:Portuguese Inquisition
167:The Saint of Madras
70:, France. He was a
101:in the Region of
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54:Fort St. George,
37:between 1607-1610
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64:Ephrem de Nevers
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87:Fort St. George
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50:13 October 1695
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334:1695 deaths
313:Categories
123:Diyarbakir
79:Tamil Nadu
75:Franciscan
39:Auxerre ,
149:clergy.
147:Padroado
115:Damascus
103:Burgundy
72:Capuchin
135:Isfahan
131:Baghdad
99:Auxerre
56:Chennai
119:Aleppo
111:Beirut
68:Nevers
41:France
28:Madras
189:Notes
139:Basra
127:Mosul
107:Sidon
83:India
137:and
47:Died
34:Born
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