G. Maria Mercy, K. Samuel Thangaraj Kores
· 2025
Abstract
This study examines the historical context and significance of the conversion of the Paravas, a fishing community in southern India, and the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in the 16th century. The Paravas, facing persecution and seeking production, converted to Christianity, and St. Francis Xavier played a crucial role in their spiritual guidance and community development. The paravas were a fishing community on India’s southeastern coast who sought the production of the Portuguese against their Muslim trading rivals, the Moors. In exchange for military aid, around 20,000 Paravas converted to Catholicism around 1535. However, the Portuguese provided little follow-up religious instruction leaving the new converts neglected. The arrival of the Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier in 1542, sent by the Portuguese king, revitalized the community’s faith and deepened theirreligious instruction.