11:30am Lunch provided for in-person guests*
12:00pm Lecture (and livestream) begins

*Advance registration required at TamilCatholic.eventbrite.com

Catholicism as practiced today by south India’s Tamil people has its roots in the Jesuit missions of the 16^th-18^th centuries. Early Jesuits adopted the customs of “upper-caste” Brahmins, but Balthasar da Costa broke with this tradition in 1640, adopting the diet, dress, and ascetic lifestyle of “lower-caste” Hindu Yogis or Pandarasamis. These Jesuits trained native catechist Pandarams, drawn from the margins of Indian society, who collaborated with them to build an enduring Catholic community in south India. Join Patrick Gnana, PhD, to explore the fascinating ups and downs of their story.

:: About the Speaker ::

Fr. Patrick Gnana is a former professor and chair of Christian studies at the University of Madras in Chennai, India, and his publications include Public Theology: Indian Concerns, Perspectives, and Issues (Fortress, 2020). He is a visiting research scholar at CWCIT this fall.