Agnelo de Souza
Agnelo Gustavo Adolfo de Souza (21 January 1869 – 20 November 1927) was a Portuguese Catholic priest of the Society of Pilar who worked as a missionary in Goa, then part of Portuguese India. He was born in Anjuna, Goa, to Miguel Arcanjo de Souza and Maria Sinforosa Perpetua Magalhães, the sixth of nine children. From a young age he impressed people with his piety, teaching catechism to others. After his parents died when he was eleven, he felt called to the priesthood and began studies in philosophy and theology at the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol. He faced ongoing poor health but remained dedicated to his studies.
De Souza joined the Diocesan Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier of Pilar on 17 July 1897 and was ordained a priest on 24 September 1898 by Archbishop António Sebastião Valente. He became a full member of the Society on 8 September 1908. His priestly work took him to Siroda, Sanvordem in Goa, and Kumta near Karwar, where he served as priest, preacher, confessor and administrator. On 20 May 1918 he was appointed Spiritual Director of the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol.
He died on 20 November 1927, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, after collapsing at the pulpit while delivering a sermon. He was buried in Rachol, and his remains were moved to Pilar on 10 January 1939. The cause for his beatification began in 1947. After several stages of examination, the Holy See declared him venerable on 10 November 1986. He is not yet beatified, and thus does not have a feast day. A first-class miracle is required for his beatification.
In his honor, hymns such as Padr Agnel, amchea ixtta (Father Agnel, our friend) were written, and roads in Panaji (Father Agnel Road) and Gogol, Margao are named after him.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:47 (CET).