Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, Pilar
| Societas Missionariorum Sancti Francisci Xaverii Pilar Fathers | |
 Campus of Pilar Seminary, Goa | |
| Abbreviation | S.F.X. |
|---|---|
| Formation | c. AD 1887 |
| Founder | Fr. Jose Mariano Bento Martins |
| Type | Catholic religious order |
| Headquarters | Goa, India |
| Website | pilarsociety |
The Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, Pilar (S.F.X.), commonly referred to as the Society of Pilar or the Pilar Fathers or the Agnel Ashram Fathers, is a Roman Catholic organization of priests and brothers. In the official Vatican-approved canonical language it is called a society of apostolic life.
The Society was formed on September 26, 1887 by a priest in south Goa, India called Father Jose Mariano Bento Martins, who, together with his three companions, decided to dedicate his life for the service of God's people. Their objective was very simply to be at the service of their bishop and be ready to work wherever they were sent. In 1891, the Society's Rules (Constitution) were approved by a local bishop. Father Bento Martins became the Society's first superior.
The Society did not live together, but remained working wherever they were sent by their bishop.
The Society grew slowly. From 1887 to 1934, the Society had no more than 21 members in total, and from 1896 to 1934 the Society never exceeded eight priests at one time. These priests lived in their places of work and their allegiance to the Society remained primarily on paper.
In 1957 the Father Agnel Ashram was founded at Bandra, Mumbai as a common house of the Society. Over the years it has expanded to become an important educational organisation.[1]
See also
- Agnel Ashram
- Fr. Agnel Multipurpose School and Junior College
- Fr. Agnel School, New Delhi
- Fr. Agnel School, Noida
- Fr. Agnel Stadium
- Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues Institute of Technology
- Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues College of Engineering
- Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues Memorial Debate
- Agnelo de Souza
- Aleixo das Neves Dias
References
- ^ "History of the Pilar Fathers". Pilar Society. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
External links