Blessed Alfonso Pacheco
Blessed Alfonso Pacheco (born 1551 AD in Minaya, Albacete, Spain; died July 25, 1583 AD in Cuncolim, Goa, India) was a Spanish Jesuit priest who served as a missionary in India and was martyred in Cuncolim, Goa, during the Cuncolim Revolt of 1583. He is one of the Blessed Martyrs of Cuncolim beatified by Pope Paul VI on October 4, 1893 (confirmed with feast). His feast day is July 25.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Alfonso Pacheco
| Blessed Alfonso Pacheco | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 25 |
| Profession | Jesuit priest; missionary to India (Goa and Salcete); martyr of the Cuncolim Revolt |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Society of Jesus (Jesuits); Goa and Salcete mission; Portuguese Estado da India; 16th-century Asian Jesuit missions |
| Patronage | Goa; India; Jesuit missionaries; those who die in mission territories; Minaya (Spain); Albacete |
| Attributes | Jesuit black cassock; palm frond of martyrdom; Indian landscape of Goa; a cross (being planted at Cuncolim); missionary chalice |
| Birthplace | Minaya, Albacete, Spain |
| Death Place | Cuncolim, Goa, India |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; killed July 25, 1583, in Cuncolim, Goa, India; he was a Jesuit missionary who accompanied a group of Jesuit priests and brothers to the village of Cuncolim in Salcete (Goa) to plant a cross and lay the foundation for a chapel; the local Hindu population, angered by the destruction of a Hindu temple by Portuguese authorities, rose up and killed the missionaries; Alfonso Pacheco and four companions (Rudolph Acquaviva, Peter Berno, Francis Aranha, and Anthony Francisco) were killed; this group is known as the Martyrs of Salcete or the Cuncolim Martyrs; beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1893 |
| Primary Shrine | Cuncolim, Goa, India — site of martyrdom; shrine to the five Cuncolim Martyrs; July 25 feast |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; July 25 feast in Goa and Jesuit Order |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Alfonso Pacheco was born in 1551 in Minaya, Albacete, Spain. He entered the Society of Jesus and was sent as a missionary to Goa, Portuguese India, where the Jesuit mission had been established by Saint Francis Xavier (1542).
He worked in the Salcete region of Goa, evangelizing the coastal villages. On July 25, 1583, he accompanied a group of Jesuit missionaries — led by Father Rudolph Acquaviva — to the village of Cuncolim to plant a cross and begin construction of a chapel. The local Hindu population, angered by the recent Portuguese destruction of Hindu temples, rose up and killed the missionaries. Alfonso Pacheco and four companions (Acquaviva, Peter Berno, Francis Aranha, and Anthony Francisco) were killed.
He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on April 16, 1893, alongside the other four Cuncolim Martyrs.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Minaya, Albacete, Spain
Death location: Cuncolim, Goa, India
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Known shrines
- Cuncolim, Salcete, Goa, India — martyrdom site; July 25 feast.
Feast day
July 25
Veneration
Blessed Alfonso Pacheco was a Spanish Jesuit missionary killed at Cuncolim, Goa, on July 25, 1583, as one of the five Cuncolim Martyrs alongside Blessed Rudolph Acquaviva and companions. Beatified by Pope Leo XIII, 1893. Feast July 25.
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