GNANA PRAKASAR, Swaminadar (Swaminathapillai). - Missionary b. in Manipay, apostolic vicariate of Jaffna, on 30 Aug. 1875, to Hindu parents, and d. there on 22 Jan. 1947. Having lost his father, he was baptized together with his mother. He first worked as a railwayman, then in 1895 entered the Seminary of Jaffna, in 1897 became an oblate of Mary Immaculate, and in 1901 was ordained a priest. In 1904 he began in Nallur his mission among the pagans. Until his death he succeeded in founding 37 stations and in converting more than 3000 Hindus.
Above all, however, Fr. G. distinguished himself as a writer. Already as a seminarian he had published short treatises and broadsheets; as a young priest he founded the Catholic bookshop at Kayta. Besides many religious writings, he published: A History of the Catholic Church in Ceylon, I, Period of beginnings 1502-1602 (Colombo 1926), and the history of the diocese of Jaffna under the episcopate of Msgr. Henry Joulain O.M.I., XXV Years Catholic Progress (Jaffna 1925). He also distinguished himself as a linguist through the publications: Studies in Tamil etymologies and his Tamil Lexicon in 20 volumes, of which he himself was able to publish only 6.
Bibliography3 worksStreit, Bibl., VIII, pp. 739-65; Missions O.M.I., 75 (1948), pp. 504-18; The New Review, 26 (1947), pp. 31-36.
BIBL.: Streit, Bibl., VIII, pp. 739-65; Missions O.M.I., 75 (1948), pp. 504-18; The New Review, 26 (1947), pp. 31-36.
Rommerskirchen, Giovanni. “Gnana Prakasar, swaminadar (swaminathapillai).” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, col. 875. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951. https://azioneromana.com/article/gnana-prakasar-swaminadar-swaminathapillai.
MLA
Rommerskirchen, Giovanni. “Gnana Prakasar, swaminadar (swaminathapillai).” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951, col. 875. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/gnana-prakasar-swaminadar-swaminathapillai.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec6_gnana_prakasar_swaminadar_swam,
author = {Rommerskirchen, Giovanni},
title = {Gnana Prakasar, swaminadar (swaminathapillai)},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VI},
pages = {875},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1951},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/gnana-prakasar-swaminadar-swaminathapillai}
}
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