COCHIN
70
COCHIN
at Cologne a r^siimg of Christian doctrine that was
very well received. It was a revelation to his supe-
riors, who strongly encouraged the author to continue
in this course.
Thenceforth Father Martin made a specialty of popular preaching and religious writing and, in the Archdioceses of Trier and Ingelheim, which he trav- ersed thoroughly, multitudes pressed about him, and numerous conversions followed. The zealous priest continued these active ministrations up to the time of his death, and even when he had passed his eightieth year he still went daily to the chapel of his convent, where, with the aid of an ear-trumpet, he heard the confessions of the sinners who flocked to him. The intervals between missions he devoted to his nimier- ous writings, the most voluminous of which is an ec- clesiastical history in 2 vols, fol., composed for apolo- getic purposes and provoked by the attacks made upon the Church by Protestantism. However, the author brought it down only to the year 1100. Father Martin's other works embrace a great variety of sub- jects: the life of Christ, legends of the saints, edifying narratives, the setting forth of certain points in Chris- tian asceticism, forms of prayer, methods to be fol- lowed for the worthy reception of the sacraments, etc. These widely different themes have as points of simi- larity a pleasing, graceful style, great erudition, and a truly seraphic eloquence. They bespeak for their author sincere piety and deep religious sentiment, coupled with an intimate knowledge of the popular heart and the special needs of the time. But the best known of all the learned Capuchin's works is unques- tionably "Die heilige Messe", upon which, according to his own statement, he spent three entire years, perusing Holy Writ, the councils, Fathers and Doc- tors of the Church, and the lives of the saints, in order to condense into a small volume a properly abridged accoimt of the Holy Sacrifice. As soon as it appeared this book proved a delight to the Catholics of Ger- many, nor has it yet lost any of its popularity, and, since its translation into several languages, it may be said to have acquired universal renown.
It demanded a great expenditure of energy on the part of the worthy religious to bring these iniderta- kings to a successful issue. Even when in his convent he spent most of the day in directing souls and follow- ing the observances prescribed by the Capuchin Rule, hence it was time set aside for sleep that he was wont to give to his literary labours. Sometimes after the Oflfice of Matins he would obtain permission of the sujjerior to go to Frankfort to confer with his publisher and, this accomplished, he would retiu'n on foot to his convent at Konigstein, catechizing little children, hearing confessions, and visiting the sick along the way. While still in the midst of his labours he was attacked by an illness to which he soon succumbed, at the age of eighty-two. The works published dur- ing Father Martin's lifetime are: "Die Kirchenhis- torie nach der Methode des Baronius und Raynaldus bis 1100" (Dillingen, 1693): "Die christliche Lehre"; "Heilige Geschichten und Exempel"; " Wohlriechen- der Myrrhengarten" (Cologne, 1693); "Btichlein iiber den Ablass" (Dillingen, 1693); "Exorcismen und fiir Kranke" (Frankfort, 1695); "Goldener Himmels- schliissel" (Frankfort, 1695); "Gebetbuch fiir Solda- tcn" (Aug.sburg, 1698); "Anmuthungen wiihrend der hcilisicn Messe" (Augsburg, 1697) ; " Die Legenden der Ilc'iligen" (Augsburg, 1705); "Leben Christ!" (Frank- fort, 1GS9; Augsburg, 1708); "Gebete unter der heili- gen Me.sse" (Augsburg, 1698); "Kern der heiligen Messe" (Cologne, 1699); "Liliengarten" (Cologne, 1699); "Gobet1)Uch fiir hrilisje Zciten" (Augsburg, 1704); " Die heilige M(,'ss,. fur die Wcltlcute" (Cologne, 1704); "Traktat ul)cr die g(Ut lichen Vortrefflich- kciten" (Miiinz, 1707); "Geistlidier Baunigarten" (Mainz and Heidelberg, 1709) ; " Neue niystische C.old- giiibeu" (Cologne, 1709); " I'Lxemepolbuch " (Augs-
burg, 1712). This list does not include all the author's
writings. In 1896 there appeared a small work never
before published, "Das Gebet des Herzens", which
at the end of its third year went into a seventh edition.
Ilg, Gciftt den heiligen Franrisciif< Sirnphicus (.\ugsburg,
1883); Eludes franciscaines (Paris), III, 44S: Analrcta Ord.
Min. Cap., XXIII, 279; Sister Maria Bernardine, Marlin
van Cochem, sein Lebcn, sein Wirkcn, seine Zeil (.Mainz, 1886).
F. Candide.
Cochin, Diocese of (Cochinensis), on the Mala- bar coast, India. The diocese was erected and con- stituted a suffragan of the Diocese of Goa, of which it had previously formed a part, by the Bull "Pro excel- lenti prseeminentia" of Paul IV, 4 Feb., 1558 (cf. Bul- larium Patronatus Portugallia> Regum, I, 193). It was later reorganized according to the Concoidat of 23 June, 1886, between Leo XIII and King Luiz I of Portugal, and the Constitution "Humanae Salutis Auctor" of the same pope, 1 Sept., 1886. It is suf- fragan to the patriarchal See of Goa (cf. .lulio Biker, CoUecgao de Tractados, XIV, 112-437). The diocese consists of two strips of territory along the sea-coast, the first about fifty miles long, by eight in its broadest part, the second thirty miles in length. There are two important towns. Cochin and Alleppi (Alapalli), in which t'ne higher educational and charitable insti- tutions of the diocese are situated.
I. History. — The chief religions professed in Mala- bar at the arrival of the Portuguese were: Hinduism, Christianity (the Christians of St. Thomas or Nesto- rians), Islam, and Judaism, the last represented by a large colony of Jews. From these the Catholic community was recruited, mostly from the Nesto- rians anil the Hindus. Islam also contributed a fair share, especially when Portugal was supreme on this coast; among the Jews conversions were rare. To Portugal belongs the glory of having begun regular Catholic missionary work in India, and Cochin has the honour of being the cradle of Catholicism in India. The first missionaries to India were eight Franciscan friars, who set sail from Lisbon on the fleet of Pedro Alvarez Cabral (q. v.), 9 March, 1500: Father Hen- rique de Coimbra, Superior; Fathers Gaspar, Fran- cisco da Cruz, Simao de Guimaraens, Luiz do Salva- dor, Masseu, Pedro Netto, and Brother Joao da Vitoria. Three of them were slain at Calicut in the massacre of 16 Nov., 1500. The survivors arrived at Cochin on or about the 26th of that month, and settled there (except the superior, who went back with the fleet to obtain more help for the mission), thus laying the foundation of the Diocese of Cochin (Histor. Seraf. Chron. da Ordem de S. Francisco na Provincia de Portugal, III, 489, 494, 495). They were followed by large contingents of zealous mis- sionaries, who worked from the city of Cochin as a centre. The harvest of souls was rich, the Christians multiplied along the coast and in the interior, and in course of time a bishop was assigned to them.
The Nestorian Christians in the vicinity of Cochin naturally attracted the attention of the missionaries, and Fathers Simao de Guimaraens and Luiz do Sal- vador were soon occupied in refuting their errors and reforming their discipline and customs (Hist. Seraf., Ill, 497). These two missionaries were the pioneers of the Faith among the Nestorian Christians. Mem- bers of the same order continued this missionary work till the middle of the sixteenth century, when these missions were handed over to the Jesuits, who continued the good work with such earnestness and zeal that most of the Nestorian Christians were con- verted before 1600. The chief public record of their conversion is to be found in the proceedings of the Synod of Diainper (or Udiamperur), held in June, 1.599, by Aleixo de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, Metropolitan and Primate of the East (" Bull. Patron. Port, reg.", a collection of papal and royal documents pertaining to the Portuguese missions in India, App.
