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6 of St. Thomas, and such belief was not to be lightly regarded. When St. Francis Xavier, the friend of Ignatius Loyola, arrived in the middle of the sixteenth century he found a primitive form of Christianity in existence among the Muckwas. There is archaeological evidence that Christianity had been introduced into Mylapur and St. Thomas's Mount as early as the eighth century. The community at the Mount suffered persecution from the heathen ; but the fishermen with their poverty and gentle inoffensiveness escaped. In the eyes of their rulers they were beneath contempt, and they were left to practise any religious rites they chose to adopt. Their religion suffered from want of supervision. It was overlaid with the idolatry of the devil-worshippers of the south and it needed reformation. It was inevitable that this should happen, for they had been left to themselves too long. There is no record of their having received a visit from any missionary between the time of St. Thomas's death and the arrival of St. Xavier. It seems little short of miraculous that any instruction given by the Apostle should have remained at all. Their hearty welcome to the Portuguese saint showed that they were not altogether ignorant of the moribund condition of their Church. They listened to his teaching and submitted to a certain amount of reform. When he left them to their great regret they honoured his memory by adopting him as their special patron saint. As time passed on they almost deified him. To this day they appeal to him in moments of danger, crying 'Xavier! Xavier! Xavier!' and drown with his name on their lips. They make the same appeal in sickness and when they have any misfortune with their nets and find them empty.

On certain occasions they make sacrifices to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the beach. The ritual is semi-heathen in its character and is of a propitiatory nature.