Fr. Joachim SJ Laid to Rest. A priest for all.

It is with heavy heart I account on the funeral and burial of Fr Joachim D’Mello SJ. St. Francis Xavier Church in Port Morant welcomed the mortal remains of Fr Joachim. It was on Sunday, 26 January; Fr Joachim was laid to rest at this parish cemetery. The funeral proceedings of Father commenced in the dismal afternoon with pouring tributes from family and friends who had come from across the world. Everyone eulogized Father for his dedication, availability and cheerfulness in the mission that is entrusted to him. Fr. Ronald Fernades, Jennifer Hickel, Thelma Roach, Gibion Moonsammy, Michella Abrams and others related to the goodness that Fr Joachim exhibited during his 18 years of long tenure in this part of the world. His niece, Ms Reyna Sequeira expressed with utmost sadness that her uncle ‘Tika’, as they would call him, walked the talk and gave his entire life in the service of God. She, along with, Fr Jaochim’s brother and cousin travelled from England to pay their last tribute. People also travelled from Barbados, Lethem and Georgetown to bid farewell to Fr Joachim.  

The funeral Mass was celebrated by Fr Chris Llonos, the superior of Jesuits in Guyana and Jamaica. Fr. Paul Martin preached a fitting homily by comparing how St. Francis Xavier, an ardent missionary who went to India and whose incorruptible body is laid in Bom Jesu Cathedral in Goa, from where Fr Joachim hails. He expressed it was time for Fr Joachim to serve Guyana as did St Francis Xavier in India. He also remembered his commitment and availability lead him to hinterlands, coast lands and other Caribbean islands. 

Thereafter, he was laid to rest in the parish cemetery next to Fr Kuruvilla who died a few years ago. Both, Fr Joachim and Fr Kuruvilla served in this parish for a long time hence it was proper that they be laid to rest in the parish. 

If I may recall his unceasing service as a jovial priest for all; Fr. Joachim has been serving in the lengths and breaths of this country. People will remember him as a ‘priest for all’ or ‘a jolly-good priest’. He served as priest in Rupununi for several years where he started honey-culture and carpentry. He encouraged the people in Lethem to do the same. This was his unforgettable contribution besides being an inspirational pastor. As a director of Guyana Human Development Centre in Port Mourant, Berbice, Fr Joachim encouraged the students to take-up vocational skills training such as cooking, cake baking, pedicure, computer skills and so on. He also persuaded the local boys to be trained in basketball and personally trained a team at the center. This center trains school drop-out students in various skills and hence, they are better equipped to take-up jobs or start small business. In these small ways, he touched many hearts. Fr Joachim has also served in St. Pius X parish Church and Jesuit head-quarters in Queenstown. Most persons will relate to him as ‘a priest for all’ because of his service to all. He also had a pleasant and soothing personality that won many friends. He preached with conviction. I have lost a good friend and I pay tribute of gratitude for all the service he rendered to the people of Guyana. Most people who share same sentiment as myself and he will missed by the Jesuits of Goa, Guyana, and close family and friends. He is gone suddenly but lest we not forget that God has a plan for each one of us. I personally would like to thank Fr Joachim for inspiring me through his service in small ways. He was indeed faithful in small things. I will end this account with one fitting quotation from Fr. Joachim, “always appreciate positives and leave negatives to God to deal with.”

Originally published on Catholic Standard on 31 January 2020.

Jerri Dias 

Georgetown

Job Opportunities

A friend of mine expressed his disappointment when she was not successful in the job interview. She was an experienced and high qualified for the position, yet the organisation gave job opportunity to a less experienced and less qualified person for the position. The person was selected merely based on influence of nepotism or as I call it 'someone knew someone.' 

A dilemma is cast in my professional life as to how an organisation should hire an employee. Every organisation has freedom to select who they want but it is imperative to keep the interest, core values and mission of the organisation while making selections. If an organisation makes selection based on friendship and nepotism, it is most likely that organisation will not perform as it should. An organisation may overlook a talented candidate since it favors candidates that have influence. This poses a serious concern in a developing society where professional or highly talented people are left back since they have no influence in the hierarchy. 

My own take on this matter is, an organisation must be non-biased while selecting candidates. This requires courage to face influential people on the higher part of the hierarchy. Most multi-million organisation have non-biased and fair selection of candidates to suit their employment needs, this makes these companies bloom and thrive. They choose the best talent by overlooking whether a candidate knows someone in the hierarchy. It is important that even small scale businesses practice this rule, the rule is, not someone knows someone rather someone knows no one. 

Mangalore Diocese: An open letter

Dear Bishop, priests and Sisters of Mangalore Diocese

I am writing this letter with utmost sadness and disappointment in the way you teach Catholics in Mangalore diocese. I have recently left priesthood because of various reasons. This has left a permanent scar in my heart. I cannot talk to my parents anymore and everyone who celebrated my triumph as priest has told me to go to hell. I am like dead person for them. I have been hearing all sorts of rumors and hurtful things in the last few years. I am not going to illustrate anything but you know exactly what happens when someone leaves priesthood or religious life.

I have become untouchable and cast away from society. This is the price I have to pay for being a Catholic, in fact belonging to a religion that I had clue about. While I was baby I was baptized without one clue what I am getting into. I am not going to discuss theological issues and my difficulties in believing in any crap from theology. I believe in God and I am a spiritual person and I live a good life. I lived a good life as a priest and I will continue to live that life. I want to bring it to your attention only human dimension and not theological discourse. As human, how can any living person can remain without loved by someone? I am not interested in the crap that Jesus will help us when we are in need of emotional and sexual help. I am also disheartened for many things in the Church. But I will not enumerate anyone of them. Each one of you knows what I am talking.

My family has abandoned me because I am no more priest now. They celebrated my priesthood saying I will bless their family weddings, and funeral etc. I don’t want to give up my entire life to bless wedding and funerals. If you teach family is the domestic church, why would any family abandon their own son? Why don’t you teach that leaving priesthood is not a curse or end of the world or not shame to family? Leaving priesthood must be taught as any other divorce or nullity crap. I heard all good things about me as priest but now I hear only bad things. It is high time that narrow-minded Mangalore Catholics be taught right thing about Jesus and His Church and stop with crap teaching about priesthood and religious life. How can it be a curse on me when I leave priesthood? Will my God disown me and destroy me because I left priesthood to marry the person I love? God created love between man and woman. He did not create curse at all.

I want you to open you horizon and come out of your little bedroom and little chapels and see the real world. I want you to open up your minds and hearts. Priesthood must be considered like any other profession/job and not sacred crap. I think priesthood must be like any other thing. In fact priesthood has easy and joyful life except for sex, even that some of you might get it. I just want you to teach love and not hatred about God. God does not hate anyone, whether ex-priest or divorcee. He loves everyone equally. It is the middlemen who teach about God from their perspective teach hatred. I want you to stop this. I want you to circulate this letter and I will follow up with this letter with my expositions on theological difficulties to believe in Church crap. But mind you, I am very spiritual and fully loved by God. You may say, I am crazy or lost marbles or want to settle score but please do know that I am fully settled person in life and I have a wonderful family of my own.

Yours sincerely

Ex-priest (labeled as)

Listen to the Survivors

The last two months have been crucial time for the church and women. After the much awaited sex scandal by the clergy report was made public and the sex allegations against USA supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh, it has become very clear that victims or survivors must be heard against any sort of gimmicks of the powerful.
Invariably, the church leaders met with each other to propose what is the best way forward after these revelations. It seemed like the church leaders yet again failed to keep the survivors as the priority rather they made the institutional priority not to endanger the reputation of the church. Reputation of the church is in crisis at the moment marred by sexual abuse by it's clergy.
In the case of Bret Kavanaugh, it is clear that the leaders are quick to assume power to confirm this judge to the supreme Court, rather than listening and investigating the allegations of sexual abuse towards multiple women. It is the way the powerful would like to protect and promote the predators to high positions. 
Every survivor must be infuriated at this atrocious move by the powerful few. It is a way to control and suppress the voice of the survivor. Me too movement has taken a deep root among the victims of sexual abuse. It has helped to bring down male chaunist ego. The church and state leaders now have the task to listen carefully to the people on the pew and on the streets as to what they have to say about the sexual abuse. The change is coming but slowly. The change is hard and painful for both, powerful and survivors. It is important not to give up in this struggle for change.

Positive Theology

In my early formation of belief in God was that of a policeman. Sin was always on the forefront of any faith formation. Topic of sin was made relavant with ample examples both from the Bible and from our day today life. There was a moral yardstick to control and prevent one from sinning. Idea of punishing God became our daily bread. For instance, if we don't eat as children, God would punish us or if we didn't do our homework, God would punish us. God was more like a negative figurehead that helped parents and teachers to ease their burden of teaching and guiding children.
The punishing God impacted my adult life as well creating certain fear. Sin and God became parallel. Infinite and loving God was limited to a policeman God. We must move away from this kind of God. We must move from punishing God to prosperous God. That is, God of punishment to God of prosperity. Imagine how does a mother care for her child in times of struggles and joy. A mother will be living and caring to her children. The action and behavior of children surpasses mother's love for them. Our God is like a mother who's love and care surpasses our weakness and struggle. In other words, sin must surpass God's goodness and mercy. That doesn't allow us to hurt each other because God is love and God expects us to love each other. If God loves us he expects us to love others. So there is no room for sin in a positive theology. Positive theology must do away with sin and propose only prosperity. There is no place for negativity in the God of positivity.

Indigenous Artifacts Destroyed

It was a sad day for those who love to research and admire artefacts, documents and artworks to witness it reduced to ashes on September 2 at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. The destruction of indigenous artefacts and research documents, including relics of tribes that are considered extinct, represented a far more personal blow for the descendants of Brazil’s oldest inhabitants, who have spent decades fighting to preserve their heritage and ancestral lands. The museum contained a collection of thousands of indigenous artefacts pertaining to hundreds of ethnic groups. This collection gave insight into understanding indigenous roots. It has given the indigenous people identify in the national and international arena.

Having lived in Brazil and in Aishalton, my heart goes out to the indigenous people who painstakingly try to uphold their ancient culture and history. I appreciate the hard work and commitment that some people display to safeguard the identity of indigenous people through artefacts and documents of yesteryear. The collection of these artefacts and documents can empower their fight for identity and lands. When this is all gutted in the fire, what is left of them now? There is only ash left of it at the smouldering museum ground. As I sympathize with everyone who has felt the loss of the museum in Brazil, I wish to appeal to everyone to be extra careful in safeguarding the ancient artefacts and documents especially that of our indigenous people. These ancestral properties could give great and significant insight into the culture, history, language and importantly identity of those people in our contemporary world. 

Fr Jerome D'Souza the Statesman

My bewitchment in the early politics and founding of constitution of India lead me to write this tribute to Fr Jerome D’Souza. There are multiple kinds of literature on this great personality, but I am embarking on this write up lest we forget the contribution made by Fr. D’Souza during the birth of Independent and Republic India. I will not be able to discuss everything that Fr. D’Souza did for the welfare of India, but I would like to draw your attention towards his contribution as a parliamentarian of the independent India that includes his main input into the Constitution of India.

Fr. Jerome D’Souza is a Jesuit priest who was missioned with many important tasks as an educationist.  He was a professor of English Literature along with heavy responsibilities as the principal and rector successively in two colleges for fifteen years between 1935 to 1950. His involvement in Madras University affairs brought him to the public domain with an excellent talent as a public speaker and orator. This brings him to the attention of the political leaders such as C. Rajagopalachari, who sponsored Fr. Jerome’s election to the Indian Constituent Assembly. He won the regard and respect of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru because of Fr. Jerome’s talent as a speaker, as a master of many languages, as an educationist of repute and person of balanced judgement uncommitted to partisan politics by the very nature of his profession as a religious priest. He was selected four times as a member of the Indian Delegation to the United Nations and once to UNESCO. Nehru sought Fr. Jerome’s advise on delicate and behind-the-scenes negotiations with the French Government on the transfer of Pondicherry and other French territories in India. His expertise helped the Holy See and Indian Government in the diplomatic intervention about to Portugal’s exercise of the Padroado or Patronage in ecclesiastical appointment in India.

Fr. Jerome’s love for education and later his involvement in the constitution of India as a representative of minority group comes from his native birthplace of suburbs of Mangalore. His birth and childhood happen between Kinnigoli and Mulki which lies on the highway from Mangalore to Udupi. He was born on the 6^th August 1897. His childhood was spent at his maternal place called Sagar Bhavan in Mulki. He had four brothers and one sister. A great deal of walking had to be done either for school or church. His mother made sure that her children are educated. One incident that Fr Jerome later recalls that he came home without going to school and explained to his mother that it is a holiday for Hindu festival. When mother enquired this was not true, Fr Jerome was tied to a bar in the kitchen. But he escaped by asking his three-year-old sisters to cut the rope using a knife. He triumphantly appeared before his mother in freedom and compared himself to Christ bound and scourged. He was complemented later in life for the love of many languages. He did this by self-learning and could speak six languages with ease; Konkani, his mother tongue, Marathi, Tulu, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Tamil and English. His early schooling took place in St Aloysius College. Although he had an opportunity to study in London, he decided to stay in St. Joseph’s Trichy since he has come to like Tamil culture. After his studies, he comes back to teach at Joseph’s as a lecturer in English in 1920-1921. This was the turning point in the life of Fr Jerome when he decides to join the priesthood in the order of Jesuits in 1921.

Member of the Constituent Assembly: pro-minority

Fr Jerome is well remembered as the member of Constituent Assembly apart from all other titles and positions that he held. It is with pride I can say he is the beloved son of an infant India for Fr Jerome’s contribution to the making of India’s Constitution and of the significant and vital role he played in the drafting of those sections of the Constitutions which affected the Minorities. While he was serving as the principal of Loyola College, Madras, he was elected as one of the 39 members from Madras by the Legislative Assembly without any canvassing for votes. The then Chief Minister of Madras State Mr C. Rajagopalachariar asked Fr Jerome to serve on the Constituent Assembly as one of the Christian representatives. He entered the Assembly on the 9^th December 1946. Fr Jerome made friends with many leading men and women of the country and was became a witness to all that he was and had received as an educationist, a priest and a religious. It was a great opportunity such as is given to very few in history.

Fr Jerome worked at the Constitution from 1946 to 1949. He his main concern was with the safeguarding of fundamental rights and minority rights: the right to profess, practice and propagate religion, to all citizens freedom of education, freedom of association etc. Fr Jerome sums up his work as follows,

 “When fundamental rights were made justiciable, that is when any violation of them by individuals or governments could be challenged in a court of Law, the Christians felt that the safeguard of preserving minority rights by reserving special seats for them in the Legislatures on the basis of their population, was no longer necessary and that in the interests of national integration it was best to merge with and become part of the general electorate.”

 Fr Jerome, apart from these fundamental and minority rights, took part in almost all other discussions which led up to the drawing up of the Constitution of India. The above fundamental and minority rights have been discussed in the Constitution in detail. This sums up Fr Jerome’s key contribution to the drawing up of the Constitution.

Fr Jerome at the United Nations

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru nominated Fr Jerome as the member of the Indian Delegation to the UN for the first time in September 1949. His task to serve the country did not end after the drawing up of the Constitution but his expertise was needed by the country to represent at the UN. It was a joy for Fr Jerome to represent the country among other four members and they were from Madras and from South Kanara District which was part of Madras Presidency. He went to Rome to learn first-hand information from the Vatican on certain international problems and to brief Superior of the Jesuits. Hence, he flew to New York on September 19 on a UN Mission.

It was the fourth session of the General Assembly of the UN in 1949 that Fr Jerome attended as one of the Indian Delegation. One of the key aspects that stood out at the UN Assembly was that the presence of a Catholic Priest from India which evoked a good deal of surprise – a pleasant surprise. People in Europe and American were not aware of the numbers and position of the Christian Community in India. It was an opportunity for the whole world to hear about Christian Community in India and particularly happy to learn the attitude of the Christians in the national struggle, of the guarantee given to them and other minorities in the Constitution and o the number and importance of Christian educational and social works in India.

During this UN Assembly President Truman also announced that Russia possessed atomic weapons and must bring into immediate and urgent importance the work of the Atomic Energy Commission. One can grasp the significance of this UN Assembly and its vital discussions surrounding important issues such as atomic weapons. This could also remind us of the struggle between Russia and America even to date. He was also on the Indian Delegation of the UN at Parish session in 1951-52 in which he addressed the French Canadians with fluent French. He was four times selected to be a member of the Indian Delegation at the UN.

In conclusion, as we remember Fr Jerome’s contribution to India as a priest, religious, educationist and statesman in the context of social and political events, let us draw two important lessons from his life. Firstly, India will always remain a cradle of religions, whether majority religion such as Hinduism and minority religion such as Christianity. Fr Jerome’s contribution must help us to be tolerant towards other religions because it is in respect for other religions to make India a true secular yet unique country. India has had its share of division and violence but in our contemporary India, we have the responsibility to respect and uphold each other’s rights that Fr Jerome’s worked in the Constitution.

Secondly, India needs to promote academic excellence irrespective of religion or political affiliations. Fr Jerome was a Catholic priest, principal and religious yet he was a statesman who did not take political sides. His neutral yet people-oriented opinions elevated him to the person he was. India cannot ignore intelligent and genuine opinions because those opinions are not biased and will help to build India. India has a long way to go in this regard since India has been silencing genuine voices from the University benches. Long live Hindustan, Jai Hind.