Managing Edit or

Sr M Wi l bert a, BS
Chief Edit or
Sr M Lillis, BS
MEMBERS
Rev Fr Joseph Mart is
Mr I van Saldanha
Sr Miriam, BS
Sr M Theresine, BS
Sr M Rose Margaret , BS
Sr M Jessy Rit a, BS
Sr M Virginia, BS
Sr Mary Naulak, BS
Sr M Gracy Bennis BS
Cont ent s
Edi t or i al Boar d
THE COMPASSI ONATE PASTOR
DECEMBER 2012
1. Edit orial 3
2. Becoming RFC Today! 5
- Fr Cedric Prakash SJ
3. The Ser vant of God, Raymond FC
Mascarenhas Communion wit h Saint s
and Angels
- Sr Rose Margaret BS 8
4. My Remembrance
- Lilly D Souza 21
5. My Remembrance of Mgr RFC
- Sr Paula SA 22
6. Homily Preached by Mgr Denis Prabhu on
t he 52
nd
Deat h Anniversary of SD Raymond
Mascarenhas 23
7. He is Before My Eyes;
I St ill Hear His Slow, Mellow Voice 27
8. My Remembrance of Mgr RFC
- Simon Sylvest er Rasquinha 30
9. Memorial t o a Memorable Past or,
Mgr RFC Mascarenhas
- I van Saldanha 33
10. My Reminiscence
- Fr GLR Miranda 36
11. Favours Received 41
2
I NSPI RI NG SAYI NGS OF
THE SERVANT OF GOD
RAYMOND F C MASCARENHAS
All the little things you do, e.g., an act of charity, of
humility, patience, or a Hail Mary said well, will
purchase you life everlasting.
Whatever you do, do it for life everlasting.
The more we love the spirit of mortification, the more
is our responsibility towards silence.
During His Passion, Mary was courageous to follow
Jesus, and gaze at her loving Son while standing at
the foot of the Cross.
Sufferings are a sign of Gods love for us.
Your happy or unhappy eternity hangs on the moment
of your death. Nothing in this world matters. It only
matters how we live and how we die.
Pain and love go together. Therefore the greater the
love, the more of pain received.
3
I pray at least t wice a day f or t he early beat if icat ion
of Fat her Raymond. May he receive t he honours of t he
alt ar very soon. May he be declared a saint . May he be
known t o t he whole world. May all read his name in t he
spi r i t ual cal endar, i n Bi bl e di ar i es by cel ebr at i ng hi s
remembrance day as a feast day.
Thus writ es Mr Francis Gonsalves f rom Belgaum in a let t er addressed
t o t he Vice Post ulat or. He was not known t o any one of us personally unt il
we received his let t er st at ing t hat he developed devot ion t o Mgr Raymond
Mascarenhas af t er reading an issue of t he Compassionat e Past or which he
happened t o f ind wit h his parish priest in Belgaum. I n his let t er he also
acknowledges t he many f avours t hat he has received by praying t hrough
t he int ercession of Mgr Raymond. I have ref erred t o t he let t er of Mr Francis
in order t o spot light t he dif f using of t he f ame of sanct it y of Mgr Raymond
among common people- a sign of t he holiness of t he Servant of God, an
essent ial aspect which t he Church looks f or in beat if ying a person.
Belgaum and it s neighboring backward villages of Nort h Karnat aka were
t he f avourit e and of t visit ed mission areas of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas
wherein he had sent f ort h Bet hany Sist ers in t he early f ort ies t o work in
collaborat ion wit h t he Jesuit missionaries. The houses of t he people where
t he Sist ers used t o halt during t heir mission t ours in t hose years resembled
t he grot t o of Bet hlehem in it s povert y and obscurit y. Even now it is not
much dif f erent . Sist ers moving out of t he convent st ruct ures engaging in
t he f ait h f ormat ion of t he f amilies, was unt hinkable and unheard of in t hose
years. Twent y years before t he Vat ican I I , Mgr Raymond envisaged a religious
lif e t hat would adapt it self t o t he needs of t he people and mission. Belgaum
mission was j ust one of t he numerous mission areas t hat Mgr Raymond chose
t o incarnat e t he compassionat e love of Jesus in t he early f ort ies. I n lat e
f ort ies he pit ched a t ent among t he t ribals in Wynad mission of Calicut
diocese t hrough educat ional and medical act ivit ies.
I ncarnat ion! This myst ery of Jesus capt ivat ed him and f ired him int o
act ion. Tears rolled down from his eyes when he sang t he hymn on incarnat ion
which he had t ranslat ed int o konkany f rom Lat in. Speaking about t he myst ery
TRAI TS OF I NCARNATI ON EXEMPLI FI ED
4
Sr M Li l l i s BS
Edit or
of I ncarnat ion Mgr Raymond says, This is a myst ery which we cannot f at hom
wit h our f init e minds. We require a st rong f ait h in order t o have some
knowledge of t his great t rut h.
Undoubt edly, he was gif t ed wit h t his fait h which enabled him t o live
t his myst ery in his day t o day lif e. Whet her it was in t he villages of Sout h
Kanara, Nort h Karnat aka or among t he t ribals of Wynad in Kerala, his passion
was t he spirit ual f ormat ion of t he people besides social and economic uplif t .
I n t his issue of t he Compassionat e Past or some of t he writ ers reminisce
how Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas incarnat ed Gods love in t heir lives and how
t heir personal lif e was light ed up by his exemplary lif e. Fr Frank Mat hias SJ an
oct ogenarian says, I st ill hear his slow and mellow voice. He is bef ore my
eyes. Fr Cedric Prakash in his art icle, invit es us t o become like RFC by
emulat ing t his great mans urge f or ref ormat ion, f ait h in God, and courage.
The lat e Fr Gerald LR Miranda present s a pict uresque narrat ion of t he lif e of
t he Servant of God highlight ing his mult ifacet ed personalit y, especially his
apost olic zeal and Christ - like relat ionship wit h various cat egories of people
including his cook and sacrist an. Exemplif ying t he Servant of God as a f at her
of t he poor, t he lat e Mr Simon Rasquina grat efully acknowledges t hat he
was a builder of people; Mr Rasquina was one of t he benef iciaries of Mgr
Raymond who got books while he was a st udent .
Sr Paula SA, and Mrs Lilly D Souza who were st udent s in Bet hany schools
hi ghl i ght t he f at her l y af f ect i on of Mgr Raymond t owar ds t he chi l dr en.
Recollect ions of Ms Lucie Suares compiled by Mr I van Saldanha underscores
t he humaneness of t he Servant of God and t he impact of his sermons and
ret reat s in her personal lif e of f ait h. She is also t ouched by his compassion,
past oral dept h, as well as t he t rust his parish f lock placed in him.
Sr Rose Margaret expounds at lengt h t he connect edness of t he Servant
of God wit h saint s and angels, springing f rom his deep spirit ualit y anchored
in t he Holy Trinit y. There are a good number of people acknowledging t he
f avours received t hrough t he int ercession of t he Servant of God. All t he
art icles echo t he st ory of t he allmight y God ent ering int o human lives t hrough
t he i nst r ument al i t y of t he hol y pr i est , Ser vant of God Mgr Raymond
Mascarenhas reconciling people wit h God and wit h one anot her.
5
BECOMI NG RFC TODAY!
Fr Cedr i c Pr akash SJ belongs t o t he Guj arat Jesuit
Pr ovi nce. He i s t he gr eat gr and nephew of SD
Raymond Mascarenhas and current ly t he Direct or of
PRASHANT, t he Ahmedabad based Jesuit Cent re for
Human Right s, Just ice and Peace. He, being t he great
grandnephew of SD Raymond, one can find in him
similar qualit ies and virt ues t hat we find in t he Servant
of God.
I n t his art icle he draws a parallel bet ween Blessed John XXI I I , t he archit ect
of Vat ican I I and RFC who lived t he spirit of Vat ican I I even before it
arrived. He invit es t he readers t o be RFCs in t odays world.
Fr Cedr i c Pr akash SJ
On Oct ober 28
t h
, 1958, Angello Cardinal Roncalli was elect ed t o head
t he Cat holic Church as Pope John XXI I I . Everyone t hought t hat he would be
a caret aker Pope. He proved everyone wrong as one of t he first t hings he
did was t o open t he doors and windows of t he Church t o a new reformat ion
as he ushered in t he Second Vat ican Council on Oct ober 11
t h
, 1962. Today,
as we commemorat e t he Golden Year of t his great Council, we remember
John XXI I I for being a reformist and part icularly for his deep fait h and unbridled
courage.
I t is significant t hough, t hat j ust as Pope John XXI I I began t o init iat e t he
process of Vat ican I I , f ar away in dist ant Mangalore lived anot her great
personalit y, who in more ways t han one epit omized t he spirit of Vat ican I I : of
reform, of fait h and of courage. The st riking parallels bet ween Blessed Pope
John XXI I I and Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas are simply amazing! Mgr
Mascarenhas died on 23
rd
December, 1960 and was not on t his eart h when
Church bells all over t he world pealed t o announce t he opening of Vat ican I I ,
but surely for t hose who knew him t hen, and t hose who are in t ouch wit h
t he rich legacy he lef t t o Church and Societ y, he surely would have been
saying from up t here, Thank God for John XXI I I , it s high t ime t he Church
accept s what he is doing. I have already t readed t hat pat h, many years
earlier!
How t hen t oday, do we look on a person who was a visionary and a
prophet ; someone who was t ruly ahead of his t imes?
6
Ref or mat i on
Reading t he life of SD Raymond, one is wonder-st ruck at t he way he
went about reforming societ y even as a young parish priest . He was convinced
about t wo t hings t hat educat ion was of paramount import ance t o t hose
ent rust ed t o his care and secondly, t he t op priority in all his concerns were
t he poor and part icularly t he girl child. So, in a world which was highly pat riarchal
and whi ch di d not bel i eve i n t he r eal empower ment of t he poor, he
syst emat ically went on dismant ling t hese t wo fort ified st ruct ures.
To be a reformer is not easy. John XXI I I had a t ough t ime and so did St
Teresa of Avila; but SD Raymond did not allow t he opposit ion t o get t he
bet t er of him. He cont inued relent lessly, which ult imat ely saw t he birt h of
t he Congregat ion of t he Sist ers of t he Lit t le Flower of Bet hany on 16
t h
July,
1921.
As a t rue reformer, he lef t no st one unt urned t o communicat e Gods
word and his own convict ions by his brilliant preaching and incisive writ ings.
More t han fift y years ago, he was already regarded by t he well known Diocesan
Konkani weekly The Raknno as an Apost le of t he Print Media. Quit e a
recognit ion for a person, at t hat t ime!
I n 1949, he had already t ranslat ed t he four Gospels int o Konkani, and in
1952, he complet ed t he whole New Test ament ; besides his const ant let t ers
t o his own Sist ers and t o people all over, t oday compile a t reasure from a
person endowed wit h wisdom and wit h grace and someone who could t hink
far ahead of his t imes.
Fai t h
On Oct ober 11
t h
, 2011, when Pope Benedict XVI announced t he Year
of Fait h (beginning Oct ober 12
t h
, 2012, t he fift iet h anniversary of t he opening
of Second Vat ican Council) t hrough his Apost olic let t er Port a Fidei, he very
emphat ical ly wrot e, We want t his Year t o arouse in ever y believer t he
aspirat ion t o profess t he fait h in fullness and wit h renewed convict ion, wit h
conf idence and hope. I t will also be a good opport unit y t o int ensif y t he
celebrat ion of t he fait h in t he lit urgy, especially in t he Eucharist which is t he
summit t owards which t he act ivit y of t he Church is direct ed; ...and also t he
source from which all it s power flows.
These words of our Holy Fat her were exact ly what SD Raymond lived his
whole life. He was a man of deep fait h and was able t o manifest it in a myriad
7
ways, very specially in a life focused t ot ally on t he Eucharist . He used t o
spend long hours in front of t he Blessed Sacrament and t his devot ion was
indeed cont agious, not merely among t he Sist ers around but also among t he
lait y he int eract ed wit h.
On his deat h, t he one response t hat several people in Mangalore were
heard t o say was He was indeed a holy Priest !
At t he end of t he Apost olic let t er, Pope Benedict urges all t o let us
ent rust t his t ime of grace t o t he Mot her of God, proclaimed Blessed because
she believed. SD Raymond was charact erized by his great love for Mary, our
Mot her. Her f east s were celebrat ed wit h special devot ion by him and his
Sist ers. The recit at ion of t he Rosary was his favorit e prayer at anyt ime and
anywhere. The fait h of Mary became t he hallmark of Bet hany when he want ed
t hat t he Sist ers adopt her response t o t he angel Behold t he handmaid of
t he Lord as an ideal and as a mot t o for t he Congregat ion.
SD Raymond personified fait h. He knew he would at t ain his goals only if
he t ot ally t rust ed in Jesus and his Mot her.
Cour age
A prophet is one because he want s t o ref orm and renew. He t rust s
t ot ally in God, and because of t his, he has t he courage t o walk t he t alk. On
Oct ober 28
t h
, 2012, at t he conclusion of t he Synod of Bishops, Pope Benedict
referred t o Bart imaeus, t he blind man who had t he courage t o cry out and
repeat ed his cry even louder. Jesus ult imat ely heard him and he was healed;
but t he fact remains t hat because of his fait h, t he blind man was not afraid t o
be heard by ot hers t oo.
SD Raymond demonst rat ed t remendous courage in his lifet ime. I t was
not easy f or him t o put int o act ion his many dreams. There were many
difficult ies in his past oral, social and educat ional act ivit ies. But he was convinced
t hat if he had t o bring Gods healing t ouch int o his world, he had t o fear no
mort al being. He suffered a great deal, but t ruly did not count t he cost . Like
Pope John XXI I I , he believed t hat he was a man sent on a mission and he had
t o realise t his mission in his lifet ime.
Today as we celebrat e t he memory of t his great human being, let us
pray t hat like him, we may t ruly be Reformed persons of deep Fait h and wit h
great Courage. Let us pray t o SD Raymond and t ry t o be RFCs in t odays
world and specially in t his Year of Fait h.
8
Sr Rose Mar gar et BS i s a wel l - known si st er of
Bet hany, having vast experiences in t he f ields of
educat i on, soci al wor k, vocat i on ani mat i on and
administ rat ion. Through her work for t he Cause of
SD Raymond FC Mascarenhas, she keeps discovering
new aspect s of his personalit y which she wishes t o
highlight for t he benefit of t he readers. I n t his art icle
she speaks about t he role of t he saint s and angels in
t he life and spirit ualit y of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas.
The pr act i ce of vener at i on of t he sai nt s i s r oot ed i n t he Cat hol i c
under st andi ng of t he Chur ch as a Communi on of Sai nt s. The Cat hol i c
Encyclopaedia concisely describes it in t his way: "The communion of saint s is
t he spirit ual solidarit y which binds t oget her t he fait hful on eart h, t he souls in
purgat ory, and t he saint s in heaven in t he organic unit y of t he same myst ical
body under Chr i st i t s head, and i n a const ant i nt er change of
supernat ural off ices.
1
Mgr Raymond, who burned wit h zeal for t he kingdom sought for spirit ual
st rengt h in t he communion of Saint s and devot ion t o Angels and had t he
compani onshi p t hr ough t hei r i nt er cessi on and sur e suppor t i n al l hi s
undert akings. But t hose who hope in t he LORD will renew t heir st rengt h.
They will soar on wings like eagles; t hey will run and not grow weary, t hey will
walk and not be faint . I saiah 40: 31
Raymond Fr anci s Cami l l us Mascar enhas: Three Pat ron Saint s! ! !
The concept of Pat ron Saint s was developed in t he Middle Ages, first in
Germany and France and t hen it spread t hroughout Europe and beyond.
Children would be named aft er saint s at bapt ism, and t he saint would become
a special pat ron of t he person for guidance and prot ect ion.
1
confessionsofadoubtingthomas.blogspot.com//communion of-saints, Monday,
July 30, 2007
THE SERVANT OF GOD, RAYMOND FC
MASCARENHAS COMMUNI ON WI TH
SAI NTS AND ANGELS
Sr Rose
Mar gar et BS
9
I n t he lat er ages places or cit ies were named aft er a part icular saint , and
saint s came t o be named as pat ron of specific careers or aspect s of life. This
pat ronage is usually root ed in what t he saint did or accomplished in lif e.
Devot ion t o Mary our Blessed Mot her and saint s was a specialt y in t he life of
our Founder, RFC Mascarenhas t oo. He was a child of t he 19
t h
cent ury when
t hese devot ions were popular.
A pert inent quest ion, Why did Mgr Raymond have t hree Pat ron Saint s?
ar ise in our minds as we r ead t he lif e of t he Ser vant of God Raymond
FC Mascarenhas. People have t heir own reasons for choosing a cert ain saint
as t heir pat r on besides t he name given at Bapt ism by t he par ent s. I t s
int erest ing t o read how Fr Mascarenhas derived t hese names.
Raymond was t he sevent h of t he t hirt een children born t o Lazarus and
Joanna Mascarenhas on 23 January 1875 at Shimoga on t he f east of St
Raymond Pennafort , a Sat urday and a day consecrat ed t o Mot her Mary. I n
t he pre-Vat ican years t he feast of St Raymond was celebrat ed on January 23.
On t he 27
t h
of t he same mont h Raymond was bapt ized at t he Sacred Heart
Church, Shimoga and was given t he name Raymond Camillus.
His upbringing in an at mosphere of piet y and devot ion inst illed in Raymond
a desire t o consecrat e himself t o God as a priest . Sr Specula in her reminiscence
of Mgr Raymond writ es,

"While he was in t he Seminary, he was not able t o
sing properly. So he prayed t o God t hrough St Francis Xavier t o give him t he
voice enough t o sing during t he Holy Mass.
2


He vowed, t hat if t his favour
was grant ed he would add Francis t o his bapt ismal name as a const ant
reminder of t he favour. His prayer was heard and Francis became his middle
name. From t hen on he was known as Raymond Francis Camillus or familiarly
RFC Mascarenhas.
3
I n t he Foot st eps of hi s Pat r on Sai nt s:
St Raymond of Pennaf or t : From t he life of St Raymond, t he Servant
of God Raymond FC Mascarenhas perceived a t ender love and devot ion t o
t he Blessed Mot her. I n imit at ion of his Pat ron Saint , day by day Raymond
nurt ured filial devot ion t o Mot her Mary, t he mot her of all saint s. He honoured
her as t he wort hy Mot her of God and t he mast erpiece of grace, medit at ed
2
M Specula, BS, Memories on Raymond, 14.8.2002
3
DSouza, Violette BS, Unless the Seed Die, 1985, 10
10
on her virt ues, her privileges and her act ions, and cont emplat ed her sublime
dignity, offering her t he act s of love, praise and grat it ude.
St Fr anci s Xavi er: Fr RFC Mascarenhas had a great fascinat ion for t he
life of t his pioneering Christ ian missionary, who was animat ed wit h glowing
zeal for souls. His effort s in t he missionary work left a significant impression
upon Raymond. Raymond Francis possessed t he energy and zeal of a t rue
apost le for whom t he life of Christ burned bright ly. Like his chosen pat ron
saint , St Francis Xavier, t he dominant passion of his ent ire life was, Give me
souls, t ake away all else! He laboured t o make Jesus Christ known and loved,
and His kingdom ext ended. While he was at Udyavar f rom 1903-1910, he
bui l t a magni f i cent chur ch and dedi cat ed i t t o St Fr anci s Xavi er as a
remembrance of t he favour received t hrough t his great Saint .
Fired by t he zeal of St Francis Xavier, his act ivit ies were not rest rict ed t o
past oral work alone. The zealous priest worked in t he int erior areas of Udyavar,
Agrar, Kallianpur and Bendur, ident ifying wit h t he poor, visit ing t heir homes
and offering spirit ual aid and solace t o t hem. As a good shepherd he sacrificed
his life for t he flock ent rust ed t o his care. Such was t he burning zeal of t his
versat ile personality.
St Cami l l us: I t is not known why t he parent s of Raymond at his Bapt ism
on 27
t h
January 1875, added Camillus t o his name. St Camillus was born on
25 May 1550 and died on 14 July, 1614. Hence, t he day of Raymonds bapt ism
was neit her t he birt hday nor t he deat h anniversary of St Camillus. St Camillus
was t he Founder of t he Order of t he Servant s of t he Sick ( also known as
Minist ers of t he I nfirm, and Fat hers of Good Deat h) who nat urally, cared for
t he sick bot h in hospit al and homes. St Camillus honoured t he sick as living
images of Christ .
St Camillus love for t he sick and t he dying st irred t he Servant of God
Raymond Francis Camillus Mascarenhas t o be a compassionat e past or t o care
for his parishioners in t heir dire need. As a past or, Fat her Mascarenhas visit ed
t he sick and t he sorrowing in t heir homes. At Udyavar, epidemics of small-pox
and cholera were a common occurrence. During t hose years people of t he
place became vict ims t o t hese t errible diseases. Fat her Mascarenhas was a
fat her and a doct or t o t hem.
11
St Raymond of Pennafort , St Francis Xavier and St Camillus, t he Pat ron
Saint s of t he Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas, played a crucial role in his
spirit ual and missionary life. He imit at ed St Raymond of Pennafort in his love
for Mot her Mary, St Francis Xavier, t o save souls and t o be a missionary wit h
burning zeal in his past oral act ivit ies, and St Camillus, t o be a compassionat e
fat her and past or t o all t hose who suffer. His devot ion t o t hese saint s was so
great t hat he got t heir pict ures paint ed on t he walls of t he magnif icent
Bet hany Mot herhouse chapel among ot her splendid paint ings. They are t he
irreversible mement o of t he Founder t o Bet hany, his j oy and crown.
Walking in t he foot st eps of his pat ron saint s, St Raymond, t he Founder
of t he Dominican Order of Our Lady of Ransom, and St Camillus, t he Founder
of t he Or der of t he Ser vant s of t he Si ck, Mgr Raymond f ounded t he
Congregat ion of t he Sist ers of t he Lit t le Flower of Jesus, on 16
t h
July 1921,
and made Mot her Mary t he Primary Pat roness of t he I nst it ut e.
I n honour of t he saint s, Mgr Raymond wrot e prayers, novenas, and lit anies;
composed and t ranslat ed hymns and prayers of t he saint s, f or part icular
occasions. He erect ed st at ues of t he saint s, got t he images paint ed on t he
walls of t he Chapel.
Truly t he Servant of God, Raymond FC Mascarenhas had a great at t ract ion
t owards saint s and an aspirat ion t o be numbered among t hem some day. He
endeavoured t o grow in holiness and endured t rials and t ribulat ions, sufferings
and humiliat ions for t he great er glory of God. He would never let pass an
opport unit y t o share his reflect ions on t he lives of saint s on All Saint s Day t o
his spirit ual daught ers and encourage t hem t o follow t heir example.
Pai nt i ngs of hi s Pat r on Sai nt s i n t he Mot her house Chapel , Bendur , Mangal or e
12
On 1
st
November 1942, on t he feast of All Saint s, in his exhort at ion t o
Bet hany Sist ers he said: "Let us look at t he inhabit ant s of heaven. There are
t he angels t he magnificent creat ures of God. Then t here are t he saint s- men
like us, possessing t he same human nat ure, it s fault s and weaknesses. I t is an
honoured group, a privileged group, a favourit e group t o Jesus, t o Mary and
t he Most Holy Trinit y. They have overcome t heir nat ure, and t oday, t hey are
enj oying God, t he fruit of all t heir labours.
4
I n his life t ime, t he Servant of God, Raymond FC Mascarenhas had devot ion
t o many saint s. Besides Mot her Mary and his pat ron saint s, he imit at ed t he
virt ues and disposit ions of his models: St Joseph, St Therese of Lisieux, t he
Sai nt s of Bet hany, St John Bosco, St Vi ncent de Paul , St Ber chmans,
St I gnat ius of Loyola, St Sebast ian and St John Eudes.
St Joseph: I n St Joseph, t he Servant of God, Raymond FC Mascarenhas
found an inspiring model. He regarded him and lovingly called him t he Fat her
and Prot ect or of Bet hany. I t was af t er praying t o St Joseph, t he Founder
felt , t hat many of Bet hanys problems were solved and pet it ions were grant ed.
The preliminary preparat ion for his great work of founding Bet hany was t aken
on t he feast of St Joseph. i.e., he succeeded in procuring a propert y wit h a
newly built house in it . I t was t he hope of all present , t hat t he small propert y
would serve t he purpose of t he work t hus begun under t he auspices of
St Joseph on his feast day.
Mgr Raymond want ed t he sist ers t o begin t heir days work by invoking
St Joseph, t he model of workers so t hat t hey work in a spirit of love and
service; st rive dut ifully and conscient iously t o fulfill t heir t ask for t he benefit of
ot hers and at t ain t heir reward at t he hour of t heir deat h.
Even t oday we can f eel t he powerf ul prot ect ion of St Joseph in t he
whole campus of Bet hany Mot herhouse. The imposing shrine in t he plot
acquired t hrough t he int ercession of St Joseph surrounded by t he canopy of
creepers and greenery all around, has been our armour of refuge and st rengt h.
St Ther ese of Li si eux : St Therese of t he Child Jesus known as t he
Lit t le Flower of Jesus died in Lisieux, France, in 1897, at t he age of 24, about
t wo and a half years before t he priest ly ordinat ion of Raymond on March 4,
4
Bertha, BS, From the Lips of the Founder,1996, 290
13
1900 at t he age of 25. Mgr Raymond became great ly devot ed t o t his young
Carmelit e, even before t he Church pronounced her holiness. When Bet hany
was founded on 16
t h
July 1921, Therese was not even beat ified. Therefore
he could not call t hem Sist ers of St Therese or Blessed Therese. He simply
named t hem Sist ers of t he Lit t le Flower of Bet hany. He says, " She had
helped me in a manner most wonderful in t he founding of t his inst it ut e even
before she was canonized.
5
He pr esent ed her as t he second pat r oness t o t he Bet hany Si st er s,
because of t he simplicit y of her spirit ualit y spelt out in her Lit t le Way of
Spirit ual Childhood. He says, Bet hany Sist ers would find in her a model t o
inspire t hem in t heir missionary zeal
6
and he asked t hem t o invoke her as
Lit t le Sist er of t he Missionaries.
Writ ing t o Sr Concilia why he chose t he Lit t le Flower as t he second
pat roness of t he Bet hany I nst it ut e, he vividly explains: "I f Therese Mart in of
Lisieux was st ill living t oday, I would advise all my children of Bet hany, who
wish t o see a saint t o go and see her now and t hen. I f you want t o see a
saint , you cert ainly have t o be very at t ent ive and be sharp-eyed ot herwise
you can pass by a saint wit hout realizing it . This is what happened wit h
Therese: most of t he sist ers who lived wit h her in Carmel, never suspect ed
t hat t hey were living wit h a saint , perhaps t he great est saint of our modern
t imes...
Now if you want a specific and easy way t o find address, I can give you
one: t hat of Therese of t he Child Jesus. Call her; she is prompt in answering
St at ue of St Ther ese Bel ow t he Al t ar of
Bet hany Mot her house Chapel , Bendur , Mangal or e
5
DSouza Violette, Fr Mascarenhas and His devotions, 53.
6
Ibid
14
her calls. Pray t o her, ask her for a grace or t ell her t hat you would like t o
meet her.
7
He furt her writ es of t he assurance he received from St Therese of Lisieux
on his deat h bed, When I was about t o ent er int o et ernal life, and at t imes
when I felt anxious about Bet hany and my children, Therese was oft en beside
me t o console me; and one day, she said t o me in a soot hing and reassuring
t one: Raymond, do not worry about Bet hany and your Bet hany daught ers.
They may be your children; but t hey are also my sist ers and very dear t o me.
From t he t ime you confided t hem t o me and t o my care by making me t heir
pat roness, I have adopt ed t hem all, and never ceased t o love t hem as my
sist ers all of t hem, yes everyone of t hem is precious t o me. I will do all I can
t o help t hem t o become saint s like me. I will keep reminding Therese t hat
you are count ing on her help, and as f ar as I am concerned, your Fat her
Founder is wat ching over you.
8
Bet hany Sai nt s: The lif e of t he Servant of God, Raymond Francis
Camillus Mascarenhas, was root ed in t he word of God. He derived inspirat ion
and insight s from t he Bible in all his new vent ures. His great at t ract ion was
The house of Bet hany and t he exemplary life of it s inmat es- Mary, Mart ha
and Lazarus, ment ioned in Luke 10: 38-42. He was oft en seen sit t ing at His
feet facing t he Blessed Sacrament , list ening and reflect ing on His Word and
praying t o enable him t o choose t he bet t er part which no one would t ake
away from him. He cult ivat ed an exclusive at t achment t o Jesus derived from
his deep personal prayer which compelled him t o lead Bet hany Sist ers t o be
cont emplat ive apost les filled wit h fait h, hope and love.
Mgr William Gonsalves, sharing his insight on Mgr Raymond st at es, For
me t he naming of t he Congregat ion Bet hany f lows f rom his love f or t he
Eucharist . He, I feel, want ed every Bet hany communit y t o be t he house of
t he Lord and a living host of His. Perhaps in his vision he want ed t he spirit ualit y
of t he Congregat ion based on t he Bet hany of Gospel fame- Love and friendship
wit h Jesus, as found in t he Gospel st ory of Bet hany t o be t he hall mark of
Bet hanit es.
9
7
Letter of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas to Sr Concilia.
8
Ibid
9
Mgr William Gonsalves,Memories on Mgr Raymond 24.07.2002
15
The Servant of God Raymond FC Mascarenhas, in his let t er t o The Most
Rev Leo Pet er Kierkels C P, t he Apost olic Delegat e of I ndia, while in Rome, on
12 Sept ember 1936, st at es,

"My first request is regarding t he pet it ion which
I had submit t ed t o t he Holy See t o obt ain a Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ in
Bet hany, t he Tit ular of t he Bet hany Sist ers Chapel, wit h a proper Mass. He
concludes saying, Finally, considering t he fact t hat t he represent at ion of Our
Lord wit h Mary and Mart ha in Bet hany, depict ing t he scene in t he Gospel -
Lucas X. 38-42, is honoured on t he alt ar of t he Mot herhouse Chapel, will be
t he principal f east of Bet hany. We beg of Your Excellency t o obt ain what
privileges you can t o help our devot ion in t his mat t er.
10
St Sebast i an: On August 23, 1914, at t he special request of t he
people of Bendur, Fat her Raymond Mascarenhas was appoint ed as t he first
past or of t he newly const it ut ed Parish at Bendur. Epidemics of small-pox and
cholera were common occurrence in Sout h Kanara in t he first half of t he 20
t h
Cent ury. Many became vict ims of t hese t errible diseases. The Servant of God,
who was a loving past or and a compassionat e doct or t o t he flock ent rust ed
t o his care, could not bear t o see t he sufferings of his people. He placed t he
newly const ruct ed Bendur Church under t he pat ronage of St Sebast ian and
named t he first child bapt ized by him Lawrence Sebast ian Pais. He had great
f ait h in t he int ercession of St Sebast ian, t he pat ron of archers, at hlet es,
soldiers and declared pat ron of plague sufferers and of his report ed cures of
t hose afflict ed wit h many diseases. He composed a hymn in honour of t he
Pat ron Saint of t he Parish: St Sebast ian Soldier Saint .
St John Ber chmans: I n his exhort at ion on 12.8.1940, Fr Raymond,
enlight ened t he sist ers on t he life of St John Berchmans saying,

"I n t he lives
of Saint s t here is no life as perfect and charming as t hat of St John Berchmans.
His life was challenging- j ust for t his reason an ext raordinary fidelit y t o t hings,
t o ordinary dut ies of lif e. Only as a scholast ic of t he Societ y of Jesus, he
at t ained t he summit of sanct it y wit hin a space of five years. Sanct it y consist s
in lit t le t hings. He underst ood t his and lived up t o t his principle.
11
The Servant
of God, Raymond FC Mascarenhas who admired t he sanct it y of St John
Berchmans, st art ed t he Sodalit y of t he Alt ar Boys in Bendur Parish under t he
pat ronage of t he yout hful saint .
1 0
Letter of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas to the Most Rev Leo Peter Kierkels C P, the Apostolic
Delegate of India, 12. 9. 1936
1 1
Bertha, BS, From the Lips of the Founder 1996, 13
16
St Don Bosco: The Servant of God Raymond FC Mascarenhas, admired
St Don Boscos capaci t y t o at t r act numer ous boys and br i ng about a
t ransformat ion in t heir lives. Like Don Bosco his favourit e saint , he believed
educat ion t o be a mat t er of t he heart , and t he children must not only be
loved, but know t hat t hey are loved. He was much against giving corporal
punishment t o children.
Sr Theresine BS, from her personal experience speaks about t he mot ive
of t he Founder in helping a boy called Leo. "We knew t he fact from early
days t hat Fr Founder adopt ed Leo and offered t o educat e him wit h t he hope
t hat one day he would become a priest . But t he boys int erest t urned out t o
be different and he proved t o be a failure. I nst ead of being discouraged by
t his disappoint ment he prayed for him and prayed wit h him, especially t o St
Don Bosco, his favourit e saint .
12
Sr Violet t e BS in her book Unless t he Seed Die writ es:

"He wore a medal
on his wat ch chain ever since he at t ended t he canonizat ion ceremonies for
Don Bosco in Rome. On one side was t he engraving of Don Bosco, his model,
and t he ot her side was t hat of Holy Fat her Pope Pius XI . Fat her Mascarenhas
was nicknamed, The Don Bosco of I ndia.
13
St I gnat i us of Loyol a: Mgr Raymond was inspired by t he works and
spirit of St I gnat ius of Loyola, t he founder of t he Societ y of Jesus, whom he
admired and t ried t o imit at e. Having been guided by t he Jesuit s in t he school
and seminary, t he I gnat ian spirit fired him wit h zeal t o work for t he Kingdom
of God out of an int ense personal love for Jesus. This he t ried t o pass on t o
his spirit ual daught ers by modeling t heir original const it ut ions on t hose of t he
Societ y of Jesus, alt hough he adapt ed t hem t o t he needs of women and of
a missionary count ry.
Mgr Raymond was a man of God. He was deeply spirit ual and had personal
love f or Christ , devot ion t o t he Sacred Heart of Jesus and Eucharist . He
const ant ly endeavored t o pract ice heroic virt ues of charit y and zeal for souls.
He would exhort his spirit ual daught ers t o give first place t o God and please
Him alone.
1 2
Theresine, BS, Memories on Mgr Raymond, 23.8.2005
1 3
DSouza, Violette, BS., Unless the Seed Die, 1985, 62 Bethany Gerneralate Archives.
17
St John Eudes: Mgr Raymond had a great est eem for St John Eudes,
who f ounded t he Congregat ion of Jesus and Mary ( The Eudist ) . St John
Eudes had great devot ion t o t he Sacred Heart of Jesus and t he Holy Heart of
Mary, and popularized The Devot ion t o t he Adorable Heart of Jesus and
The Admirable Heart of t he Most Holy Mot her of God. He was canonized in
1925. The prof ound devot ion of Mgr Raymond t o t he Heart of Jesus and
Mary impelled him t o dedicat e t he newly opened convent at West Hill, Calicut ,
t o St John Eudes.
Rel i cs of t he Sai nt s: Relics remind us of t he holiness of a saint and his/
her cooperat ion in Gods work. At t he same t ime, relics inspire us t o ask for
t he prayers of t hat saint and t o beg t he grace of God t o live t he same kind of
fait h-filled life.
The Servant of God, Raymond FC Mascarenhas who venerat ed t he saint s
and const ant ly emulat ed t heir life had a fervent belief in t he doct rines of t he
Cat holic fait h as regard t o t he relics of t he saint s. He believed in everlast ing
life for t hose who have obedient ly wit nessed t o Christ and His Holy Gospel
here on eart h, t he t rut h of t he resurrect ion of t he body for all persons on
t he last day, t he doct rine of t he splendor of t he human body and t he respect
which all should show t oward t he bodies of bot h t he living and t he deceased.
He was convinced of t he int ercessory power which t he saint s enj oy in heaven
because of t heir int imat e relat ionship wit h Christ t he King. This deep-seat ed
belief urged him t o procure t he relics of t he saint s from t he holy places as his
t reasured possession.
I n his let t er t o The Most Rev Leo Pet er Kierkels CP, t he Apost olic Delegat e
of I ndia who was in Rome, in Sept ember 1936, Mgr RFC Mascarenhas made
t hree request s. He writ es,

My second request is t o obt ain some relics for t he
Bet hany chapel. When I went t o Europe during t he second pilgrimage, I was
great ly moved t o see t he abundance of relics in t he different sacred places.
I was part icularly t ouched t o see wit h what zeal and devot ion St John Bosco
had gat hered relics for his Church of Our Lady Help of Christ ians. I feel great
desire t o have a few relics for t he new chapel of Bet hany. I t s alt ar is part icularly
const ruct ed t o have relics under it . Their venerat ion will help much t he piet y
of t he sist ers. I only beg of Your Excellency t o bear in mind t his desire of mine
when it can be fulfilled wit hout inconvenience.
14
1 4
Letter of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas to the Most Rev Leo Peter Kierkels C P, the
Apostolic Delegate of India, 12. 9. 1936,
18
Devot i on t o Hol y Soul s: Raymond Mascarenhas had t remendous fait h
in Christ ian meaning of deat h, immort alit y of souls and resurrect ion. I n his
exhor t at i on on 1
st
November 1940 on Devot i on To The Hol y Soul s he
recommended t o t he sist ers t o have sincere devot ion and weekly prayers for
t he souls in purgat ory so t hat t he Holy Souls may see God face t o face and
praise Him f or all et ernit y. Through t his devot ion he urged t he sist ers t o
acquire perfect ion, great er love of God and accumulat e merit s for heaven.
15
Devot i on t o Hol y Angel s: He had great devot ion t o Holy Angels and
Archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. He sought t heir prot ect ion, guidance
and enlight enment in his import ant works, t ravels and in his solit ary moment s.
He invoked Michael in his sufferings, misunderst andings, abandonment and
t empt at ions and when he had t o wage a bat t le t o conquer his self, and
Raphael f or heal i ng and del i ver ance i n t i mes of epi demi cs. A st at ue of
St Michael was erect ed in t he cent re of t he garden at t he Mot herhouse
which at present is placed near t he Chapel of t he Mot herhouse.
Sr Leonie, on her visit t o fat hers cot t age one day, found him alone at
his writ ing desk and said t o him, Fat her, dont you feel bored t o be alone?
At once he looked up wit h a broad smile and said, I am not alone. The Holy
Trinit y, Our Lady and my Guardian Angel, are always wit h me.
16
He composed
hymns and prayers in English and Konkani. Sing wit h us Angel Bands Yeya
t har Anj ano & Sargi Badvo Ailo Devon. He erect ed beaut iful images of Holy
Angels in Bet hany Mot herhouse chapel and in t he churches he built at Udyavar
and Bendur.
As Fat her was in t he act of t ranslat ing t he four Gospels int o Konkani, one
day Sr Poma, coming over t o Bet hany from Kinnigoly, asked him, Every t ime
I come t o you, I see you writ ing. I wonder what you writ e! He immediat ely
replied, I am earning for Et ernity, my child!
17
Concl usi on: Sr Poma BS, sharing her ref lect ions on t he lif e of Mgr
Raymond Mascarenhas on 2.2.1998 writ es: "One night when Sr St ella and I
(Sr Poma) were saying his favourit e prayers, he suddenly sat up and asked,
Will I go t o heaven? Sr St ella said, Not only you will go t o heaven, but youll
1 5
Bertha, BS From the Lips of the Founder,1996 , 41
1 6
Ibid, 300
1 7
Ibid, 298
19
be a great saint and people will scrape t he mud of your house and t ake as
relic. He was happy and slept .
18
Let me conclude in t he words of Fr Godfrey L A Saldhana dat ed 2.8.2002
who summarises his childhood memories of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas and st at es,
"He was one of t he great est leaders of his t imes in t he Diocese of Mangalore,
a zealous apost le, a holy priest , a courageous soldier in t he army of t he kingdom
of God wit h a daring spirit t hat is unparalleled, exemplary man of prayer, a
great devot ee of Blessed Virgin Mary, t he Mot her of God; above all a gent le
human person. Be human, Be Holy must have been t he mot t o of his life.
He furt her writ es, All humans have weaknesses and Mgr Raymond was
not an except ion t o it . But only against t he background of human weaknesses
t he virt ues and st erling qualit ies of a great person shine and come int o relief
as against a black colour background t he whit e blot of human short comings
he was no doubt a leader of his t imes par excellence.
19
Recollect ing t he sweet memories of Mgr Raymond, Sr Euphrasia BS in
her t est imony writ es, When I went t o him wit h some difficult y in my religious
life he said, Child, dont be afraid. Our Lady is wit h you, I m also wit h you.
Shell not let you down or me. But pray for me and send me t o heaven. Just
because I m Fat her Founder I will not be going t o heaven. My children should
pray for me and send me t o heaven.
20
Through t he int ercession of All t he Saint s and Angels we pray t o God,
t he Almight y, t hat t he desire, passion and aspirat ion of Ser vant of God,
Raymond FC Mascarenhas t o be numbered among t he saint s be grant ed.
1 8
Sr Poma, BS, Memories on Mgr Raymond, 2.2.1998.
1 9
Godfrey L A Saldhana,(Fr) Memories on Mgr Raymond, 2.8.2002.
2 0
M Euphrasia BS,Memories on Mgr Raymond, 23.8.2002.
20
Bi bl i ogr aphy
DSouza, Vi ol et t e BS, Unl ess The Seed Di e, A Br i ef Sket ch of Mgr RFC
Mascarenhas, Bet hany Publicat ions, Mangalore, 1985
Bert ha, BS, From The Lips Of The Founder, Bet hany Publicat ions, Mangalore.
1996
DSouza Violet t e BS, Reminiscing in Tranqulit y Manuscript , Bet hany Generalat e
Archives, Mangalore
Let t er of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas t o Sr Concilia, No dat e, Christ King Archives,
Guledgudd
Let t er of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas t o The Most Rev Leo Pet er Kierkels CP, t he
Apost olic Delegat e of I ndia, 12.9.1936
Theresine, BS, Memories on Mgr Raymond 23.8.2005, Unpublished, Bet hany
Generalat e Archives, Mangalore
M Specula BS, Memories on Mgr Raymond, 14.8.2002, Unpublished, Bet hany
Generalat e Archives, Mangalore
Mgr William Gonsalves, Memories on Mgr Raymond 24.07.02 Unpublished,
Bet hany Generalat e Archives, Mangalore
Fr Godfrey L A Saldhana, Memories on Mgr Raymond. 2.8.2002, Unpublished,
Bet hany Generalat e Archives, Mangalore
M Euphrasia BS, Memories on Mgr Raymond, 23.8.2002, Unpublished, Bet hany
Generalat e Archives, Mangalore
Confessionsofdoubt ingt homas.blogspot .com/ / communion-of-saint s. Monday,
July 30, 2007
21
MY REMEMBRANCE
:: c .:c .. . :... :: c .. .
27-3-1936c .c::c:c: ::cc. .:: .:c..
Peter DSouza : Magdaline :c: 10 .:c . ./:=c
- .:...
.. t :t: .c.: - SVS High Schoolc:
cc.., .:: .::c.. Embroidery : Needle
work :t: .:.c St Marthas Industrial Schoolc:
1950c: . .= t c c. :c : ::c .:c : c:c: : : t
:c:c. :.. .c:c ::t c..::.: ::.:: c: t:.c
c..::c:c. :.c t. ::. :. :/:. .c:::c:. ::.
.:c. :/:- : : : : :. :.::c::.. ::c ; cc. . :. ,
::c ::. :.. Photo t:.ct :c /c:-:c .:: .:::c:.
tc:t . :.::c:c.. .. c..: .:. t:c:c :c.:. :c:
::. .-c: :c :::. .:^.
. : : ./ :/: c: : . Paul Stevan Pinto (:::c Rtd Teacher) : c:^c
8-5-1952 c ::cc. :::c :.. :/:c:c: t.= ::c.
( Transl at i on)
My name is Lilly D Souza. I was born on 27 March 1936 at Madant hyar. I
am t he eldest among t he t en children of my parent s, Pet er and Magdalene
D Souza.
Aft er finishing my school at Bant wal SVS High School in 1950, my fat her
sent me t o St Mart has I ndust rial School t o learn embroidery and needlework.
I and four ot hers were boarders at Bet hany. We had t o cross t he Fat hers
cot t age when we came for lunch, and Fr RFC used t o speak t o us lovingly. He
was a devout and loving person. He was also humorous, but disciplined. When
we called him for a phot ograph, he said t hat he was old but he was ready and
came wit h us in t he car. I am really glad I had met such a person. I married
Paul St evan Pint o (now ret d t eacher) on 8-5-1952 and we are now living at
Agrar.
Li l l y D Souza
22
MY REMEMBRANCES OF
MGR RFC MASCARENHAS
Sr Paula SA, a nat ive of Pallimar, had her primary
educat ion at Lit t le Flower School, Kinnigoly and high
school st udies at Madelein Convent Mulki. At Kinnigoli,
she was a boarder at Maryvale Boarding and had seen
and met Mgr RFC Mascarenhas on many occasions.
She has some vivid memories of him which she shares
wit h t he readers.
I , Sr Paula, SA ( Lucy DSouza) was born on 19 Sept ember, 1932 at
Pallimar, Mangalore DK. I am now 80 years of age. I had my primary educat ion
at Lit t le Flower School, Kinnigoli f rom 1938-1946. As my home was f ar away
f rom t he school I st ayed in Maryvale Boarding School. During t hose years
Sist er Concilia BS was t he boarding mist ress.
The memory of Mgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas is vivid in my mind. Fr
Raymond, t he Founder of Bet hany visit ed Maryvale Convent quit e of t en.
The Sist ers t hose days were suf fering f rom Tuberculosis. He had great love
and concern f or t he ailing sist ers. He would spend t ime wit h t hem and pray
f or t hem.
I n his regular visit s t o t he convent , he would never f orget t o visit t he
poor children in t he host el. As children we would run t o him as we knew he
would always bring eat ables f or us. He would t alk t o us, spend his t ime wit h
us and ent ert ain us lovingly. He had a fat herly and mot herly heart t owards
t he poor children.
As a young gi r l , I was t ouched by hi s deep l ove, concer n and
t hought f ulness. I am doubly happy t hat I had a chance t o st udy in Bet hany
Schools and had t he privilege of seeing and meet ing Fr Raymond t he Founder
of Bet hany.
Lat er on, I cont inued my High School st udies in Madeline Convent ,
Mulki. Af t er t he complet ion of my High School st udies, I j oined St Anns of
Providence. I have t o my credit BSc, BEd, and MA in English Lit erat ure. I
worked as a Headmist ress, Superior and Principal in dif f erent part s of Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Ut t ar Pradesh and Goa.
Present ly, I spend my ret irement years in St Anns Providence Convent ,
Mangalore. Lat ely I had a st roke due t o which my memory is gradually f ading
away.
Sr Paul a SA
23
We heard in t he Gospel j ust proclaimed t he t hanksgiving hymn of Mot her
Mary when she was given t he good news t hat she would be t he mot her of
t he second person of t he Blessed Trinit y. God had worked wonders in her
lif e. Theref ore she was ever grat ef ul t o God. She gives a call t o everyone of
us t o t hank God for all t he good t hings he has given t o us. Today we call t o
mind t he blessings t hat God had given t o t he Ser vant of God Mgr RFC
Mascarenhas. Let us t heref ore t hank God f or raising our brot her t o t he rank
of Servant of God.
Today we remember 52
nd
Deat h Anniversary of t he Servant of God Mgr
RFC Mascarenhas, Former Vicar General of t he Diocese of Mangalore, a Priest
Mgr Denis Prabhu, Vicar General, Mangalore Diocese
and Direct or of St Ant hony Charit able I nst it ut ions,
Jeppu, had t he rare privilege of hearing about t he
Servant of God Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas f rom
someone who knew him most int imat ely and loved
him most dearly-Mgr Marian FC Cast elino. Since t hen
he has become an ardent admirer of RFC and is a
great support er of his Cause f or Beat if icat ion. He
has cont ribut ed t o The Compassionat e Past or in t he past and t he present
art icle is his homily during t he 52
nd
Deat h Anniversary Mass of SD Raymond
Mascarenhas at St Sebast ian Church, Bendur on 22
nd
December 2012,
in which he was t he main celebrant .
HOMI LY PREACHED BY
MGR DENI S PRABHU
ON THE 52
ND
DEATH ANNI VERSARY OF
SD RAYMOND MASCARENHAS
Mgr Deni s Pr abhu
24
of t he Diocese of Mangalore and t he Founder of t he Lit t le Flower Sist ers of
Bet hany, Mangalore. We remember our dearly depart ed even af t er 100 of
years for Gods mercy on t hem. Our prayers going t o et ernit y help our depart ed
for t he remission of t heir sins. As any human being whet her one is a Saint or
not , needs Gods mercy as our depart ed t oo shared in our human weaknesses
and short comings. I n t he Gospel of t oday we are assured by Jesus t hat aft er
our soj ourn on eart h, we ent er int o et ernity and on t he j udgement day, we
share in t he glorious resurrect ion of Jesus who said I am t he resurrect ion and
t he life. Those who believe in me even t hough t hey die, will live, and everyone
who lives and believes in me will never die. When Jesus said t his t o Mart ha she
said t o him, Yes Lord, I believe t hat you are t he Messiah, t he Son of God, t he
one coming int o t he world. For t he believers, deat h is not an end of life but
it is an opening t o et ernal lif e. Though deat h brings a lot of sadness and
sorrow for us t he fait hful, we see anot her dimension hidden in deat h.
St Paul writ ing t o Thessalonians st at es t hat we should be well informed
about t hose who have died, so t hat we may not grieve as ot hers do who
have no hope. He says t hat t he Lord will descend from heaven and t he dead
in Christ will rise. He will t ake us t o his fat her and place us on his right and he
will t ell us Come you t hat are blessed by my fat her, inherit t he kingdom
prepared for you from t he foundat ion of t he world. I n order t o qualify ourselves
for t he reward, Jesus t ells us how we should live a life wort hy of t he reward.
All who have sat isfied t he hunger of t he poor and given t hem t he dignit y of
a human person, considering t hat he or she is a part of his humanity, brot her
or sist er, will be rewarded a hundred fold in t he kingdom of heaven.
We are unit ed in Christ in t his life; we make Christ as t he cent re of our
life t rying t o imit at e him in our life. The life of Jesus was a life of compassion.
I n t he Gospel of St Mark right in t he beginning Jesus comes proclaiming t he
good news of God saying t hat t he t ime has come near, and repent and
25
believe in t he good news. Luke t ells us t hat he st ar t ed his minist r y by
preaching t he word of God and healing t heir sick. The compassionat e Saviour
complained many a t ime t hat t he people were like a f lock wit hout a shepherd.
They used t o come in t housands t o hear t he word of God. They used t o
bring t heir sick t hat Jesus might heal t hem. Compassionat e as he was he
preached t o t hem; f orgave t heir sins and healed all t hose who came t o him.
When sinners were scared of him as in t he case of Zacchaeus, Jesus himself
made his approach t o t hem, he wait ed f or sinners like t he woman at t he
Jacobs well t o preach f or her conversion.
As we of f er t his Mass and pray f or mercy on t he Servant of God, we
recall t o mind t he minist ry he had in t his diocese and elsewhere. He t ried t o
imit at e Jesus in his compassion. He received good educat ion bot h in t he
f amily and in t he school. He gave value t o educat ion as he became a priest .
He saw t he plight of lit t le girls and women in general who did not have basic
educat i on; t hey wer e cl osed t o t he wor l d out si de. Hence t hey wer e
undergoing inhuman suf ferings and harassment from every quart er. Unless
somet hing was done t o reach out educat ion in t he remot e villages where
t her e wer e no schools, he began t o cont emplat e whet her he could get
some dedicat ed lady t eachers t o t ake up t his apost olat e. There were quit e
a number of schools in t he neighbourhood of Bendur. He st art ed t wo schools
immediat ely St Margaret Mary at Bendur and St Josephs at Kankanady . God
blessed his dreams and desires. Four young ladies came f orward t o t ranslat e
his dreams int o act ion. Then he went on est ablishing schools in remot e
villages inspiring many a young girl t o j oin t he band of f our and t hus f urt her
t he apost olat e of educat ion t o girls. He became a Compassionat e Past or t o
t he people of t he Diocese of Mangalore. Which priest or nun or f or t hat
26
mat t er of fact a lay man or a woman is free from crit icism and condemnat ion for
t he good works t hey do? Who is acclaimed or fully acknowledged for t he good
t hat is done? Shakespeare right ly said t he good t hat is being done is hidden in
t he marrow of bones. The more you become compassionat e like Christ , t he
more you will be resist ed and downgraded. This has been in t he life of Christ ,
his followers, Saint s and Mart yrs. Jesus himself had said t his in his saying, I f
t hey had done t o me t hey will do t o you t oo. Through t he Servant of God, a
revolut ion of promot ing educat ion in villages t o girls was st art ed and it has been
f urt hered by t he Congregat ion he has f ounded. He did not rest awhile or
enj oyed a holiday but rest lessly he preached t he word of God, adored Jesus in
t he Eucharist , scrupulously at t ended t o past oral minist ry and t irelessly worked
for t he uplift of t he sect ion of societ y which was oppressed and dehumanized.
The words of Jesus I have compassion on t hese people; was cont inuously
ringing in t he mind of t he Servant of God. Today, we see him in t he eyes of a
modern person who is surrounded by affluency, money, facilit ies, educat ion,
t ravel t o corners of t he world and int erpret s him t o be short sight ed, hard or
person demanding sacrifices from ot hers, whereas we have t o underst and t he
sit uat ion under which t he societ y was groaning and suffering. He was subj ect ed
t o it and t herefore he want ed t o uplift his bret hren t o t he ext ent he wit h his
Congregat ion could do.
May t he Servant of God be addressed by t he Lord Come you t hat are
blessed by my fat her, inherit t he kingdom prepared for you from t he foundat ion
of t he world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was t hirst y and you
gave me clot hing, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you
visit ed me. May he merit t he words of Jesus Well done good and t rust wort hy
servant ; you have been t rust wort hy in a few t hings and I will put you incharge
of many t hings; ent er int o t he j oy of your mast er.
When he saw t hat he and t he members of his Congregat ion had t o
undergo t ribulat ions and such incident s would mar t he life of t he Congregat ion,
he did not shut his mout h and pen. He explained t o t he point t hat people at
large would right ly underst and. He suffered from various sect ions of people.
He repeat edly said t hat as he was int imat ely connect ed wit h Bet hany, he
would vindicate for t he sake of his Congregat ion. However, t he human j ust ice
viewed by divine j ust ice will be found inj ust ice.
May his holy life, lived for God and his people be acknowledged by t he
local Church and t he universal Church and t he people of God derive inspirat ion
from t he life of t he Servant of God.
27
HE I S BEFORE MY EYES;
I STI LL HEAR HI S SLOW, MELLOW VOI CE
Fat her, t el l us a l i t t l e bi t about yoursel f .
I was born in Poona in 1919. From Poona my family moved t o Dharwar and
lived t here for a year before set t ling down in Mangalore. I did my high school
and college st udies at St Aloysius, Mangalore.
How di d you come t o know RFC Mascarenhas?
My family set t led at Balmat t a. When we arrived t here, Fr RFC was t he
Parish Priest of Bendur which included Balmat t a where t here were a good
number of Cat holic f amilies. He had a grievance because we went t o t he
College (St Aloysius) for Mass and not t o t he Parish Church, except on big
occasions and Feast days.
Pl ease share some of your memori es of hi m.
He was a holy man, a man of prayer. I can vividly recall how he st ood at t he
t emporary pulpit he had set up near t he St Agnes walls t o speak t o t he people.
There was no church building t hen. People simply flocked t o hear him, st ood
around him and list ened t o him in rapt at t ent ion. I t was all very impressive.
Remember t here were no microphones in t hose days.
I r emember t he t r oubl es he f aced when t he gi r l s who j oi ned hi s
Congregat ion began t o fall sick and die in large numbers-fever, t uberculosis.
Oh! I t was t errible. He had no place, no money; f ood and medicine were
insufficient . People began t o t alk; parish priest s of t he girls came t o call t hem
back, but t he girls refused t o ret urn t o t heir homes. I myself had said t o my
mot her, What is t his? Complaint s reached Rome and t wo Fat hers came t o
check what was going on. They wrot e t heir report and RFC was asked t o shift
t he girls from t here. He didnt deny t he charges. But poor man! Where would
Rev Fr Frank Mat hias, SJ belongs t o t he Karnat aka
Province of t he Societ y of Jesus. As a t eenager in
Bendur Parish, he had closely f ollowed t he lif e and
act ivit ies of his Parish Priest SD Raymond Mascarenhas,
including t he f oundat ion of Bet hany and t he early
year s of t he Congr egat i on. He i s a wel l known
educat or who has worked in various inst it ut ions of
t he Societ y. At present he lives a ret ired life at Fat ima
Ret reat House, Jeppu. I n November 2012 he shared
wit h Sr Mary Naulak BS some of his memories of SD
Raymond Mascarenhas and Bet hany.
Rev Fr Fr ank
Mat hi as SJ
28
he go? He had no money, not hing, except his t rust in God. Finally, he shift ed t o
Kaikamba where he had some land given as dowry t o one of t he Sist ers.
How i s t hat you know t he Gurpur ( Kai kamba) propert y so wel l ?
I used t o go t here wit h t wo of my friends. At t hat t ime it was all j ungle,
infest ed wit h snakes, vipers and ot her rept iles. No one was going t here except
us. We killed many of t hem. We used t o ride up on our bicycles, visit t he pond
below t here, have a bat h and ret urn. The propert y was a dry rocky land. The
Sist ers and girls st art ed working, dug and plant ed mangoes, coconut s, chikkoos.
I t was unt hinkable! St art ing from t hat piece of land, RFC gradually acquired t he
adj oining plot s. And he got for low price because it was unwant ed land. The
way t hat campus has come up t o t his st age! I t is purely Gods work.
You seem t o have sympat hi zed wi t h hi m.
Yes, yes. I t old my mot her, What is t his? That ` s not a place t o keep so
many young girls. But she said, Who are you to question? He is doing God` s
work wit hout t aking anyt hing from ot hers.
Truly it is ent irely Gods work. He had not hing, except his t rust in God and
his prayers.
There was great opposit ion and lot s of crit icisms from t he people. Parish
priest s and parent s came t o call back t heir daught ers, but t he girls said, No.
This ant agonized parent s and t he priest s. Then, he was t old t o shif t . But
where would he go? How would he shift so many people wit hout any money?
Poor man! I t is ent irely God` s work!
Some peopl e mi ght have come f orward t o hel p hi m.
Many people had sympat hy for him, but t hey were unable t o help. Bendur
was a very poor parish t hen. Some Fat hers from out side came t o Mangalore,
saw what he had done and were edified. A few sent some financial support
t oo.
Woul d you say t he l i f e of RFC has i nf l uenced you at l east i n some way?
Every life was influenced by him- from high school st udent s t o college
yout h. He was wonderful!
How was he at Mass?
I t was a j oy to attend his Mass, hear his sermons. Solid stuff, given under
such difficult y!
Born of l i f e experi ence?
His life was a sermon.
Any sermon you can recal l ?
He spoke t o lay people on t heir spirit uality. The commandment s, what
29
and how t o t each t heir children - t hat sort of t hing. Those were t he days
before t he microphone. Yet he could get t he peoples full at t ent ion. His voice
was very clear.
Di d you have any opport uni t y t o speak t o hi m personal l y?
Yes, yes. His conversat ions were about spirit ual matt ers. He was not a
man for recreat ional conversat ion. He was a reserved man. He was reserved in
his speech.
Fat her, you seem qui t e emot i onal speaki ng about RFC.
He is before my eyes. I st ill hear his slow, mellow voice (eyes become
moist ).
What do you t hi nk was t he need t o f ound Bet hany?
To give opport unity t o t he poor girls for educat ion, and also t o embrace
religious life. For girls of higher classes, t here were Congregat ions. RFC want ed
t o do t he same t hing for girls of t he poorer classes.
Do you have any associ at i on wi t h Bet hany Si st ers?
No.
Any rel at i ves i n Bet hany?
No one I can remember. Bet hany was an unknown Congregat ion. I t began
wit h RFC. I t came up lat er, came up very well.
Perhaps your f ami l y was i n a di f f erent rank t han t hat of Bet hany.
You could say t hat . Most of my relat ives were in Apost olic Carmel. I t s
t r ue.
What about t hose j oi ni ng t he Jesui t s- Were t hey f rom t he t owns or
f rom t he vi l l ages?
Most ly from t he t own.
What i n your opi ni on i s t he rel evance of Bet hany t oday? Has i t made
any di f f erence?
I t has made a big difference. I t provided opport unit ies t o poor girls for
educat ion, for t raining, even sending t hem t o medical schools. Some Bet hany
Sist ers were my st udent s.
Your advi ce f or Bet hany.
To cont inue and increase t heir work for t he poor. To educat e, help t hem
pass and even become doct ors. They have brought up t he place so nicely wit h
so much sacrifice.
Bet hany is born out of sacrifice and prospered wit h sacrifice.
What a poor life t hey led in t he beginning!
30
MY REMEMBRANCE OF MGR RFC
Simon Sylvest er Rasquinha (SS Rasquinha) is a well
known name not only in and around Mangalore, but
all over I ndia and even abroad. The founder of Simon
& Co, he was a not ed art ist and sculpt or of reput e,
st age act or, songst er and writ er. He was one of t he
founding members of t he Konkani Nat ak Sabha. Apart
from t hese achievement s, what made Simon st and
out was his commit ment t o Christ ian values and
pr act i ces. He r ecei ved t he Papal Honour BENE
MERENTI in 1956. Simon left t his world on August 29
t h
1987. Before t hat ,
he had left for us his remembrances of Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas
whose t imely int ervent ion in his life, he always acknowledged.
This Remembrance was writ t en in 1976 in response t o t he request of Rev
Mot her Marcrina, t he Supeiror General.
I n 1917, when I was only 7 years old, I saw Rev Fr RFC Mascarenhas, our
t hen vicar at Bendur, and received my first Holy Communion from his hands.
I n 1921 when I was reading in t he I I form at t he St Sebast ians Higher
Element ary School, Bendore, we used t o see Fr Mascarenhas giving inst ruct ions
t o four of our lady t eachers aft er class hours in t he evenings, in front of t he
present open air st age. Three of t hem I remember t o be Miss Gonsalves, Miss
Mat hias and t he chief among t hem was my t eacher Miss Mart ha Menezes. At
t he t ime of my complet ing I I Form in March 1922, we learnt t hat Fr Mascarenhas
has f ounded a new Congregat ion of nuns, called t he Bet hany Sist ers, t he
first nuns being t he four lady t eachers ment ioned above.
I n t he init ial st age, I heard people t alking t hat t he Congregat ion was
st art ed for t he benefit of t he poor girls who could not afford t o j oin ot her
Congregat ions for want of high educat ion and pay high dowry. I n t he earlier
years t heir habit was black robe and a belt at t he waist , black veil, a heart
shaped whit e scarf hanging below t he neck and a cross hanging in t he neck
on black ribbon. During Mass and fest ive occasions t hey used t o don a light
blue mant le. The change of habit from black t o whit e now really looks maj est ic.
Si mon Syl vest er
Rasqui nha
31
As for t he react ion of t he t hen public, I may say t hat poor people like me
welcomed t he new Congregat ion. I also remember a few people complaining
about t he poor diet given t o t he t hen sist ers. Today we see t he Congregat ion
is not only comprised of poor and less educat ed but many of t hem well t o do
and very highly educat ed ladies, post graduat es and PHDs and doct ors in
medicine t oo, having so many convent s not only in I ndia but even abroad. A
real blessing t o our Mangalore diocese!
I am sure t here may be some elderly people in Bendore parish who had
seen t he beginning of t he Bendore parish and had close cont act wit h t he
first vicar and t he founder of t he Bet hany Congregat ion. Mr AR DSouza may
be t he prominent one, having been t he Gurkar ever since t he deat h of his
fat her, and int imat ely connect ed wit h t he church and t he vicar.
I t is Fr Mascarenhas who built t he St Josephs Element ary School at
Kankanady in t he shape of a cross, somewhere about 1920. The 23
rd
of
January happened t o be his birt hday, and every year we used t o celebrat e it
happily.
A good builder, an able administ rat or and an eloquent preacher was Fr
Mascarenhas, who was appoint ed t he VG of our Diocese and was t it led, Rt
Rev Mgr unt il his deat h. Mgr Mascarenhas was not only a writ er but also a
composer of hymns and prayers. Being a devot ee of our Heavenly Mot her he
has composed hymns on Our Lady and books t oo, and his sermons about
Mot her Mary were soul st irring. I liked his prayer composed for t he Diocesan
Eucharist ic Congress held in 1938. I t is he who f irst t ranslat ed t he New
Test ament int o Konkani.
When he was t he vicar of Bendore, he was also a Municipal Councillor for
some years and apart from his parish work he has done much for t he cit y
improvement . Though he was alone, he used t o go on his ladys cycle visit ing
houses right up t o Padil t he border of t he t hen Bendore Parish. Wit h his half
round glass spect acles, black cassock and whit e hat , while cycling, his long
beard flowing on bot h sides, he looked maj est ic.
I n spit e of his heavy burden of const ruct ing t he new church and running
t wo schools at Bendur and Kankanady, he had great love for t he poor and
helped t hem. I t was he who st art ed t he St Vincent de Pauls Societ y for t he
32
poor and I t hink it was t he first in our Diocese. Many of t he young boys of my
t ime were helped by him for t heir educat ion. I am proud t o say t hat I am one
of such beneficiaries who got books and school fees free from him, my great
benefact or. The lat e Bishop Basil Peres, once t old me when he was vicar at
Pangala, t hat but for Mgr Mascarenhas he would not have been a priest of
God. The lat e Mgr SF Menezes, t he first assist ant t o Fr Mascarenhas, was a
great admirer of t he Monsignor and used t o speak highly of him always.
Before I conclude, I must say t hat 22 years ago when t he t hen Crusader
insult ed and abusively spoke about our Heavenly Mot her near Kankanady
j unct ion, Mgr Mascarenhas arranged t o put up or erect ed t he Fat ima group,
depict ing one of t he Apparit ions of Our Lady in t he east ern wing of t he St
Josephs Element ary School for t he public t o view. Our Lady now dominat es
where once she was abused.
St Sebast i ans Hi gher El ement ar y School at Bendor e, St Josephs
Element ary School at Kankanady, t he Church at Udyavara and t he might y
church at Bendore, and above all his far sight ed Congregat ion of t he Sist ers
of Bet hany will remain everlast ing monument s t o t he memory of our beloved
Mgr Mascarenhas.
Dear Sist er Lillis,
I have j ust read The Compassi onat e Past or, Jul y 2012, a
copy of whi ch was sent t o me her e at DVK, Bangal or e, by
Sr Mi r i am. Thanks t o her and congr at ul at i ons t o you, t he
Edi t or. I t i s wel l done i n out f i t and cont ent s. Keep i t up!
The Favour s Recei ved gi ven on pages 44- 46 i s
i mpr essi ve i n number ; but t he t hr ee cases on pages 47-48
are more inspiring. Let us hope f or a maj or miracle which can
ser ve al so t he cause. Keep wel l .
Fr George Nedungat t , SJ
CONGRATULATI ONS
33
MEMORI AL TO A MEMORABLE
PASTOR -MGR RFC MASCARENHAS
( RECOLLECTI ONS OF MS LUCI E SUARES)
I van Saldanha, a f ree lance j ournalist , is one of t hose
k eenl y i nt er est ed i n pr omot i ng t he Cause of
Beat i f i cat i on of Ser v ant of God Ray mond
Mascarenhas. His art icles and news it ems in t he news
papers, magazine and bullet ins bring t o limelight t he
f or got t en per sonal i t i es t o t he soci et y. These
recollect ions of Ms Lucie Suares compiled by Mr I van
is one such.
Servant of God Mgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas, had done pioneering
work around Mangalore and may be called t he Sage of Bendur. I n t he decades
aft er he set up Bendur Parish from scrat ch, by choice of t he local Cat holics,
he developed a close and healt hy rapport wit h t he early parishioners and
guided t hem in several ways on mult iple mat t ers. His many humane act ions
and int eract ions wit h various people in many cont ext s are beyond imaginat ion.
The episodes narrat ed here will serve t o amply demonst rat e Mgr Raymonds
past oral dept h and compassion as well as t he t rust of his parish flock earned
at t he legendary Bendur. He has, as we see from many document ed narrat ions
and evidences, done a great deal, inspired by his Divine Mast er t he mark of
a t ruly humane saint ly priest !
Miss Lucie Suares, now 85 years, and not in sound healt h residing at
Mangalore, by family is connect ed wit h Servant of God Mgr Raymond. Her
pat ernal grandmot her Mary Suares (nee Mascarenhas: 1864-1892) was t he
wife of Joseph Suares (1857-1928), known for his services t o Codialbail Press.
Mary was a sist er of ECM Mascarenhas, hence is a cousin of Mgr Raymond. I
have made a fair at t empt t o compile a record here what she and her close
ones have t old me over a period of t ime, in t he light of what I underst and, by
my associat ion wit h t he hist ory of Mgr Mascarenhas over four years. Being her
sist ers son, I also recall somet hing of what I used t o hear from my mot her
I van Sal danha
34
Marie (1926-2005), my grandmot her Bridget (1907-1975) and my grandfat her
John ( 1897-1971) . One st ory t hat always made a great impression on me
was t hat my grandmot her Bridget , known t o all as Bij j ie, whenever she met
Mgr Raymond, would give news of deat hs, birt hs, family and so on. I t used t o
be said t hat she became known as Gaj et Bij j ie ( News paper used t o be
called Gaj et in Konkani); and it was Mgr Mascarenhas who first gave her t hat
name.
Luci e Suar es was
bapt i zed i n Oct ober
1927 at Bendur chur ch a
f ew days af t er her bi r t h,
from what I recall hearing.
Her par ent s had a good
associ at i on wi t h Mgr
Raymond i n t he t i me he
was at Bendur (1914-31 &
1941-60), as also when he
was Vicar General (1931-41). My elder brot her and I received our First Holy
Communion at St Agnes Chapel in 1953 and 1954 respect ively. I vaguely
recollect and have oft en been t old how my grandmot her and aunt had t aken
us t o be blessed by t he old sage Mgr Raymond, soon af t er our First Holy
Communions. Lucie of t en t old me how she was very scared of t he long
bearded priest . Whenever she, along wit h her mot her saw Fr Raymond coming
on his bicycle, she would hide behind her mot her and refuse t o even set eyes
on him. Lat er t his t urned int o awe and affect ion for Mgr Raymond. I n t he lat e
1940s when she was preparing t o j oin t he Apost olic Carmel where she had
several of her ment ors, Mgr Raymond was consult ed and his advice carried
weight wit h her. Lucie used t o say t hat t hough Mgr Raymond oft en spoke t o
her about Bet hany and would ask t he sist ers t o show her t he convent , he
always encouraged her vocat ion and admirat ion for t he Apost olic Carmel as
she was a bright girl t hough of frail healt h.
Event ually, she had t o give up her vocat ion due t o frail healt h t hat is so
t ill t oday. However, she remained a spinst er, t aught in Bangalore and has
Ms Luci e Suar es wi t h Mot her Ter esa
35
done much good in t he communit y in Mangalore. The annual Christ mas mobile
crib t hat we oft en come across t oday is part of her idea. I n t he 70s and 80s,
she had done social and religious act ion for t he welfare of different kinds of
people. She has oft en ment ioned t hat personalit ies like Mot her Teresa, Mgr
Raymond and so on, have been t he unseen hands t hat have support ed and
guided her consist ent ly.
Luci e, as wel l as many f ami l y el der s f r equent l y r ecal l ed how Mgr
Mascarenhas sermons and ref lect ive ret reat s, and t he example t hat his
devot ion radiat ed, had played a great role in t heir fait h and life, as also people
of t he surroundings. Lucie of t en t old me t hat Psalm 23 The Lord is my
Shepherd and t here is not hing I shall want became her f avourit e, and
perhaps Mgr Raymond` s words had a role t oo.
I recall her saying t hat seeing t his holy priest Mgr Raymond at Mass,
benedict ion and so on brought about a t remendous awe t owards t he Blessed
Sacrament , Jesus and His divine Mot her. She said she was away at Bangalore
and many of her social works had t he markings of compassionat e persons like
Mgr Raymond in her life. During t his t ime, in December 1960 she heard from
her mot her about t he saint ly priest s deat h at Bendur and t he ext raordinary
funeral t hat was given t o him and t he many memorable t ribut es t hat were
paid t o him. Lucie used t o say, Perhaps it is Mgr Raymond t hat has led me t o
t his home under his care, where t he Order of nuns t hat he founded gives me
care and concern at t he end of my life. She always indicat ed t o me subt ly
t hat I should writ e in t his regard about my grandparent s and familys admirat ion
for t he charisma of Mgr Mascarenhas. I t is only t heir desire t hat has t ranslat ed
int o t his remembrance for t he Cause of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas. The sent iment s
surfacing here are t hat of a cont emporary family connect ed wit h Mgr Raymond.
Unfort unat ely t he physical and ment al healt h of Ms Lucie Suares is such t hat
she cannot t est ify, but I have no doubt she would have done so ot herwise.
I have t ot al fait h t hat t his t est imony is from her own heart .
36
MY REMI NI SCENCE
Rev Fr Gerald LR Miranda, a priest of t he diocese of Mangalore, parishioner at
Bendur, was bapt ized by SD Raymond FC Mascarenhas in April 1915 in t he
original t emporary shed t hat served as church. I n his growing up years he
had keenly observed and followed t he life of his vicar whom he admired and
int ended t o imit at e. He did event ually become a priest - t he first one from
Bendur by his account , and served in various parishes of t he diocese. The
following is his vivid and colourful reminiscence of t he man who inspired him
and whose praises he was happy t o record bef ore he had passed on in
1988.
He wort e his reminiscences in response t o Superior General Mot her Macrinas
request let t er dat ed 19t h Aug 1976.
My first unconscious cont act wit h t he Right Reverend Monsignor Raymond
Francis Camillus Mascarenhas, Founder of t he Congregat ion of Bet hany under
t he t it le of t he Sist ers of t he Lit t le Flower, was when he was Parish Priest of
t he t hen newly founded Parish of Saint Sebast ian, Bendur, in t he Diocese of
Mangalore, in August 1914.
He bapt ized me, in t he original t emporary shed, in April 1915. I was t he
27
t h
candidat e t o be bapt ized t here t hat year; 30 had been bapt ized f rom
August 20
t h
1914 t o December 31
st
1914. Fr Lawrence Sebast ian Pais, was
t he first child t o be bapt ized in t he new parish; hence his second name was
t hat of t he pat ron of t he new parish.
Fr Lawrence Sebast ian Pais is credit ed t o be t he first fully fledged priest
from t he Bendur parish; act ually, t hat privilege is mine. He was ordained in
March 1942, I , in June 1940, almost 21 mont hs earlier. I received my First
Holy Communion at t he hands of Rev Fr RFC Mascarenhas, at t he age of 6
years and a half. As I grew up, it was my privilege t o at t end Cat echism classes
conduct ed so impressively by t he great Monsignor t ill 1919 or so. Monsignor
Sylvest er F Menezes, as great a scholar and a preacher as Mgr RFC, came as
his assist ant .
I t was a delight t o list en t o eit her of t hese great Konkani scholars as well
as orat ors. I st ill recall some of t he sermons and Cat echet ical lessons of my
infant days. Mgr Mascarenhas was j ust about 44 years of age t hen (He was
Rev Fr Ger al d LR Mi r anda
37
born in 1875) and Mgr Menezes, around 25, and fresh from t he Seminary, not
long aft er his ordinat ion.
Par i sh Househol d Descr i pt i on: I st ill remember t heir small parochial
house, t o t he right of t he present main gat e.
There were 4 small rooms; first an oblong and dust y one, where visit ors
were occasionally received. I t was poorly f urnished. The Parish Priest , his
assist ant and sacrist ans kept t heir bicycles t here.
The next room was t hat of t he Parish Priest wit h a cloist er and t he
assist ant s was adj acent t o it . A fourt h room was more of a lumber room,
housing an occasional priest , guest , or seminarian, along wit h t he primit ive
bat s, balls, wicket s et c., of t he parish boys.
There was a f ront verandah, and one at t he back, used f or a dining
room. The kit chen and servant s room were at t ached t o t he rear verandah.
Gar den: I remember t he well by it , now complet ely filled in wit h mud
and brought t o t he level of t he ground. Some of t he coconut t rees t here
dat e t he parish it self. The orange and ot her few fruit t rees have since yielded
t o t he axe.
Cook: Monam Tauro was fat hers cook at t he t ime. He is happily st ill wit h
us, for in his eight ies, and confined t o t he house leased t o him, on a very
nominal rent by t he kind heart ed Mgr RFC Mascarenhas.
Sext on: The sacrist ans were Jacob Correa who died only lat ely, on 1-7-
1976, and Piadam who died many years ago.
Mr Jacob Correa cherished t he most t ender memories of Mgr RFC t ill his
very end, 15 and half years af t er t he lat t ers deat h. He was a conf irmed
bachelor all his life- educat ing his orphaned brot her, nephews and nieces. He
t oo, was a beneficiary of t he great Monsignor in more ways t han one. He was
also given a house t o occupy in his life t ime, on a very nominal rent , and t hat
was where he died t his year. Monam, Jacob and Piadam were a very devot ed
t rio- almost a homely male brot herhood in t heir parochial house, t hough t he
first and t hird were married, but not Jacob. Monam had a son, and at least
one daught er. Piadam had no children, but adopt ed one.
Par i sh ext ensi on: Bendur was an ext ensive parish when it was founded.
I dont t hink t hat even Bej ey and Bondel, t hough st art ed earlier as out lying
st at ions, had parochial st at us t hen; t hey were subsidiaries t o t he Cat hedral
and more miles away.
38
Roads and Tr anspor t : The roads in t hose days were not t arred, hence
very dust y. Fort unat ely, t he mot orized t raffic was not even a fract ion of it s
present magni t ude; bul l ock- car t s and hor se- dr i ven j at kas wer e mor e i n
evidence. A pair of st urdy bullocks, or what was even more rare, a pair of
horses, were a sure sign of af f luence amongst t he pet t y t op men of t he
t own.
But , t hey were blissful days; wit h no city buses at all; walking t hree, four,
five and more miles t o visit relat ives and spend a day or more wit h t hem, was
a wonderful experience, cement ing family bonds. Weariness or fat igue never
regist ered t hemselves, or ent ered ones mind, be it young or old.
Monsignor RFC did his parochial rounds on f oot when out f or house
blessings aft er East er. His coming was await ed for days; his arrival was t he
climax t o our expect at ions. We would f ollow him t o a f ew houses in t he
neighbourhood- a verit able Pied Piper, cont inually shedding and acquiring his
t roops. He would f ill his f oot -long pocket s wit h t he sweet s of f ered in t he
various houses. I suppose t hese were dist ribut ed lat er t o his non-followers of
t he day and t o t he house-bound cook, Monam, and t o Jacob or Piadam who
alt ernat ed wit h him on his rounds.
Bi cycl e Tr i ps: I dist inct ly remember t he Monsignor on his bicycle, his
beard comparable wit h t hat of Moses, was showing slight st reaks of grey. I t
would part evenly at t he cent re as he speeded down t he Kadri Temple Road,
on t he Kadri-Shadi Gudda Road. Joseph Gonsalves, a boyhood companion of
mine, who died lat er in his mid t eens and I , used t o imagine ourselves
duplicat ing t he great Monsignors cycle rides when we would be priest s
ourselves. Joseph never realized his dream, and when I realized mine t he
mode of t ransport had changed t o buses and aut oricks et c., and t he growt h
of my st unt ed beard did not follow t he great Monsignors pat t ern.
I remember t he Monsignors Sacerdot al Silver Jubilee in 1925, and st ill
have among my belongings a souvenir of t he occasion. I was j ust 10 t hen,
and my only brot her, 13. I remember t hinking of him as a venerable old man,
more pat riarchal t han Abraham.
I have been always wondering when t he idea of st art ing a Religious
Congregat ion for women was first ent ert ained by t his fearless founder. Could
it have been already at Udyavar and Fonegol, where he was Parish Priest prior
t o coming t o Bendur, and from where he recruit ed his Piad and Jacob, who
were t o be his life-long companions, t he former t ill his own deat h, t he lat t er
39
t ill his benef act ors deat h, or bet t er st ill, t ill Monsignor Mascarenhas bade
adieu t o Bendur, in 1931, t o lead t he Diocese as it s Vicar General.
He was a great builder -bot h of souls and of edifices. To t he lat t er cat egory
belong t he Udyavar church wit h it s appurt enances, t he t hree st oried Fonegol
presbyt ery, t he imposing Bendur Church, t he various branch houses of Bet hany
which, since his t ime, have ext ended some of t heir buildings unrecognizably.
As a builder of souls t oo, Mgr Mascarenhas was very unique. His sermons,
his inst ruct ions were a delight t o list en t o, and t o live by. The new parish of
Bendur had suffered from sufficient lack of spirit ual nut rit ion due t o it s dist ance
from it s parent churches. I t was a t ime when t he Legion of Mary was perhaps
not yet founded, at least it had not reached I ndia. The Capuchin 3
rd
Order, if
it had exist ed, had wound away wit h t he depart ure of t he Capuchins. The
Carmelit e 3
rd
Order exact ed only t he fait hful wearing of t he Brown Scapular
and t he recit at ion of t he pert inent prayers, Terce, especially on Sat urdays.
Mgr Mascarenhas wast ed no t ime in st art ing t he Alt ar Boys Sodalit y and
t he Sodalit y of t he I mmaculat e Concept ion f or boys. This was a verit able
nursery f or vocat ions t o t he priest hood, beginning wit h t he 1
st
pref ect - Fr
Bapt ist Pint o.
Fr Grat ian Rasquinha, t he lat e Fr Alexander D Sa, Fr Gilbert Gonsalves, Fr
John Cornelio, Fr Lawrence Sebast ian Pais, Frs Gilbert Pint o, Joseph M Lobo
(RI P), Cyprian Pint o (RI P), Abundius D Souza, Aloysius Colaco (RI P), Valerian
Colaco ( RI P) , Paul Farias ( RI P) , Albert Nazaret h, Mgr Joseph D Souza, of
Madras-Mylapore, Fr Thomas A Lobo SJ, Fr Valerian Farias SJ, Fr Aloysius Farias
SJ, Fr Edward Mat hias, Fr Grat ian D Souza, John Cast elino (RI P), William Sequeira
SJ, Fr John Pint o plus Fr Gerald L R Miranda et c., belong t o t his period besides
several ot hers who dropped out for reasons of healt h, st udies et c., or died
premat urely before realizing t heir goal.
The good seed t hen sown has f lowered in many more vocat ions in
subsequent generat ions, so much so t hat , at one t ime, Bendur led all ot her
parishes of t he Diocese in t he number of priest ly vocat ions it had given not
only t o Mangalore, but t o Mysore, Trichy, Hyderabad, Bombay and several
ot her far-flung dioceses of t he t ime.
Here it should be ment ioned t hat t he lat e Mgr Alexander Pint o, Mgr
Mar i an FC Cast el i no, Bi shop James Mendonca, t he 1
st
secul ar Bi shop of
Trichinopolli, Bishop Basil Salvadore Peres, t he 3
rd
nat ive Bishop of Mangalore
who were j ust (or had) complet ed t heir high school st udies were among his
40
first recruit s t o t he priest hood. So was t he lat e Fr I gnat ius M Fernandes SJ,
lat e superior of t he Mangalore Jesuit s, and brot her of Bishop Vict or Rosario
Fernandes of Mangalore. Bishop Vict ors house had come wit hin t he limit s of
Bendur Parish when t his was founded. Bishop Vict or himself was already a
priest since 19.3.1910. Mgr RD Sequeira of Kankanady had also j oined t he
seminary earlier. I was ordained before t he parish was founded.
Then t here was t he Mens Sodalit y of Our Lady of Dolours. Their annual
Salvi or Sept ena, in Sept ember, was a piety-nourishing devot ion.
The ladies had t heir Sodality, buzzing wit h feminine act ivity and spirit uality,
all of t hem unmarried of various ages from 13 t o 30. The women, perhaps,
st ill cont inued t o belong t o t he Christ ian Mot hers Sodalit y, at Milagres, even
as some of t he men cont inued t heir membership in t he Gent lemens Sodalit y
at Codialbail.
The meet ings were held regularly every week. The at t endance, even of
dist ant members, was very high and t heir fervor t o be envied.
The Saint Vincent de Paul Conference of Bendur owes it s origin t o Mgr
Mascarenhas. I t was t he ideal f or ot her similar parochial conf erences wit h
such st alwart s as t he lat e Mr Louis Mascarenhas, Bapt ist Pint o, Sylvest er
Rasquinha, Benj amin Tauro et c., for pioneers. The work is equally laudably
carried on t o t his day by Mr JD Lobo, AR DSouza, Christ opher Fernandes and
ot her zealous members; t hey are f ort unat e in having had very good and
zealous parish priest s t o succeed Mgr RFC Mascarenhas.
I would suggest t hat t he persons- priest s and laymen ment ioned by me
in t he course of t hese reminiscences could be cont act ed before it is t oo lat e
t o garner furt her recollect ions of t his great man and out st anding priest RFC
Mascarenhas...
VI VAT BETHANY.
24 August 1976
Camp: St . Josephs Church
Jail Road East
Umerkhadi
Bombay 400009
41
Reuni on wi t h Spouse
Sr Cynt hia, t he Direct or of Bet hany Sanj ivini Cent re had t aken us t o Mangalore
for a st udy and spirit ual t our from March 28, 2011 t o March 30, 2011. We
saw t he phot ographic display of t he achievement s of t he Founder of t he
Bet hany Congregat ion SD Raymond as well as t he act ivit ies of t he Sist ers. We
also visit ed t he Founders cot t age and spent some t ime in silent prayer, t rust ing
in God and raising our supplicat ions t o Him t hrough SD Raymond. I prayed
wit h great fait h in God, especially for my husband who had left me t en years
earlier so t hat he would ret urn t o me and I placed my prayer request in t he
box for int ent ions.
Aft er we had ret urned t o Guledgudd, t he Sist er t ook me t o Hubli t o look for
my husband; and being t old by his friends t hat he was away, we ret urned.
Aft er some t ime we went t o his house once again, but no one t here was of
any help. Wit hout losing fait h, I said t he prayer given by t he Sist er for t he
beat ificat ion of t he Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas, and offering flowers,
prayed daily t o Jesus and Mot her Mary t hrough t he Servant of God Raymond.
One day, t hanks be t o God and t he Servant of God Raymond, my husband
phoned me for t he first t ime aft er all t hese years and ret urned t o me. Now
we live happily t oget her and I am expect ing. I request your prayers so t hat
my child may develop well in t he womb and I deliver wit hout any difficult y or
problems.
I , Danamma P Devanal am a Lingayat serving at t he Bet hany Sanj ivini Cent re.
I offer my praises and prayers t o God t hrough t he Servant of God Raymond
Mascarenhas. I humbly request t he Bet hany Congregat ion t o pray t hat God
grant us and our family His blessings and graces so t hat we live t oget her as a
happy family.
Mr s Danamma P Devanal , Guledgudd
Mul t i pl e Bl essi ngs
I of f er my heart f elt t hanks t o t he Sist ers of Bet hany who prayed f or my
f amily and me. As you know I got a j ob in a nice company and also received
my f irst salary. My healt h issues have been resolved and I am doing well.
Thank you once again.
Favours Received
42
Please cont inue your prayers for me and my family.
I have been assi gned a ver y r esponsi bl e t ask i n my
company and I need t he support of your prayers and
t he blessings of Our Lord t o accomplish it successf ully.
Pray t o t he Lord t o help me achieve prof essional
success and make my parent s proud and happy.
Thank You.
Royst en, Honnavar
(The prayer t eam has been praying for Royst en t hrough t he int ercession of
SD Raymond Mascarenhas.)
Good Job and Success i n Exams
Rev Fr Raymond Mascarenhas is my great -great -granduncle.
Last year my wife, my mot her, my mot her-in-law and I , had visit ed t he
Bet hany Convent in Mangalore and t he former residence of Rev Fr Raymond
Mascarenhas. We were very inspired, especially as Rev Fat her is from our
family.
My wife had been looking for a j ob for t he past one year prior t o our visit .
We st art ed praying t o Rev Fat her every day aft er our visit , for t he int ent ion
of finding a j ob, and wit hin one mont h, my wife found a very good j ob at US
Bank.
Furt hermore, she was also doing her CPA exams. Through t he int ercession
of Rev Fat her Raymond Mascarenhas, she complet ed all four of her CPA exams
in t he first at t empt .
We are very grat eful t o Servant of God Rev Fr Raymond Mascarenhas for
his int ercession.
I have also enclosed a cont ribut ion f or t he Cause of Canonizat ion of
Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas.
Al l en Rodr i gues, Bangalore
Prayers Answered
21
st
December 2011 was t he most unfort unat e day of our life, when my
daught er got sick t o t he ext ent t hat her lif e was t hreat ened wit h severe
chest inf ect ion, wit h one of her lungs t ot ally blocked. She was placed on
vent ilat or for one week. During t hat phase, her condit ion was so crit ical wit h
43
her vit als showing ups and downs
t hat every second was very crucial.
I t was t hat very moment , when
we were all t ot ally crashed, wit h
only a ray of hope from Almight y
God. The doct ors were doing t heir
j ob but what we needed besides
t hat was prayer t o God t o save
t his child, which we were not able
t o perf orm wit h our eyes f ull of
t ears and minds t ot ally lost and were finding ourselves in very helpless sit uat ion.
That was t he t ime when on my request one of my acquaint ances request ed
a Sist er t o kindly pray for t his girl. When Mrs Meera Malhot ra rang up t o Sr
Gr ace Mar i a on 23
rd
December, t he si st er s wer e cel ebrat i ng t he Deat h
Anniversary of Fat her Mascarenhas at I sh Kripa, t he headquart ers of Bet hanys
Nort hern Province. They immediat ely st art ed praying t o him and inf ormed
Bet hany at Mangalore, and t hey t oo prayed for t he life of my daught er. Wit h
t he cont inuous effort from t he Sist ers of St Theresas Convent School, Karnal
and t heir cent res at different part s of t he count ry, t he magic of prayer brought
f ruit . On 28
t h
December her vent ilat or was removed. The st ruggle f or her
survival cont inued for anot her mont h before she was discharged from hospit al
on 1
st
February 2012.
Wit h t he blessings of Almight y God and cont inuous support of t he Sist ers
for t he welfare of my daught er, she is now back t o her normal life.
Raj esh Baj aj (Fat her of Deepanshi), Karnal
Heal i ng f rom Vari ous I l l nesses
This let t er t o you is from Francis Gonsalves of Belgaum. One day t hrough
our Parish Priest , I got a copy of The Compassionat e Past or 2010 edit ion. I
had never before heard t he name of Fat her Raymond Mascarenhas. However,
as I went t hrough t he book I loved t o read repeat edly t he works of t he
great and t rue servant of God.
Af t er r eadi ng t he book, I st ar t ed spr eadi ng t he name of Fat her
Mascarenhas t o my friends, relat ives and well-wishers and t he works of t his
t rue servant of God. Then aft er cont act ing you on phone, you sent me t he
lat er edit ions of The Compassionat e Past or. Thank you so much dear sist er.
44
Lat er you also sent me t he holy pict ures cont aining prayer for t he beat ificat ion.
On r ecei vi ng, I st ar t ed di st r i but i ng t hem, aski ng t he r eci pi ent s t o send
t est imonies aft er receiving t he favours.
I regularly pray at least t wice a day for t he early beat ificat ion of Fat her
Raymond; may he receive t he honours of t he alt ar very soon. May he be
declared a saint ; may he be known t o t he whole world. May all read his name
in t he spirit ual calendar, in Bible diaries by celebrat ing his remembrance day as
a feast day.
I have suffered a lot in my life since my birt h, now I am in t he age group
of 59 and suffering from diabet es and blood pressure. I am suffering from
some ot her ailment s t oo, but I have not given up praying.
Now t hrough t he int ercession of Fat her Raymond Mascarenhas one by
one my sicknesses are being healed. Since 12 years, I was suf f ering f rom
severe burning sensat ion of t he feet . I t was irrit at ing me t oo much and it was
difficult for me t o walk. Now I am feeling far bet t er and can even walk wit hout
any problem. Secondly, I am having severe cervical pain I am sure t hat t his
also will be healed.
Franci s Gonsal ves, Belgaum
Good Heal t h and Heal i ng
I am Mrs Midsy Colaco from Goa. I was t eaching in Bet hany Convent High
School, Sao Jose de Areal in t he year 1991. I t was during t his period of my
t eaching t hat I suddenly t ook ill. I was very serious wit h very high infect ion in
t he blood. My ESR was very high, much beyond bounds. The doct ors in Goa
had given up all hope of my survival.
I t was during t his t ime t hat I was shift ed t o Manipal Hospit al where I was
admit t ed in t he I CU and t he doct ors said t hat all medical science is failing. All
my family members and my colleagues had given up hopes. But Sr Noel who
was my principal at t hat t ime, st art ed st orming Heaven and praying wit h all
t he st udent s of Bet hany Convent High School.
She also visit ed me at t he Manipal Hospit al wit h Sr Lumina t he manager.
And Sr Lumina prayed over me wit h t heir f ounder Mgr RFC Mascarenhas
cross. I t was a great surprise for t he doct ors. And slowly I st art ed recovering
from t hat day on. And up t ill t his dat e I am well.
Though I had a number of healt h problems, even af t er t hat , but my
fait h in Mgr RFC Mascarenhas has become very st rong and I know t hat t hrough
45
his int ercession I will be healed. I always acknowledge t hat t hrough his
int ercession I got new life t oday and I am living happily wit h my family. My
great t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas and so I ask t he Almight y t o grant Mgr
RFC Mascarenhas t he honours of t he alt ar soon.
Mi dsy Col aco, Salcet e, Goa
Gi f t of a Spouse and a Son
I am Jenova. My husbands name is Thomas. We are from I dint hakarai,
Tamilnadu. I am a member of BLA (Bet hany Lay Associat es) I dint hakarai. I am
very close t o Bet hany Sist ers.
I had gone t hr ough so
many difficult ies and problems
in my life. I suffered a lot , even
t he i l l t r eat ment f r om my
parent s. I was all alone in all my
suf f er i ngs and st r uggl es.
Nobody t ook int erest t o set t le
me in marriage, not even my
par ent s or r elat ives. Ear lier I
t hought I would live as a spinst er, since I had no support from my family. I was
already 39 years old and t o get proper mat ch was beyond my imaginat ion.
But I had deep fait h in t he God of t he impossible. Bet hany Sist ers were a
great support f or me and t hey advised me t o express my needs t o God
t hrough t he Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas. I t oo had a great love t owards
t his holy man. I cried bit t erly and prayed before t he pict ure of Fat her Raymond
t hat I may have a good fut ure.
To my surprise t he next day a proposal came which was dest ined for me
by God. I got married at t he age of 39 and my life companion is 45 years old.
Our next concern was a baby. I cont inued t o pray wit h deep fait h and hope,
for a child. Though doct ors could not give much hope t o me, our powerful
God gave me hope in my life and I gave birt h t o a baby boy at t he age of 40.
I believe my marriage and t he baby I got is a miracle t hat happened in
my life t hrough RFC Mascarenhas, and I am happy t o t ell you t hat my mot her-
in-laws family also bears t he name of Mascarenhas.
46
Now we are living happily. I pray t hat Our Founder SD RFC Mascarenhas
may be raised t o t he honours of t he alt ar soon. I raise my grat it ude t o God
and all t hose who prayed for me.
Parise t he Lord !
Jenova, Thomas and Raymond Ar ul Raj
I dint hakarai, Tamil Nadu
Toes Heal ed
I , Sr Seraphine, a diabet es pat ient was suffering from leg pain due t o
pus on my t oes. Doct ors asked me t o amput at e my t oes or be operat ed
upon and remove t he nails of my t oes. I t old t he doct or t hat I would not
allow my t oes t o be amput at ed.
I n my pain and dist ress I decided t o pray t hrough t he int ercession of our
Founder, and believed he would heal me. One day I saw a vision of Fr Founder
seat ed on a chair, in a closed room. I knocked at t he door and said t o him, I
am your beloved daught er Seraphine, you must heal me. To my surprise t he
next morning t he nails of my t oes came out on t heir own. I believe it was
t hrough t he int ercession of Fr Founder t hat I received healing. Now I am
get t ing bet t er and t he doct or t old me t he t oes need not be amput at ed as I
am get t ing healed.
I pray t hat our Founder may be raised t o t he honours of t he alt ar.
Sr M Ser aphi ne BS, Bet hany Provincial House, Kerala
Heal i ng and Abst i nence
Through t he int ercession of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas, complet e cure of
Melvilles bleeding duodenal ulcer and incident ally, his miraculous abst inence
from all alcoholic beverages. Thanks t o Our Lord for His abundant mercies.
Dr Lour des Pr abhu, Mangalore
47
Ul cer Heal ed
My husband had an ulcer on t he t ongue. Biopsy report showed t he presence
of malignant cells. Surgery was needed. We prayed earnest ly t o our heavenly
Fat her. We sought t he int ercession of Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas. The
ent ire Bet hany Congregat ion was wit h us in our need.
Through t he int ercession of Mgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas, st udent s and
st aff of Sacred Heart s High School, Kulshekar, t he second report showed no
t race of any malignancy. He is complet ely free of disease and recovering very
fast . Praise God! Thanks be t o God!
Thanks t o Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas. May t he Lord grant His beloved
servant t he honours of t he alt ar for His great er glory and t he spreading of t he
Gospel.
El anor a Pi nt o, Mariazell Kadri Road, Mangalore
FAVOUR RECEI VED
Oct ober 21, 2012
Received favours t hrough t he int ercession of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas. My sincere
t hanks t o him.
Moni sha Soni a
THE COMPASSIONATE PASTOR
Published t wice a year in July and December. No subscript ion. Donat ions
will be grat ef ully accept ed t o meet t he expenses of print ing, mailing
and t he process of Canonizat ion. Donat ions and of f erings may be sent
t o t he address given below. Cheques/ draf t s may be made in f avour of :
Cause of Msgr Raymond FC Mascar enhas. We invit e you t o share
your experiences f or possible inclusion in t his bullet in.
The Vice- Post ulat or
Cause of t he Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas
Bet hany Convent , Kankanady Post
Mangalore - 575 002
Karnat aka, I ndia
Managi ng Edi t or
48
FAVOURS RECEI VED THROUGH THE
I NTERCESSI ON OF THE SERVANT OF GOD
RAYMOND FC MASCARENHAS AND
PUBLI SHED I N RAKNNO, THE KONKANI
WEEKLY OF MANGALORE DI OCESE
2009/ 11 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received.
Sr Pr i ma BS
2009/ 12 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received.
J M Lobo, Vit t al
2009/ 13 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received.
Sr Benny BS
2009/ 14 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received.
I r wi n Menezes, Valencia
2009/ 15 Received f avour t hrough t he int ercession of Servant of God
RFC Mascarenhas. My heart felt t hanks t o him.
Benny Rasqui nha, Baj pe
2009/ 16 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received
Sr Sever i ne Fer nandes, Padukone
2009/ 17 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received.
Bet hany Convent , Put t ur
2009/ 18 My grat ef ul t hanks t o Mgr RFC Mascarenhas f or t he f avour
received.
Sr Fel i x BS, Cypr i an DSouza and Fami l y
2009/ 19 Received favour t hrough t he int ercession of Servant of God
RFC Mascarenhas. My heart felt t hanks t o him.
Mi zoram