Prayer for the Beatication of the

Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas

God our loving Father, we thank you for choosing your
servant Raymond to be your faithful priest and the Founder of
the Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany,
His ardent devotion to the Eucharist, love for the Mother
Church, zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel and his
compassionate love especially for the poor have borne
abundant fruit. Like him may we too in union with Mary, our
Mother, become bearers of the Good News.
We humbly implore you Father to grant us this special
request through the intercession of your beloved servant
Raymond...(mention your request).
Deign O Lord, to grant your beloved servant the honours of
the altar for your greater glory and the spreading of the Gospel.
Amen.
Glory be....

Imprimatur
Most Rev. A. P. DSouza
Bishop of Mangalore

Mangalore
16.06.2008

N.B. Please report any favours or miracles received through the

intercession of the Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas to:
The Vice-Postulator, Cause of Beatication and Canonization of the
Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas, Bethany Convent, Bendur, Mangalore, D.K. 575002.
Ph : 0824-2211806; Email : rfcmas@gmail.com

THE COMP
ASSION
ATE P
AST
OR
COMPASSION
ASSIONA
PAST
ASTOR
JUL
Y 2016
JULY

Contents

Editorial Board
Managing Editor

1.

Sr M Rose Celine, BS

2.

Editorial

Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas A

Zealous Preacher and a Saint Close to My
Heart

Chief Editor
Sr M Lillis, BS

3.

Our Pastor Bishop Aloysius Paul DSouza is

75
- Mr Ivan J Saldanha

MEMBERS

- Fr S Igantius Kumar CSsR

4.

12

Through the Selfless Labour of Love 15

- Fr P Jesu Rajan CR

Rev Fr Joseph Martis

5.

My Experience with our Founder

20

- Sr M Noel BS

Mr Ivan Saldanha

6.

7.

Letters and Messages of the Founder to the

Sisters of the Congregation

Sr M Jessy Rita, BS
Sr M Virginia, BS

23

- Prof Edmund Frank

Prof Edmund Frank

Sr Miriam, BS

An Appraisal of Unravel the Pearl

8.

- Sr M Tressilla BS

29

Favours Received

33

EDITORIAL
Your Children as the Shoots of an Olive Tree
The month of July draws our attention towards
our children as most of them have begun a new
academic session and some of them just starting their
educational career. The parents surely have chosen
the best school for their children even if in some cases
they might not have been able to send them to a
desired school. A good number of us assess the quality of a school
judging mainly on the qualification of the teachers, the infrastructure
and other extracurricular activities the school possesses for an all-round
growth of the children. It is in this context, I feel that we need to ask
two pertinent questions: What should be the final goal of education?
What is the role of parents and the family in the education of their
children?
Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, on Love
in the Family, refers to children along with their parents as, like olive
shoots, having full of energy and vitality (Psalm 128:3). What a lovely
comparison! While highlighting the gift of children in a family, Pope
Francis underscores the responsibility of parents for the education of
their children in faith.i This reminds me of one of the homilies of Servant
of God Mgr Raymond F C Mascarenhas wherein he underlines the
bounden duty of the parents on imparting moral education to their
children in addition to secular education. your children are the children
of God. God has given a charge to you, for God is their actual Father;
therefore, you must educate them for God. Quoting St John Chrysostom
Mgr Raymond writes: The lips of the parents are books for instructing
their children. ii In the above words of the Servant of God, I hear an
echo of the teachings of Pope Francis on Towards a better Education
for Children wherein he points out family as the first school of human
values, the primary setting for socialization and thereby spotlights many
other important roles of family.iii
Servant of God Mgr Raymond, could emphatically speak on the role
of the parents in shaping the lives of their children from the experience
of the love and spiritual training that he himself received from his family.
He grew up in a healthy family where faith and piety reigned under the
vigilant eyes of his parents, especially his mother, a woman of faith,
i

Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, 2016

ii

Ronald Serrao, Thus He Preached to Them, A collection of Homilies and Reflections of Servant of
God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas , 2014, pp 46-47

iii

Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetita, 231-236

who cared with love. She laid the foundation of a character, based on
solid piety, coupled with a tender devotion to our Blessed Mother, and
trained her children in the ways of the Lord.iv In the book of Constitutions
written by the Servant of God for his newly founded Bethany
Congregation, he draws attention of the sisters to teaching children the
principles of good conduct and of a virtuous life in order to prepare their
hearts for the operations of gracev. He invites us to adhere to the
instruction of Pope Francis to mould our children in love so that they
grow in vitality and energy like olive shoots adorning our families and
societies.
The articles in this issue, unravel various facets of the personality
and spirituality of the Servant of God. The cover design is indicative of
love he had for the youth and their role in the church and society. While
Fr Swamikannu Ignatius Kumar, CSsR elucidates the saintliness of the
Servant of God reflected in his homilies, Fr Jesu Rajan CR underscores
that the Servant of God considered work as redemptive like that of the
Holy Family of Nazareth who also earned their daily living through work.
Professor Edmund Franks article not only contains a review of the book,
Unravel the Pearl, a collection of poems and skits on the Servant of God
by students and teachers but also unveils the manner in which the
vision of this great soul has lighted up thousands of lives. He paints the
Servant of God as a person not only relevant today but also in the
future. Sr Noel shares with the readers the way in which Mgr Raymond
was a true Father to her and his role in drawing her closer to God. The
extract from the doctoral thesis of Sr Tressilla on the letters of Mgr
Raymond, expound the motivating power of his letters to greater
dedication and life of service of the sisters.
On behalf of the Editorial Board, Mr Ivan D Souza felicitates our
dear Bishop Most Rev Aloysius Paul DSouza on his 75th birthday and
20th Year of his episcopate. The Editorial Board extends a warm welcome
to Sr Rose Celine, the newly elected Superior General of Bethany Sisters
who will be the Managing Editor of the Compassionate Pastor in the
place of Sr Wilberta, the former Superior General. We remain ever
grateful to Sr Wilberta for her wholehearted support in publishing the
Bulletins in the past.
Sr Lillis BS
iv
v

Violette DSouza, Unless the Seed Die, Mangalore, 1985,Pg.

First Copy of the Constitutions of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, 1932 , no. 282

SERVANT OF GOD MGR RFC MASCARENHAS

A ZEALOUS PREACHER AND
A SAINT CLOSE TO MY HEART
Fr Swamikannu Ignatius Kumar CSsR
Whenever I saw the picture of Monsignor Raymond Francis,
popularly called, Servant of God, Mgr RFC Mascarenhas, the founder of
the Congregation of the Bethany Sisters of the Little Flower, I was
reminded of the celebrated paintings of Jan Lievens and his series of
paintings which were basically character studies of people in their
advanced age. One of the paintings of Jan Lievens is titled the Bearded
Man with a Beret. But the bearded man wearing a beret in that painting
looked like any other old man in my experience.
But what differentiates Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas now
famous picture is the mysteriousness of the photograph itself. Somehow
the photographer has managed to grasp in a single shot, the core
character of the servant of God in it. The crinkling eyes full of compassion
looking away from the viewer, and the enigmatic smile that seems to
emanate from his twinkling eyes that flow seamlessly to the rest of his
countenance, was both immortalized for posterity, frozen in time forever.
But there was also something else in that smile of his - something
that was indefinable, something that was more imagined than seen
with certainty. That something else is similar to the emotion called Toska
an untranslatable Russian word- referred to, by novelist Vladimir, which
broadly meant a great spiritual anguish, often without a visible specific
cause. But in my view, that nameless something that one finds in that
smile of Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas is actually a deep glow of
his spirituality or simply the natural flash of his holy dignity.
Besides his calm graceful smile, two other features need a mention
here. First the whitish long flowing beard that spoke volumes of the
quiet ascetic dignity of the Servant of God and the three tipped beret
surmounted by a tuft or pompom that showcased his rather high position
in diocesan hierarchy. However, Mgr R FC Mascarenhas was not just an
ordinary high-ranking prelate alone. He was a man of God too. He was
4

what he actually was, - a Monsignor - and a holy one at that. The fact
was that there was something else in that face that drew people to him
and commanded obedience and love from his beloved sons and
daughters. Thus till today the picture of him is a picture of an attractive
holy presence, a presence that evokes veneration, affection, love and
instant obedience.
The reason why we have devoted so much of time dealing with his
personal appearance is that first of all, for any preacher worth his salt,
a dignified appearance is the first requirement. A stunningly solemn
presence is a sheer luxury and a gift of God for a preacher, not normally
given to all. Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas had precisely that
spontaneously solemn presence and it is no wonder that people had
always clung to his words.
His biographer Sr M Violette DSouza talks of his sturdy physical
appearance when he was young. She says, He was solidly built with a
strong physic and he was rather tall for an Indian. He had a strong
masculine voice, a calm manner of speech which was friendly which
made him irresistible when he spoke.1 Therefore it is easy for us to
imagine him standing at the pulpit in his church, tall and graceful, looking
intensely at his people with his compassionately piercing eyes, even as
he delivered his sermon.
Secondly, for any preacher worth his salt, a good memory, a solid
command over the language, a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures,
a wry sense of humour and an attractive eloquence as an orator are
very important. These are the building blocks that create a word picture
even as they enumerate and develop a particular theme. Servant of
God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas had all these and so was an eloquent orator,
par excellence.
His addresses were simple, direct and thought-provoking2 and that
is why he was a popular preacher both in English and in Konkani. Besides
English, his command over Konkani was extraordinary and it was
acknowledged by none other than, Fr A Macry, SJ, a then well-known
1

Sister M Violette DSouza, BS, Unless The Seed Die, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA, 1982, Pp
15-16

Op.Cit., p.61

Canonist of St Josephs seminary, when he wrote, I congratulate you,

dear Father, on this very creditable work...your skill in managing the
Konkani language is remarkable. In the labyrinth of heavy scriptural
passages you move with astonishing ease.3
It is said that a good preacher is invariably a good writer also. On
the other hand a good writer need not necessarily be a good preacher.
Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas had both these abilities an
extraordinary writer and a preacher because basically he was a good
thinker. His mastery over Latin and philosophy perhaps empowered him
to be logical and clear in his mind. To add to these he had a phenomenal
memory which is more than an asset for a preacher.
Monsignor Raymond Francis preaching career spread over four
decades from 1902-1938. His patron saint, St Francis Xavier was a natural
inspiration for his missionary zeal. He preached in various capacities.
He preached as an assistant Parish Priest in Milagres Mangalore, and in
Milagres- Kallianpur. He preached as Parish Priest in St Francis Xavier,
Udyavar, in Most Holy Saviour, Agrar and in St Sebastians Church, Bendur.
Later on as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Mangalore and as the
Founder of the Congregation of the Bethany Sisters of the Little Flower
he had numerous opportunities to preach on important occasions.
It is said that people flocked to St Sebastians Church in Bendur to
hear his Holy Week sermons. His homily delivered during the First
Diocesan Eucharistic Congress in 1938 still sounds as modern as ever
even though it was long before Vatican II. The first thing we notice in
his sermons is the familiarity of the phrases that he uses, and the
ultramodern anthropological approach in his examples.
It is said that St John Chrysostoms 800 odd homilies that were
published can be read even today as though they were contemporary
writings. Monsignor Raymond Francis sermons have that same quality
for one does not get the feeling that it was written almost a century
ago. Even the frequent Latin Scriptural quotes that he employs, far
from making the sermon sound ancient, rather adds glamour to his
homilies. The frequent use of Latin Scriptural quotes came natural to
him as he was very good in many languages and especially in Latin.
3

Op.Cit., 47

As a seminarian he was top performer in his class. He had a

prodigious memory, so much so, he memorized 300 lines of Latin poetry
in two days.4 He could rattle off whole lessons on Church History almost
word for word. He was very intelligent.5 Even though he had a very
strong philosophical background that he could give a talk on De
Universali Forma and De Ente et Essentia6 is proof enough of his
interest and competence in philosophy in general and thomistic
philosophy in particular - he opted for pure simplicity in his sermons
which is the hallmark of a good preacher for a good preacher is always
simple, clear and direct to the point.
Just like St Alphonsus the founder of the Congregation of the Most
Holy Redeemer, the Three Great Mysteries in the Life of Jesus - the
Crib, the Cross and the Eucharist - seems to have had a strong hold on
the life of Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas. The Crib, the Cross
and the Eucharist were the three most important factors in his life besides
his love for Mary Mother of God which is rather obvious in his homily on
the occasion of the feast of St Rose of Lima. His homilies mostly deal
with these mysteries Homilies on Annunciation, the Wedding at Cana,
forming the mystery of Incarnation and the role of Mother Mary in the
work of Redemption of the world, the sermon on the Love and Grief of
Jesus, on the Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, forming the
mystery of the Cross, sermon on Tantum Ergo Sacramentum and the
Catechesis to the First Holy Communion Children dealing with the
Eucharistic mystery. Besides these he also deals with the basis of the
Catholic Credo the Resurrection of our Lord and the fact of our belief
in the Resurrection of our bodies. His homily on Easter Sunday is as
simple as it comes but with deep faith.
Though he was a Diocesan priest, all his life working as Parish
Priest and a loving pastor for his people in parishes in far flung places in
the west coast of India and being an administrator of his diocese in the
Bishops house, his heart was closer to religious life and its spirituality
rather than secular spirituality, as he had given numerous talks to religious
4

Op.Cit.,11

Op.Cit.,12

Ibid., 12

and preached many a retreat to religious sisters. He had a very clear

understanding of what constitutes consecrated life in the life of the
church. His retreat talks are very clear on the whole question of the
mystery of consecrated life and the appropriate response of the individual
religious to the universal call to Holiness. He places religious life within
the ambit of the ultimate end of everything and orienting ones life
towards that goal and doing what pleases God i.e., the Will of God even
as we live. His meditation points on the end of man and the call to be
Holy bears testimony to this fact. The nine days retreat points worked
out by him for the Cloistered Carmel Sisters is a revelation and a text
book for budding preachers.
While reading his homilies I was reminded of the teachings of Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI in his encyclical Spe Salvi in which he speaks of
two types of hopes Little hopes and the Great hope. Little hopes are
those ordinary experiences of joy and satisfaction we often experience.
But these are not possible without the Great hope which is God and God
only.7 This is what we are to deal with in every homily or sermon. It is
only in this way, Homilies touch the deepest levels of the human heart
and address the real questions of human experience. I found the sermons
and homilies of the Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas having this
orientation a long time before our beloved Pope Emeritus outlined them
in his recent encyclical. In this way his sermons were much ahead of his
time in terms of its content, style and purpose. To think of it in one way
or the other, it is really extraordinary and praiseworthy.
In his homily on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Rev Fr J B
Aranha Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas quotes Psalm 115:3. Not
to us Lord, not to us but to your Name, be the glory, because of your
love and faithfulness. I have never found a Scripture quote fit so smugly
to the occasion of Diamond Jubilee. It just came from his heart and
from his understanding of what life is all about. That is the reason why
Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas was a preacher par excellence.
He was a preacher who was true to his heart all the time and that is
why his words had that magical quality. A sermon preached from the
7

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi (On Christian Hope), no 30

heart can never sound hollow and superfluous. No wonder Servant of

God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas had this natural gift to reach out and touch
the hearts of his listeners.
Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas had an extraordinary
understanding of his priesthood and priesthood in general. We have an
evidence of this in the homily that he preached on the occasion of that
same Diamond Jubilee. His list of priestly work and the interpretation
that he gives for those works literally lifts the ordinary everyday life of a
priest to the level of daily sacrifice and works that were done in the
name of God, works that were done as a response to the faith question,
What we must do to inherit eternal life? I found that so touching. In
the works of God that were done by him as a priest, there was no
glamour, no reward, no advancing oneself, no personal glorification, no
careerism involved. All that mattered were works that were done just
for the glory of God. When the Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas
finished his homily echoing Mother Mary, he said, Ergo Serve Tum.
How apt! Behold your servant indeed!!
The Homily was always an Ecclesial Act for the Servant of God Mgr
RFC Mascarenhas. He had the same freedom of the Early Fathers of the
Church whenever he preached. His homily on one Palm Sunday is an
excellent example of this inner freedom. On that Palm Sunday he chose
to speak to parents on the Christian education to children. It was a
heroic attempt at catechising Christian parents on a very important day.
He knew his duty as a pastor. He knew his doctrine. He knew his Scripture.
He knew the urgency of his pasture. Therefore instead of being a
stereotype and delivering a sermon on the triumphal entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem he preached to the mothers and fathers of his flock saying,
weep for your children and encouraged parents to give their children
Christian education. This reminds me of the act of St Cyril of Jerusalem
when he handed over the Creed to those who would be baptized and
said, The most important doctrines were collected from the whole of
Scripture to make a single exposition of Faith. That same freedom
exercised by the great early Father of the Church was reflected in the
choice of the theme chosen by the Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas
on Palm Sunday. For him preaching was always an Ecclesial Act. Period!
9

As a preacher and that too as a Redemptorist preacher, I felt an

intimate proximity to this holy man while reading his homilies. The more
I read the more I was reminded of my own founder St Alphonsus de
Liguori. There are similarities and differences between them. It is but
natural. But the fact is that they each represent a different era of Catholic
thinking. But what is common between them is their fervent apostolic
zeal- zeal for God and for Gods holy people a zeal that all of us need
to exemplify in all that we do.
If I may be allowed to, let me share a deep personal experience of
mine as to, how I a priest from Tamil Nadu began to love and venerate,
Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas who was from Mangalore. It was
by chance that I had happened to preach about him on the first occasion
when Bethany Provincial House, Bangalore kept the 50th Anniversary
of the death of their Founder on February 6, 2011. Most Rev Dr J B
Sequeira, Bishop Emeritus was the main celebrant for the Eucharistic
celebration. I was not very familiar to the Bethany Sisters at that time.
But I preached about him with love and veneration.
That was the first time I read his biography and the other writings
of him from the sisters of the Congregation, in order to prepare for that
homily. Somehow the man behind the saint fascinated me. Servant of
God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas was a preacher par excellence, a genuine
intellectual and not a pretender like some in my experience, a loving
person, kind, truly holy and someone who had suffered a lot in life. He
stuck a card in my heart. I felt at home with Servant of God Mgr RFC
Mascarenhas and his life and work. I accepted him as a saint deep
within my heart. Then later on, when I was asked to put that homily in
writing for their magazine, The Compassionate Pastor which I did and
with that my fascination and love for the saint grew all the more.
When I was asked yet again a second time now to write an article
on him as a preacher I had this chance once again to read and
contemplate all over again the life and works of the Servant of God Mgr
RFC Mascarenhas. I thought maybe it is the providence of God at work
once again. In my view, Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas is a
lovable saint.
10

These days I make frequent supplications before the Servant of

God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas especially during my moments of trials and
sorrows. He smiles at me in my sorrows. His smile I know. Besides, I
have learnt to love that fatherly smile in spite of my pain and misery.
For, his enigmatic smile is not of the smile of the ordinary mortal and a
silly man full of hatred rather his smile is a smile of compassion. That
compassionate smile has always been the perennial answer from the
Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas for all my prayers. That strange
smile has helped me to look forward to Gods tomorrow the tomorrow
that God has in mind for me.
Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas had always answered my
prayers. Whatever may be my trials, I began to look in the direction of
his gaze away from himself towards God, towards Gods holy people.
I am eternally grateful to him and I will always venerate him. Servant of
God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas is a saint who is close to my heart than all
the other saints whom I had learnt to venerate, follow, imitate, study,
and take help from. Servant of God Mgr RFC Mascarenhas is part and
parcel of me being a priest and a preacher.

Suffering strengthens our spiritual life. One who suffers

exactly as God wishes, enjoys spiritual joy.

Faith enables us to see all things in the same light as God

views them.

God came into this world not to live among us like a King
but to partake of our nature, to suffer humiliations and the
ignominy of the death of the Cross.

If our life spent in suffering, sickness, humiliation or hard

work, and if we offer that to God, how soon we will be
great Apostles of suffering, uniting our pains to those of
Jesus.
- RFC Mascarenhas
11

OUR PASTOR
BISHOP ALOYSIUS PAUL DSOUZA IS 75
Felicitations from The Compassionate Pastor
Ivan Saldanha
Our Bishop, Most Rev Aloysius Paul DSouza, on June 21, 2016
marked 75 years of generous life, this occasion in a very special manner
throughout the diocese and beyond was a red letter day. In the cause of
our Founder Servant of God Raymond F C Mascarenhas, the Bishop
has a historic and unforgettable lead role. For it was during his pastoral
rule that he not only took the lead in placing Mgr RFC Mascarenhas, on
the path to sainthood in 2008, but he oversaw and motivated the process
very closely. It may be recalled that Sr Jyoti BS was then the Superior
General of the Bethany Congregation. Our dear bishop has time and
again expressed that we must see a Mangalorean raised to the honours
of the altar as soon as possible. In 2014 it was only through Bishop
Aloysius Paul DSouzas good offices and efforts that he ably charted
out a course with all concerned to exhume the remains of the Servant
of God, as per church traditions and procedure and relocate it at a place
which allows the Servant of God to be honoured. Sr Wilberta BS was
the Superior General then. All these achievements were directed and
made possible to the first potential Mangalorean saint by His Lordship
Most Rev Dr Aloysius Paul DSouza, whom we here honour on his 75th
Birthday and pray and wish Gods choicest blessings on him always.
Bishop Aloysius also completed 20 years as the Shepherd of this
major and ancient diocese, having taken the reins of the diocese on
December 27, 1996. On December 3, 1966, he was ordained priest so
is set to mark his golden jubilee - 2016 is a special year in his great life
of service to the church and people, is being honoured by many.
Mangalore diocese is one of the largest, important and difficult
Catholic dioceses in the sub-continent. In July 2012, when it was
bifurcated and Udupi Diocese took shape, Mangalore diocese then had
159 parishes with 3,82,000 Catholics. With a total of 260 educational
institutions, of which 90 or 35% were started under Bishop Aloysius.
12

Vital of them are Fr Mullers Homeopathic Medical College, Fr Mullers

Medical College, and St Josephs Engineering College. One singular
project he took up was to adopt a mission in the Same Diocese in
Tanzania on the African continent in 2013 which now has taken roots.
Bethany of Mangalore has been playing a very supporting role in the
plans of Bishop Aloysius. The present Superior General, Sr Rose Celine,
BS is set to take forward the work from this point of time, in co-operation
with the church. Bishop Aloysius, has evenly spread consistent care and
direction for the religious in the region, his special concern are the
youth. The Bishop of Mangalore is the key person to provide overall
guidance and leadership to a host of institutions and organizations apart
from parishes as well as Bethany.
The Udupi diocese formation in July 2012, reduced the parishes
here to 112 from 159. Yet, during these last years rapid strides are
visible in all facets of life and spiritual profile in this region. The Bishop
has scaled up every service of the church to meet the new order of the
world. He has always called upon Bethany to contribute to the growth
and development of the church and its institutions; in particular
the mission of our dear Founder to take education to all corners was a
top priority for our dear Bishop Aloysius too. On the occasion of the
50th death anniversary of the Servant of God, Bishop Aloysius in his
homily said, Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas lived his life as a man
in union with God.His life was pleasing to God, a consequence of his
deep relationship with God. He told the Bethany Sisters to adopt a
similar attitude, Every day give first place in your heart to God. Never
act with a view to please others or yourself; act only to please God.
We pray that the blessings and compassion of God ever provide Bishop
Aloysius, who has gained the title of Bishop of the People - the masses
with good health, peace and happiness in all his days to come which we
hope will be long and fruitful too, as the Lord wills.
The Postulator of the cause of Mgr Raymond F C Mascarenhas, Sr
Lillis Katakayam records in The Compassionate Pastor that on December
16, 2013, in St Sebastian Church Bendur, the mortals remains of the
Servant of God Raymond F C Mascarenhas were transferred from the
nave of the church to the new tomb in the new extension by the side of
13

the church. She stressed the fact that recognizing the holiness of the
Servant of God, the process of exhumation, identification and transfer
of the mortal remains of the Servant of God to an imposing new tomb
was carried out by Most Rev Aloysius Paul DSouza, the Bishop of
Mangalore. Thus it is he who has provided for better access to the
people who desire to pray at the tomb of this saintly priest and draw
inspiration from his life. The Bethany Congregation is ever indebted to
Bishop Aloysius for all the insight and efforts regarding their founder
and his cause.
Bishop Aloysius Paul DSouza was born on June 21, 1941 in
Hekkottu, Agrar parish, near Bantwal to Mathias and Isabella, he was
the sixth child of seven and several served the church. He did his
early education in SVS School, and higher studies at St Aloysius College,
where Mgr Mascarenhas too studied earlier. He later studied in Rome
from 1971 to 76. He had done his doctoral thesis on Canon Law and
had served as the Advocate of Rota in Rome. On his return he served in
several capacities. He was the first rector of the St Josephs Seminary,
Jeppu, after it was handed over to the diocese by the Jesuits; he studied
here for the priesthood too, as had the Servant of God. Due to Bishop
Aloysius efforts and initiatives as the head of the diocese, many
educational institutions have come up. He brought out the first Konkani
Bible, and nurtured vocations through faith formation programmess in
parishes. Our Servant of God, Raymond F C Mascarenhas association
with Mangalore diocese and its development in his time can be closely
compared. Perhaps he was an early pioneer in attempt to translate the
prayers and hymns which were in Latin in those times. He was the first
one to translate the New Testament from Latin into Konkani. He was
the Vicar General too for a period of ten years and thus was closely
associated with the then Bishops.
Presently, the Diocese of Mangalore is a large and well organized
integral component of the Church under the Pope based in the Vatican.
It has provided several Bishops all over India and outside too. The fact
that our own servant of God is the first to be put on the path to sainthood
speaks volumes of our dear Bishop Aloysius Paul DSouza who has been
the instrument of God in this great achievement in Mangalore diocese
for the Church at large.
14

THROUGH THE SELFLESS LABOUR OF LOVE

Fr P Jesu Rajan CR
The Servant of God RFC Mascarenhas, the founder of the Sisters of
the Little Flower of Bethany from Mangalore, very often used to say
that Bethany was the joy and crown of his selfless labour of love for
the spread of the Kingdom. This shows that he worked very hard for the
very growth of the Congregation planted on 16 July 1921 in a small
place called Bendur in Mangalore with four lady teachers namely
Marcelline Menezes, Flora Mathias, Alice Mathias and Regina Gertrude
Gonsalves which has now 177 branches throughout the world with around
1400 members.
Mgr R F C Mascarenhas was a lover of the poor and the downtrodden.
When he was a parish priest of St Sebastian Church, Bendur (Mangalore
Diocese), his mind and heart were still busy finding new ways and means
to bring God to the people and the people to God. Though he opened
schools, dispensaries, sodalities, St Vincent de Paul Society and soon,
his inner being was not satisfied. Being a confessor and director of
souls, his heart was restless until he planted the seed of Bethany. He
discovered the specific vision and charism of the Congregation in the
mystery of the Incarnation and Annunciation. Moved by the charism of
compassionate love of Jesus to the poor and the marginalized, he worked
very hard till the end of his life. He realized the helping hand of God
even in the least of his work.
In this article, I would like to focus on the importance Mgr R F C
Mascarenhas attributed to work, or labour.
Meaning of work:
Human work is a key, probably the essential key to the whole social
question. It is meant for mans good and making our life more human.
Through work man earns his daily bread and contributes to the continual
advancement of science and technology and above all, to elevating
unceasingly the cultural and moral level of the society within which he
lives. Work means any activity by a person whether manual or intellectual,
whatever its nature or circumstance be; St Pope John Paul II in his
encyclical letter on human labour, very clearly states that Any human
15

activity either physical or mental, will be considered as work. By manual

work he says, we are participating in the creative work of God.
Man is made to be in the visible universe and he is created in the
image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26), and he is placed in it in order to
subdue the earth (Gen 1:28). So from the beginning itself man is called
to work. Work is one of the characteristics that distinguishes man from
the rest of creatures. Only
man is capable of work,
and only man works.
Biblical Understanding
of Work:
In
the
Sacred
Scripture, God is indeed
depicted as a worker. For
example, in the book of
Genesis 1and 2: God wears
no occupational hats: strategic planner, designer, civil engineer, real
estate developer, project manager and many more. The psalmist declares
that God who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Ps 121:40.
The God of the Sacred Scripture is pre-eminently a worker.
Robert J Banks, in his book, God the Worker explores sixteen biblical
comparisons drawn from the world of human work to depict God,
including God as a composer and performer, metal worker and potter,
garment maker and dresser, gardener and orchardist, farmer and wine
maker, shepherd and pastor, tent maker and camper, builder and
architect. In this biblical image of God for Christian living and ministry,
several implications are true.
The New Testament speaks of Jesus Christ as the son of the
carpenter. For Jesus not only proclaimed but first and foremost fulfilled
by his deeds the Gospel, the word of eternal wisdom that had been
entrusted to him. Therefore, this was also the Gospel of work because
he who proclaimed it was himself a man of work, a craftsman like Joseph
of Nazareth. The teaching of Christ on work based on the example of
his life during his years in Nazareth finds a particularly lively echo in the
16

teaching of the Apostle

Paul. Paul boasts of
working of his trade and
thanks God that he was
able even as an apostle to
earn his own bread with
toil and labour. He worked
night and day that he
might not burden any of
them. He said, If anyone will not work let him not eat(2Thes.3:10).
RFC Mascarenhas the Role Model for Bethany:
Mgr Raymond often used to say: For Bethany Sisters manual labour,
as for St Joseph, St Benedict and saints like him, is a humble way of
approaching God. He often quoted and commented on St Pauls letter
to the Thessalonians: But we urge you belovedto aspire to live quietly,
to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we directed
you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and to be
dependent on no one ( cf. Reminiscing in Tranquility Pg. 38).
Sweat and toil, which work necessarily involves in the present
condition of the human race, present the Christian and everyone who is
called to follow Christ with the possibility of sharing lovingly in the work
that Christ came to do. To activate it into his life, the servant of God RFC
Mascarenhas, worked very hard night and day for the betterment of the
parish, the church and his beloved children of Bethany. He started dairy,
handlooms for spinning and weaving, needle craft, embroidery, lace
making and tailoring for the sisters and for the women. He taught the
sisters self-reliance and the dignity of manual labour. He set up a bakery
in Bethany Motherhouse so that the sisters could bake bread and biscuits
needed for the growing Congregation. They excelled in making milk
products. In 1926 the Bendur branch of St Vincent de Paul Society started
St Vincent Bethany Industries with the cooperation of the Bethany Sisters
in a building placed at the disposal of the Conference by the Parish
Priest, Fr RFC Mascarenhas. They produced papadams, curry powders,
preserves, pickles etc., The work was under the direct supervision of
17

the Bethany Sisters who also took an active part in the preparation, and
above all seeing to the cleaniliness and neatness of the work done.
Every package bore the SVB label. The sisters who developed the skills
in craft and weaving engaged themselves in St Marthas Industrial School
which was set up by the Founder. He got government recognition for
this school and opened its portals to hundreds of girls and women to
make them self-reliant. Many of these girls were uneducated or had no
means of pursuing high school education. The looms and the industrial
works not only brought some financial support for the maintenance of
the new born Congregation but witnessed to the elite society who
frowned upon nuns engaging in manual work, the dignity of labour. The
loom materials are still
placed in the Cultural
Centre of Bethany
Motherhouse, Bendur,
in remembrance of the
pioneers of Bethany.
So also the certificates
of merit obtained by
the sisters for their
handicraft and dairy products which are preserved in the museum in
Bethany exemplify the value of labour upheld by Mgr RFC.
In order to give witness to the dignity of human labour, the
pioneering members of Bethany also worked in the agricultural farms
and contemplating the creative power of God, planted ragi, gingili, sugarcane, paddy, vegetables and fruit trees. Keeping the words of our Lord
from the Gospel of John 15:5, I am the vine and you are the branches.
As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but
apart from me you can do nothing, and the spiritual advice of the
founder the sisters had good harvest not only in the farms but also in
their Congregation, to support the community and the poor.
The Servant of God advised the sisters thus: We should do the
manual work, and take up agriculture wherever possible with our people.
Let us not be ashamed of manual work. Take the example of the Holy
18

Felicitations and Good wishes to

Most Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza
on his 75 Birth Anniversary
from the Editorial Board,
The Compassionate Pastor

Most Rev Aloysius Paul D'Souza, President of the

Diocesan Board of Inquiry for the Cause of Beatication
and Canonization of SD Raymond Mascarenhas
on 17 August 2008

Visitors to the Founder's Monument

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Goa

Students of Bethany High School, Salcette, Goa

Bishop Ignatius Mascarenhas of

Simla-Chandigarh Diocese
at the Tomb of Mgr Raymond

Visitors from Kable, Karnataka

at the Tomb of the Founder
Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas

Visitors at Founder's Cottage

The Newly Elected Bethany Superior General

Rev Sr Rose Celine and her Team
in the Generalate, Mangalore
Also seen in the picture are Sr Mariette BS,
Sr Lillis Asst Superior General
Sr Shanthi Priya BS and Sr Lilitta BS

family and do manual work. I hope Bethany will outlive all these
prejudices against agriculture and manual work (cf. Bethany My Joy
and My Crown p 59). The idea behind was that the Bethany Sisters
should work with the poor and inspire them to use their own land to
grow what they require at least for their daily needs.
The modern society though advanced in science and technology
should also realize the dire unmet needs of the present society. Smart
schools, super specialty hospitals and advanced media type social work
have mushroomed. In this situation Bethany ought to recapture the
vision, mission and the spirit of the founder in order to be more relevant
to the signs of the times. The Year of Mercy reminds us that all our
physical and intellectual work should shape and make the society
according to the vision of Christ. We should also remember the quote
from the Book of Leviticus 19:9, the poor and the needy ones should
not be forgotten.
Whoever listens to the word of God, and integrate work and prayer
certainly will realize that ones work not only enhances earthly progress,
but also fosters the Kingdom of God. Each one of us is called for this
purpose through the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of the Gospel.
Today I see the dream of Mgr Raymond being materialized in the spiritual
and social life of the sisters. They, by their selfless service of love in
numerous fields are extending the Kingdom of God everywhere thus
making the Crown of their Founder brighter.

In the morning seek to be the first to enter the chapel and to

catch the first smile of our Lord as the first among the
community to greet Him after His loving waiting during
the night.
The real fruit of meditation is fervor in Gods service, greater
facility in the practice of virtue, strength and courage to
resist temptation, strength to avoid sluggishness and
cowardice in our daily life.
- RFC Mascarenhas
19

MY EXPERIENCES WITH OUR FOUNDER

SD RFC MASCARENHAS
Sr M Noel, BS
1.

My Experience of seeing the Founder as a student:-

My first encounter with Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas was at the age

of 14. I was then a student at Little Flower Girls High School. This was
the first High School started by the Servant of God. I saw him at the
portico of our Church in Kinnnigoly, Mangalore, i.e. Immaculate
Conception Church. Mgr was attired in red and black. It was an occasion
to honour him by the parish for becoming a Domestic Prelate, an honour
conferred on him by the Holy See for his selfless work in various capacities
in the Church. His face was radiant and appeared majestic. No wonder,
my grandpa used to say: Because of this Holy priest, our village has
improved and our children have grown in every way.
My family considered him a holy man, a man of God and a saint.
When I recall his face, I find a similarity with that of Pope John Paul IIa face shining with Gods glory
2.

My experience of Founder as a Candidate

I joined Bethany on 13 June 1958. Mother Priscilla, the then Superior

General took me to the Founder, Mgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas. She
said to him, She is Sister Esperies niece. Immediately Founder blessed
me and wished me well.
3.

My experience as a Postulant and P.U.C. student at St.

Agnes, Mangalore

When we were postulants in 1959, we four, namely Srs. Marie

Therese, Inviolata, Florette and self would go to our Founder, Mgr
Raymond and ask his blessing before our exams. He would bless each
one of us in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, making
the sign of the Cross on our forehead saying, Fear not; you will pass....
with these encouraging words we would answer our exams and come
out successful.
4.

My experience as a novice

Father Founder used to say, when we were postulants that he wanted

to live to see Emarita Mendoncas (Sr Marie Therese) vestition. To our
20

joy and surprise he did come for our vestition ceremony and blessed
each one of us at the altar of the Rosa Mystica Chapel in Kinnikambla.
If I remember correctly he came to see us, novices twice. He was made
to sit in the arm chair and we knelt around his chair in the community
conference hall. This showed his special love for the novices. In fact, we
were the last batch of novices who had the privilege of meeting him.
We were 15 and we used to say 15 decades of the Rosary. Hence, we
have tasted the genuine love of our Founder.
On 29 February 1960, we the 15 novices were taken to his jubilee
celebration at St Sebastians Church, Mangalore. Novices were at the
back. Father Founder was sitting during the homily and when he was
trying to get up to come to the altar for the offertory he fell down with
a stroke and the other concelebrants promptly supported him. This gave
me a terrible shock and I thought father was no more. But the Lord kept
him till 22 December 1960 almost 10 more months. When he did die on
23 December 1960, all of us, 15 novices, were privileged to attend his
funeral. Although his demise brought a cloud of sorrow over Mangalore,
especially in Bethany, we knew that one saint had flown to heaven. One
of our novices who had high fever, and wanted to attend Founders
funeral prayed earnestly and through his intercession, she was healed
immediately and was able to attend his funeral. The sisters recall this
even to this day as she claims to be the first recipient of a favour through
his intercession. She is none other than my own aunt Sr Noreen.
5.

My experience as a young Junior Sister:-

After making my first profession, Sr Miriam and I were chosen to

join the, Sister Formation Programme in the USA arranged by the Sisters
of Mercy of the Union of America. When we were in Sister Formation,
we used to attend regular college. After Christmas both of us got fever
due to heavy snowfall. After a few days, Sr Miriam got well but I continued
to suffer with high fever and vomiting. I was admitted to the St Catherines
Hospital run by the Sisters of Mercy of Omaha province. For 15 days I
was unconscious but after 15 days when I came to my senses, I prayed
to founder saying, You told me that you would send me to Rome, but
now I have landed here in a hospital, in the U.S.A., please ask God to
give me complete health so that I can work for at least ten years after
21

my studies; otherwise ask God to take me to heaven. This prayer I

made from my death bed, so to say, and behold to my great surprise I
got completely alright. The doctors discovered the cause of my fever
and were able to give the right treatment.
After this incident, my Spiritual relationship with Fr Founder grew
stronger and I always prayed to him. The blessing which he gave me
during my earlier formation period is still with me because I feel that he
still loves me and intercedes for me. There are other small and big
instances where our Founder has come to my rescue. He is my Spiritual
Guru and continues to bring blessings from the most Holy Trinity and
Queen Mother of Bethany.
6.

Founders devotion to the Eucharist

As candidates, we used to see the Founder from our residence,

while we were passing through the tunnel near his cottage leading to
the community refectory and chapel, we often saw him sitting in front
of his cottage and gazing at the tabernacle light. There was calmness,
radiance and smile on his face. This makes me to conclude that the
Founder was enjoying the presence of the Eucharistic Lord and therefore
he could endure the trials and sufferings in his life.
7.

Close to Mother Mary

As our Founder prayed to the Lord, we could see his fingers rolling
the beads of the rosary. This made me conclude that he used to
contemplate the mysteries of our Lord and was close to Mother Mary
whom he called Queen Mother of Bethany. He used to tell us whenever
we visited him, Hide yourself under the mantle of Mother Mary and
take her motherly protection. Founder himself used to call us and share
his spiritual wisdom and inspiration in simple language and communicate
how God loves each one of us.. We, the candidates used to feel very
secure and felt the belongingness to Bethany in his presence. There
was always a spiritual tone in his talk and it ended always with a blessing.
I hope and pray that the Church will give him the honours of the
altar for Gods greater glory and for the spreading of His kingdom here
on earth.

22

AN APPRAISAL OF UNRAVEL THE PEARL

Prof Edmund Frank
The year 2010 ceremoniously unfolded the two most significant
events for the Bethany Congregation: First - the 90th Foundation Day
and second - the 50th Death Anniversary of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas,
Founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany.
The crowning glory of it all was the Church proclaiming him as the
Servant of God, thereby placing him on the threshold of the corridor for
Canonization to Sainthood - a unique distinction because, he is the first
to be declared Servant of God in the Konkani speaking Christian
community in Mangalore.
The hallmark of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas was a life saga of giving
his very best every time, without wavering. He did not make futile
exercises, nor take short cuts or aspire to take the easy way out``. He
made the best of every opportunity the Lord placed before him. He was
inherently brilliant and became a people`s man during his term as the
parish priest of Bendur. He was blessed with a never say die attitude
of mind and he never let success go to his head. He was hard working
and energetic. He prayed to God to help him reach his goals and meet
his responsibilities.
Mgr Raymond had a great regard for the Gospel and had made it
the rule book for his way of consecrated life. To him Gospel was a
complete plan of action for Christian living, a book not merely to be
read but also to be followed in life. In his preaching he highlighted how
the Gospel was an inexhaustible source of Christian values and a blue
print to heaven. It was his desire that this book be made available to
the vast majority of Konkani speaking Christians in their own language.
He therefore undertook this difficult task of translating the Gospel to
Konkani and accomplished this task in the year 1949. Soon after, he
ventured into another adventure of translating the New Testament to
Konkani and achieved this feat in 1952. These translations rank among
his great contributions to the Church because he took the Gospel and
the New Testament to the door step and into the life of every ordinary
Christian family. These masterpieces won him the respect and admiration
23

of the Holy See. Shortly after, on 20 June 1955, Pope Pius X11 conferred
on him the honour and title of the Domestic Prelate for his unceasing
and valiant contribution to the Church, service to the society and to the
field of education.
This spontaneously set the tone for the decade long celebrations
preceding the First Foundation day Centenary year 2021 of the Bethany
Congregation. The core theme of the entire exercise was to project the
multi dimensional life and personality of the Founder Mgr Raymond
Mascarenhas and show what impact they had made on the society
then and now. Schools and colleges, communities and Institutes affiliated
to the Bethany Congregation wherever they existed went into a gallant
burst of activities taking the shape of competitions, dramas, play-lets,
symposiums, essay, writing ballets and even a telefilm to reveal the
noble personality of Fr Founder.
All these brilliant recollections of homage-inducing, awe-inspiring,
creative pieces of information are compiled, documented and edited by
the then Secretary of the Bethany Education Society and the present
Superior General, Rev Sr Rose Celine BS, in the 280 pages volume Unravel
the Pearl in a concerted effort to disseminate the achievements,
struggles, highlights and knowledge about the Founder. On the cover
page of the book, Unravel the Pearl is the Founder, Mgr Raymond
Mascarenhas shown in a shell which is picked up from the depths of the
ocean floor. One has to open the shell to find Unravel the Pearl. The
readers are encouraged to read the book to know for themselves the
value and significance of the Founder, Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas.
Consciously or subconsciously the contents eulogized in this book
make the reader journey through his life and acquaint her or himself of
his virtuous and holy life. The thrust of this wonderful book is to unveil
the open and hidden dimensions of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas way of
life and make them a source of inspiration to the young and the old.
The sparkling publicity given of the Servant of God Mgr Raymond
Mascarenhas in this book will without doubt go a long way in promoting
his ideals and spirit.
The book contains elaborate material portraying the Founders early
years with his parents described as deeply religious and pays tribute to
24

the devout way in which they brought up their thirteen children. There
is a mention of his undergoing his Primary education in Milagres School
and High School Studies in St Aloysius High School. There is also a very
good reference to his joining the St Josephs Seminary in Mangalore,
his prayerful and distinguished life as a seminarian and his Ordination
to priesthood.
The book Unravel the Pearl touches upon the particularly striking
fact that the Bethany Sisters drawing from the teachings of the Founder
soon discovered the value of their service among the rural poor in the
seemingly unreachable and abandoned places. The book highlights their
interest in promoting education to the poor in the villages which is
praiseworthy. Glancing through a few more presentations in the book
one comes across the Founder, Mgr Raymond urging the sisters to be
instruments of God in bringing the love and compassion of God to the
most needy and play a vital role in the evangelization and progress of
the poor in India. Rightly so, we have a living proof of the deeply
motivated and courageous Bethany Sisters facing all odds and
overcoming daunting challenges and becoming a solace to the poor, the
abandoned and the marginalized, treading step by step on the footprints
left by the Founder. Today with scores of educational institutions, old
age homes, dispensaries, training centres for girls and orphanages, the
sisters faithfully continue the legacy of their Founder for charitable service
with total dedication.
Some of the essays in Unravel the Pearl bring out how his, deeprooted spiritualism and humility gave a new meaning to humanitarianism
and philanthropic activities in an attempt to eliminate the suffering of
the poverty- stricken people in particular. Mgr Raymond continues to
motivate and inspire generations of people to cultivate Gods biggest
Commandment of the love of God and neighbour through works of
charity and love.
Since their inception, the growth of the Bethany Institutes has been
phenomenal. Not just confined to religious formation, they have in a big
way contributed to the all-round development of the younger generations
through the ages by imparting them with value based education not
only to shoulder responsibilities in their homes and in the church but
25

also in the society and to be responsible citizens of our country. The

Bethany Sisters have kept alive the teachings in the Gospel in their way
of life and kept the church vibrant. Since its inception we see only upward
trends in their endeavours and the house of Bethany has grown from
strength to strength and has remained as a garden of committed and
dedicated women of the church spreading the sweet fragrance of the
word of God far and wide.
With the final decade to the Foundation day Centenary already
midway through, the Bethany Sisters are rightly aglow with jubilation
looking ahead for the ensuing 5 years with cheer and joy. The Founder,
Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas has left behind a rich legacy of charitable
service with total dedication and selfless commitment. Building on the
pathway he created, the first four pioneers offered themselves to God
and to the people so generously in different areas and regions. The
major concern of the Founder was to give special attention to the
apostolate on family and the younger generation of youth. His special
concern for the eradication of illiteracy among the youngsters resulted
in a fantastic growth in the education of girls.
I feel an important phase in his life is not properly projected. It is
something most saints had to journey through as well. Jesus Christs
story of Redemption also centered round it. These are the trials,
tribulations and sufferings Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas had to endure
during different phases in his life. As in the case of many saints, some
were viewed with suspicion, some were targeted for abuse by their
superiors for no apparent reason and many others were left to fend for
themselves. Many times Mgr Mascarenhas also had to face similar
situations, but he always proved his critics and adversaries wrong. He
often converted the dirt hurled at him as a stepping stone to venture
into new ground. He also lived up to the adage that when you are on
the straight road to God, invectives against you should not matter. To
him, praise or criticism did not matter as long as one could leave footprints
that God appreciated and we see Mgr Raymond did exactly that.
The ability to handle insults and abuses in an unruffled manner is
perhaps the task of a real gentleman. Mgr Raymond could see past
irrelevant insults aimed at him and looked lightly on the unfair offender
26

thus becoming a true example of a true gentleman. He looked at

sufferings and trials in life as Gods purpose and plan for a greater
reward for life. In his homilies he often reiterated that God can turn
suffering and pain into great reward when we place our trust in Him.
The baseless and misplaced pot shots taken at him in a recently released
book The History of the Mangalore Diocese by its author would not
have ruffled him in the least, was he alive today. This is also a testimony
to the fact that crosses often turn to crowns and incredible pains into
incredible blessings for those who have faith in God.
During the period he was Vicar General of the Diocese of Mangalore,
he had difficult situations to preside over. Some parish priests mainly
out of jealousy kept complaining to the bishop against the work of the
sisters in their parishes. They also turned the laity in the parish against
the sisters. Mgr Raymond had to face embarrassing situations sandwiched
in the middle of controversies. When solutions could not be found
convents had to be closed and sisters had to move out. These humiliating
situations in no way dimmed the zeal of the members of the Congregation
in persisting with their pastoral activities. Instead it strengthened their
resolve and efforts to work with greater zeal and application in the
vineyard of the Lord.
After the term of his office as Vicar General, he was not absorbed
in any official work by the bishop. It was then that the Bethany Sisters
welcomed him and offered him a tiny cottage to spend the rest of his life.
During his last few years he had to experience ignominious and
humiliating situations when due to regulations and orders of the
superiors, sisters had to refuse to respond to his calls. There were sisters
appointed by the authority and only they were permitted to attend to
him and meet him. Personal inconveniences and humiliation did not
matter to him and true to his vow of obedience he urged the Sisters to
follow the orders of their superiors.
Another moving case that tested his humility and vow of obedience
to authority was when the bishop through a messenger made known to
him his disapproval of a booklet he had authored and circulated among
members of the public. No sooner he heard this he conveyed to the
messenger sent by the bishop that in two days time he would retrieve
27

every booklet he had distributed. Although this was not insulting enough,
he made no excuses and pledged his loyalty and obedience to authority.
The very next day with two sisters, and a bag in hand despite his waning
health due to old age he set about the task of retrieving these booklets.
He went from house to house to the utter admiration of the families he
visited and completed his task of collecting the booklets back. This act
made the people admire him and love him all the more. Many Saints
have gone through exactly similar and even greater humiliation and
suffering and bowed before the Will of God. Rightly so, they are canonized
Saints and raised to the honours of the Altar. No suffering dampened
his spirits and Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas endured everything placing
himself at the foot of the cross on Calvary with Blessed Mother Mary.

Unravel the Pearl vividly recounts how the spirit of the Founder is
carried forward by the Bethany sisters. Through their apostolic activities
and educational institutions they have been showing a preferential love
to the poor and the neglected in the society especially the girl child. The
ultimate goal being to strive towards the empowerment of girls, school
and college drop outs and train the girl students through formal and
non formal education in order to provide for them some trade in their
hands to face their future with courage and confidence. The Bethany
Sisters are in this way engaged in carrying forward the mission which
their Founder Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas entrusted them with, that is
to empower the under privileged and the disadvantaged in the society.
It is no exaggeration to say in retrospect, that the members of the
Congregation of Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, even to this day
work with the same spirit of dedication and motivation that was imbued
in them by their Founder on the First Foundation day. Keeping the vision
and mission scripted by the Servant of God Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas
they have moved forward facing all odds and overcoming daunting
challenges bringing solace to the poor, the abandoned and the
marginalized. Today with scores of educational institutions, old age
homes, dispensaries, mission houses, orphanages and skill development
centers, the sisters faithfully continue to live and carry forward the legacy
of their Founder in a manner much higher than the one he himself had
scripted. All this points out to one thing, that Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas
is relevant not only today but will continue to remain so.
28

LETTERS AND MESSAGES OF THE FOUNDER

TO THE SISTERS OF THE CONGREGATION
God wants my love, my heart, my service. He wants the
first place in my heart. - SD RFC Mascarenhas
Sr Tressilla Pinto BS
Introduction
Here is an extract (letters and messages of the Founder) of my
Doctoral thesis: A HISTORY OF BETHANY CONGREGATION MANGALORE
AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL
CHANGE IN KARNATAKA from Chapter II The Life and Achievements
of the Founder of the Bethany Congregation.
These letters and messages reveal Founders love and concern for
the Sisters of the Congregation and his guidance and encouragement
to carry on the mission of the Lord through Bethany.
2.9. Letters of the Founder
2.9.1 To the individual Sisters and Branch Houses of the
Bethany Congregation
According to the archival records there are ninety six personal letters
and semi- official letters written to individual sisters on various occasions
from 1923-1958. For our study we have a record of eighty-seven letters
collected from Bethany Generalate Archives Mangalore. Sr M Annunciata
BS had fifty-eight letters from 1929-1949, Sr M Berchmans BS from
1936-1947 had five letters, Sr M Lourdes BS from 1923-1936 had five
letters, Sr M Gertrude BS had four letters from 1927-1929, Sr M Celine
BS had seven letters from1931-1943. Sr M Gemma BS in 1948 and Sr M
Genevieve BS had one letter each. Altogether eighty-seven letters were
found during our study. In his personal letters written to the individual
sisters he shows a lot of concern and support to the sisters as the
pioneers in different missions of the Congregation, in the remotest
villages to carry on their responsibilities.
All his letters reveal his paternal love of for the members of the
Congregation and his keen interest in their spiritual growth as their
spiritual director as permitted by Rt Rev Dr Paul Perini, SJ, the then
Bishop of the Diocese of Mangalore. However, from the first year of the
foundation one among the Bethany Sisters was appointed leader whom
they regarded and obeyed as mother.213 Letters of Monsignor in general
29

reveal his deep spirituality, care for the sisters and their wellbeing, the
spirituality he practised, his missionary zeal, missionary activities, love
for the poor, education and development of the children and the needy
from the remotest villages. Through the letters he boosted their spirit
to work with dedication in - spite of the sufferings and trials they had to
face in the midst of their work. He guided them in their far-flung mission
areas to withstand any problems.
He also guided them to live conscientiously their day-to-day life.
Some of his letters are full of wit and humour to cheer up the sisters. He
also calls upon the sisters to nurture respect to authority wherever they
are placed and whichever field they worked. He reminds the sisters to
be faithful to their prayer life and follow the rules and regulations
prescribed in their book of Constitutions. In some of his letters we find
the struggles and hardships the sisters had undergone in the initial
years of the Bethany Congregation. Most of the letters express Msgr.
Raymonds deep appreciation of sisters in their mission. Finally, these
letters serve the younger members of the Congregation who have not
seen Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas their founder, an occasion to know
him, as a man of deep spirituality and filled with the missionary fervor
to work for God and his people.
Table No.1. The Letters of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas to the
Sisters of the Bethany Congregation 214
File No.
Name
Year
No. of
Letters
BGAM/A 112.1
Sr M Annunciata BS
1929-1949
58
BGAM/A112.1/ 112.3 Sr M Berchmans BS
1936-1947
1+4=5
BGAM/A 112.2
Sr M Bertha BS
1954
06
BGAM/A 112.3
Sr M Lourdes BS
1923-1936
05
BGAM/A 112.3
Sr M Gertrude BS
1927-1929
04
BGAM/A 112.3
Sr M Celine BS
1931-1943
07
BGAM/A 112.3
Sr M Gemma BS
1948
01
BGAM/A 112.3
Sr M Genevieve BS
1942
01
Total
87
Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas through his Letters to individual sisters
and to the branch houses was instilling the spirit of service and dedication
in the work of God on all especially, those who were working for the
needy in the remotest areas especially in particular in Karnataka.
30

Letters of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas to individual sisters and branch

houses is also an encouragement to carry on the responsible work in
the remotest villages according to the charism of the Institute. His
messages at different occasions help the members to revive their spirit
of service and be aware of their duty to serve the poor masses of the
society in the remotest regions of India in general and Karnataka State
in particular.
Here are a few letters of appreciation and advice to the sisters
from Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas. He in his letter to Sr M Gertrude BS
appreciates the missionary work, she was doing as a pioneer and the
first best missionary of Bethany Congregation at Puttur in South Canara.215
He encouraged Sr M Annunciata BS to work especially for the needy in
the remotest mission area at Kokkada, which is far away from Bethany
Motherhouse, Bendur.216 Acknowledging the letter of Sr M Bertha BS
Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas, advises her not to neglect the beginnings,
but to work with more dedication and zeal.217
Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas also wrote a few letters to the different
branch houses to encourage the sisters in their mission. There is a
record of these letters in the Bethany Generalate Archives, Mangalore
from 1928-1945. For our study we have fifty-six letters. Most of the
letters were written between 1928-1933, to Lisieux Convent, Puttur the
first convent outside Mangalore, 218letters to the Epiphany Convent,
Kokkada in South Canara 219and Bethany Convent, Calicut, in Kerala 220
2.9.2 Messages to the Bethany Congregation
Table No.2. The Messages of Mgr RFC Mascarenhas to the
Bethany Congregation 221
Sl. No. Archival No.
Message No.
Date
01
BGAM/A 112.6
01
16.07.1937,
16 t h
Anniversary
02
BGAM/A 112.6
02
15.07.1941
03
BGAM/A 112.6
03
14.07.1945
04
BGAM/A 112.6
04
16.07.1951,
30 t h
foundation day
05
BGAM/A 112.6
05
25.03.1952
06
BGAM/A 112.6
06
16.07.1955
07
BGAM/A 112.6
07
05.07.1956
08
BGAM/A 112.6
08
1st October
31

The above eight messages from the year 1937 to 1956, were written
mostly on the anniversary of the foundation day of Bethany Congregation,
reminding the sisters to be aware of the original charism and to continue
the work for the missions in the same spirit. He also instructs them to
be faithful to their spiritual life and to follow the rules and regulations of
the Bethany Congregation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I am sure that these letters and messages will unfold
Founder's deep Spirituality and help the present and future generation
sisters to capture the Founder's original spirit, the purpose of the Institute
in founding the Congregation and the zeal to work in the vineyard of the
Lord, for the greater glory of God.

Let us do our work for God, for eternity. What we can do is

very little. But that little we shall give to God and God will
bless us abundantly
We should speak and act according to the mind of Mary.
We must therefore pray to our Mother to give us a right
understanding in all things, so that led by the Spirit, we
may act as she desires of us.
Our ordinary everyday life should supply our interior life
with constant nourishment. External things and
circumstances should serve not to break down but rather
build up union of the soul with God and act as so many
opportunities for virtue rather than for weakness or
imperfection.
- RFC Mascarenhas

32

FAVOURS RECEIVED
Job Secured
One of my neighbours by name Francis Gonsalves told me the story
of Fr RFC Mascarenhas and I started praying through his intercession
with faith for my daughter who was jobless for years. Now she has a
job. I am grateful to Fr Mascarenhas.
23.1.2016
Sd/-Smt Sulochana Naik (Kulkarni)
Ramtirth Nagar, Belgaum 570 016, Karnataka

Gift of a Child
We, Aby and Sheeja residing in Kanam, Kottayam Dist. Kerala,
praying and waiting for the gift of a child since the year 2005. We
received the picture of the Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas, the
Founder of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, Mangalore
miraculously from the burned waste without any damage (scratch or
ablaze.). From then our faith in him is increased and began to pray to
God through his intercession. We thank God for answering our prayer
through the mediation of SD Raymond and giving us a lovely girl child
(Riya Rose) on 17th April, 2015.
We pray to God to grant him the honors of the Altar of God for His
greater Glory and the spreading of the Kingdom to all.
February 15, 2016

Aby and Sheeja

Kanam, Kottayam, Kerala

Blessings Received
I received the following favours through the intercession of Servant
of God Fr Raymond F C Mascaenhas. Thanks to him:
1. I had hurt my ankle because of a fall and couldnt walk for more
than a month. After I prayed to him, I could walk.
2. In our factory wrong size of paper was supplied and we could not
have used it as it was oversize for our machine, but Fr Raymond
Mascarenhas helped us and we could run the same on our machine.
3. There was some serious problem with my sons driving licence, but
it was solved.
33

4.

My husbands mediclaim cheque was received after praying through

his intercession.
5. A road to our factory was made without much trouble.
24.05.2016
Sd/- Mrs Flavia Rego
Balmatta, Mangalore 575 003
21.5.2016

Healing from Various Illnesses

Since 2008 Fr Raymond is like godfather to me as whenever I was
in sickness or in any trouble, through his miraculous
intercession everything went well with me.
Now since 2015 I was suffering from multiple ailments
like kidney stone, liver problems, prostate, spleen and
later developed piles, uric acid and much more. Several
doctors advised to undergo surgery. But only with
nominal medicine and mostly by my prayers through
the intercession of Fr Raymond I have been totally healed now. I am fit
and fine. I am praying for Fr Raymonds beatification..
Sd/-Francis Gonsalves
Ramtirth Nagar, Belgaum 590 016

THE COMPASSIONATE PASTOR

Published twice a year, in July and December. No subscription.
Donations will be gratefully accepted to meet the expenses of
printing, mailing and the process of Canonization. Donations
and offerings may be sent to the address given below. Cheques/
drafts may be made in favour of: Cause of Msgr Raymond
FC Mascarenhas. We invite you to share your experiences
for possible inclusion in this bulletin.
The Vice- Postulator
Cause of the Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas
Bethany Convent, Kankanady Post
Mangalore 575002
Karnataka, India.
Managing Editor
34

CONTRIBUTORS
Fr Swamikannu Ignatius Kumar CSsR is a
member of the Congregation of the Most Holy
Redeemer of Bangalore Province. He was ordained
in 1985. He has a Licentiate in Philosophy from
Gregorian Unviersity, Rome and M.A. in History
from Bangalore University. He teaches Philosophy
and Homiletic in several seminaries and colleges.
Otherwise, he is a full time preacher of the Word of God in English
and Tamil. He has been giving retreats and recollections to the
religious. He resides at Anbaham, Redeptorists, K.K. Nagar, Trichi.
Email Id - ignatius.kumar@gmail.com
Prof Edmund Frank
Is the Chairman, STFC Foundation and a Social
Entrepreneur. He has authored 5 books on Business
and Industrial Management. He is currently Prof
and Dean, PGDBM and Member of the Academic
Council St Aloysius College,(Autonomous) Member
of the Governing Boards St Joseph Engineering
College and St Joseph College of Commerce
Mangalore, Member of the Managing Committee Fr Muller Centenary
Society and Bishop of Mangalores Representative on the Governing
Council of The Catholic Association of South Kanara. Is a member of
the Editorial Board of The Compassionate Pastor, and actively involved
in promoting the Cause of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas.
Mr Ivan Saldanha Citizen Journalist has often
written on the life of Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas.
He regularly contributes articles to news papers,
magazines, bulletines etc., and electronic media,
on local community and history. His articles and
news items bring to limelight the forgotten
personalities to the society. He has been keen in
promoting the Cause of the Servant of God and contributes articles
regularly to The Compassionate Pastor.
35

Sr Noel, BS was born in Kinnigoly, Mangalore.

She finished High school studies at Little Flower
Girls High School. She Joined Bethany in 1958.
Because of the Overseas Education Programme
and Sister Formation Programme organized by the
Sisters of Mercy of the Union of America, she
finished her B.Sc., at St Marys College Omaha,
Nebraska, and continued her post graduate studies at St Louis
University, Missouri. She has served as a teacher, headmistress,
superior and Novice Directress.
Sr Tressilla Pinto BS from Gurpur, Mangalore,
completed her high school studies at Rosa Mystica,
Kinnikambla, and joined Bethany on 2nd July 1978.
After completing her B.A. B.Ed., and post
graduation, she got her doctorate from the
University of Mysore, Karnataka for her thesis, A
HISTORY OF BETHANY CONGREGATION
MANGALORE AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF
EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN KARNATAKA. At present she
is the Superior of Bethany Convent and Principal of Bethany Convent
High School at Sao Jose De Areal, Salcette Goa.
Fr Jesu Rajan CR belongs to the Rosarian
Congregation which was founded on 2 Feb 1928
by the Servant of God Fr B A Thomas OMI in Sri
Lanka. It is an indigenous Contemplative
Congregation in Asia, following the Monastic
Tradition of ora et labora, praying in front of the
Eucharistic Lord for the conversion of the World.
Fr Jesu Rajan who was ordained on 7th May 1993 at Pushpavanam
Ashram, Manaparai has served as secretary to General, novice
master, and superior at various Ashrams and at present he is the
Asst Superior, Fatimagiri Ashram, Vadakangulam and the Postulator
for the Cause of the Servant of God Antony Susainather CR.

36

Fullling the Mission & Vision of the Founder

Mgr RFC Mascarenhas for the Education and Uplift
of the Girl-child through Bethany Educational Institutions
Michelle Queeni D'Costa, a student of Little
Flower High School (2002-05) in Kinnigoli,
the First High School started for
the rural poor children by Mgr Raymond
Mascarenhas on June 2, 1941 got the 387th
Rank in the All India Union Public Service
Commission Civil Service Examination
2015.
She was the School Pupil Leader in 200405 and represented the School in Althletics at
the Taluk, District and State Level and won
many laurels. This achievement attains
special signicance because this Little
Flower School is celebrating 75th
Anniversary of its existence on 10 December
2016. Mgr Raymond Mascarenhas, in his Vision & Mission Statement
always showed concern for the education and empowerment of girls in
the rural areas.
This achievement of Michelle Queeni is tribute to the Founder's Vision
for the education and upliftment of girls. The members of the Editorial
Board wish that Michelle Queeni will very soon rise to the position of the
Deputy Commissioner and would be posted in the District of South
Kanara.

Release of the Book Unravel the Pearl on Mgr Raymond by

Prof Edmund Frank

Release of the Book The First Four of Bethany

on Founding Members by
Fr Pius James D'Souza, OCD
The Compassionate Pastor
Published by : The Postulator, Cause of Beatication of SD R F C Mascarenhas,
Bethany Convent, Bendur, Kankanady Post, Mangalore-575 002, Karnataka, INDIA
E-mail : raymas400@gmail.com, rfcmas@gmail.com Website : www.rfcmascarenhas.com
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY