Compassionate Pastor July 2010

THE COMPASSIONATE PASTOR
JULY 2010
Editorial Board Contents

Managing Editor
Sr M Wilberta, BS 1. Editorial 3
Chief Editor 2. Msgr Raymond’s Passion for Belgaum

Mission in Karnataka
Sr M Lillis, BS
- Sr Ann Teresa BS 4
3. Rt Rev Msgr RFC Mascarenhas

- The Late Rev Fr John Pinto 20
MEMBERS
4. A Saint in the Making

Rev Fr Joseph Martis Servant of God – Msgr RFC Mascarenhas
Mr Ivan Saldanha A Loving Father

- James D’Souza 23
Sr Miriam, BS
Sr M Theresine, BS 5. Close to Nature... Close to God

- Sr Santosh Maria, BS 25
Sr M Rose Margaret, BS
Sr M Rose Celine, BS 6. Memories of a Saintly Priest- Our Fr Founder

- Sr M Doreen BS 32
Sr M Bonita, BS
Sr M Jessy Rita, BS 7. Favours Received 37
1
“Pray my dear children that
Bethany which was born on her
happy day may grow under her
protection into a big tree, which
may give shelter to hundreds
and thousands of virgins to love
Our Lord and promote His
glory”.
- From the letter of the Servant of God

RFC Mascarenhas dated July 14, 1929 to
Lisieux Convent, Puttur, Karnataka
2
In the Rainy Gloom of July Month…
The month of July is allied with rain and floods.

The unexpected havocs hither and thither awaken any
a compassionate heart to creative action. As I pen this
editorial listening to the rumbling of rain, I am reminded
of a few anecdotes from the life of Msgr Raymond
Mascarenhas, the compassionate pastor, which were
narrated to me recently by Mrs Margaret Isabella Pinto,
a parishioner of Udyavar. Msgr Raymond Mascarenhas
was a parish priest at Udyavar for seven years (1907-1914). Mrs Margaret
recounts that Msgr Raymond would be at his best all through the times of
floods that used to occur during monsoons. He not only would caution the
people against the outbreak of cholera, but when it occurred he would be to
the people a true pastor as well as a doctor. Father would visit the people in
their homes distributing country medicines and communion. He would also
find shelter for the people who were victims of floods.
Reminiscing about the efforts Fr Mascarenhas put in to construct St
Francis Xavier Church at Udyavar, today more than 100 years old, Mrs Margaret
recalls the narration of her mother-in-law. She shared that Father Mascarenhas
would spread a towel on the ground to collect the few coins that the poor
parishioners would willingly contribute. He never forced them to contribute
but appealed to them to render services in terms of labour. Mrs Pinto’s
description revealed how close a relationship Fr Mascarenhas had with the
people. He treasured the hospitality of the poor and accepted gratefully
the meals that they used to serve him in their homes.
No doubt, it was this compassionate heart that inspired him to found
the Congregation of Bethany on July 16 1921, 89 years ago, on the feast
day of our Lady of Mount Carmel. The event was like God Himself appearing
on the thundering chariot of clouds illuminating the lives of hundreds and
thousands of people, especially the poor. This great priest of God placed all
his endeavours at the feet of Mother Mary, in whose motherly protection he
took shelter.
As we prepare to celebrate the 50th Death Anniversary of the Servant
of God let us intercede through him and the Lady of Mount Carmel for a
compassionate heart.
Sr M Lillis BS
Editor
3
Msgr Raymond’s Passion for Belgaum
Mission in Karnataka
The write-up brings out the heroic zeal and saintly
efforts of the Founder Msgr RFC Mascarenhas in the
Belgaum mission in significant times. Sr Ann Teresa,
hailing from Dharwar, Karnataka, is a veteran of the
Bethany Mission in Belgaum, a person of great vision
and creativity. She served in the General Council for
Sr Ann Teresa BS
three terms. Her great contribution in the field of
education as Principal, Secretary of the Bethany Education Society, Province
and General coordinator for education is indeed unmatched. Her services
as the President of All India Association of Catholic Schools are unique.
Msgr RFC Mascarenhas was a man burning with zeal to spread the kingdom
of God and proclaim the love of Jesus to all. The mission of evangelization
and of carrying the good news to non Christians was an endeavour close to
his heart, it being one of the objectives of his in founding the Congregation
of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany. In his exhortations to the
Bethany Sisters he would often stress the need to labour for the conversion
of the souls, and he instilled in them the zeal and eagerness for the missions.
To quote his own words, “We should be imbued with the missionary spirit.
One who truly loves God, must love souls as well; and we are supposed to
love God truly. We must prove our zeal, love and effort for missionary
enterprise”.1
The glowing desire in his heart to bring all into the fold of Christ’s
kingdom, led him to send Bethany Sisters to the Belgaum Mission in the
1930s and 40s. The Belgaum Mission areas of Guledgudd, Madanbhavi,
Santibastwad, Balekundri, Nandgad and Londa were inhabited by very poor
people having no facilities for education, health care, proper housing or
transport. Fr Mascarenhas who established the missionary communities in
the remote rural areas of North Karnataka, places where no well-established
1
Bertha, bs, From the Lips of the Founder, p 139
4
women’s Congregation of that time dared to enter, though he was fully
aware of the difficulties, challenges and intense sufferings which his sisters
would have to undergo in these missions. He constantly instilled in the sisters,
the desire and eagerness to preach the Gospel to the poor and accept all
inconveniences and sufferings joyfully and offer them to the Lord. St Therese,
the Little Flower was the role model he offered to the sisters. In one of his
instructions to his Bethany daughters he says, “Anything done for the missions
is very pleasing in the sight of God. The conversion of India should be our
chief concern. Only 3 to 4 million are there in India within the fold, out of a
350 million.” 2 The Founder’s perception motivated even young junior sisters
to become courageous missionaries ready to accept sacrifices, struggles and
deprivations.
He responded to the call of God which came to him through Most Rev
Doering, sj, the Archbishop of Poona and Fr George D’Sa, sj and taking the
first step in this adventurous endeavour in the year 1939. The Archbishop
Doering, sj of Poona wrote to him, “Since a number of years I have been
trying to find sisters for that part of my Diocese where Kanarese is spoken.
Still, my efforts have been in vain. You have a Congregation in your Diocese
in which there must be quite a number of members who know Kanarese
well. Will you kindly let me know whether I may hope to get some sisters for
my station at Guledgudd? A convent is ready to receive the nuns.” 3
One would expect the Founder to take time to deliberate on this

request, to make a study of the area and the people, and undertake one or
two visits to the place, before taking a decision to send the sisters to a
new, hitherto unknown area. However, the call to the mission was so
irresistible that he responded in the affirmative to the Archbishop’s request,
within 2 to 3 days as his reply indicates. He wrote to Archbishop Doering, “I
spoke about the matter of the letter with the Mother General and we are
very happy to offer the generous services of our sisters to your Grace in the
manner you desire. …” 4
2
Bertha, bs, From the Lips of the Founder, p 141
3
Letter of Archbishop Doering, sj of Poona, dated February 15, 1939
4
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, dated February 20, 1939
5
His eagerness to send the pioneering sisters to the remote area of
Gulledgudd was balanced by his deep concern for their well-being. He readily
accepted the proposal of Archbishop Doering that he open a convent at
Dharwad, as the convent there would be a base, and a sort of motherhouse
for the sisters working at Guledgudd. His reply to Archbishop Doering
expresses his sensitivity and thoughtfulness for his spiritual daughters so
well: “The idea of having our sisters at Dharwar appeals very much to the
Mother General and myself and we should be very happy to send some
sisters to work in that place, in the way your Grace suggests. The convent
at Guledgudd will become less remote and solitary for our sisters.” 5
On November 3, 1939, the first step of a long missionary journey and

enterprise was taken as Father Mascarenhas, Mother Martha and Sr Magdalene
left for Dharwar, together with two groups of the pioneers for the mission
at Guledgudd and the convent at Dharwar. On November 4, Presentation
Convent, the first convent at Dharwar was opened with Mother Priscilla as
the Superior and Sisters Gertrude, Cresecentia and Placid as members of
the community. On November 21, the Presentation Primary School was
started for 10 poor children from the surrounding poor localities.
When Msgr RFC Mascarenhas took the courageous step of starting a

new Congregation in Mangalore, he had placed this new foundation, its four
pioneers and the future sisters in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, invoking
5
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, dated March 13, 1939
6
her blessings and guidance in his new venture. The same total trust in our
Blessed Mother and in her support continued in all the Founder’s steps
towards the expansion of the Congregation and became deeper and all
pervading. This was true of his missionary endeavouurs in the Belgaum Mission
as he placed the new convents in this mission under the patronage of Mary
by naming most of them, after her different titles. The first convent at
Dharwar was called the Presentation Convent and the newly founded school,
the Presentation Primary School. On the feast day of the Presentation of
Mary, Msgr Mascarenhas wrote to Archishop Doering, “This day, the feast of
the Presentation of Our Lady (Blessed Mother), the sisters at Dharwar have
opened the school and commenced work with ten poor children. They beg
the Blessing of your Grace on their efforts. They would desire to name the
convent after this title of our Blessed Lady, which is also the suggestion of
Fr Cotta, if your Grace approves of it.” 6
The Blessed Virgin Mary continued to be the patroness and protector

of the Bethany Sisters in the Belgaum Mission, as the convent at Sirsi was
named Ave Maria Convent, the one at Santibastwad, Gratia Plena Convent,
at Madhanbhavi, Fatima Convent and at Nandgad, Immaculate Heart Convent.
This tradition has continued, as the convent at Baad, Karwar is called
Assumption Convent and the one at Nirmal Nagar, Dharwar is called Kripalaya,
which now houses the Provincialate of the Western Province. The Founder
constantly tried to instil the devotion to Mary in the Bethany Sisters and
through them in all those they served.
At Guledgudd
After the opening of the convent at Dharwar, the Founder, together

with Mother Martha, Sr Magdalene and the four young pioneers, Sisters
Lazarus, Lucina, Maura and Crescentia, moved to the new vineyard of the
Lord at Guledgudd. While Dharwar was a town, a district headquarters and
an educational centre, Guledgudd was a village, with very little exposure to
education. Though the people spoke the same Kannada language as in
Dharwar, the local dialect and manner of speaking was quite unintelligible to
the sisters from Mangalore. Even Mother Martha wondered how the sisters
6
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, dated November 21, 1939
7
would carry on the missionary work in this area. However, the young sisters
had imbibed the undaunted zeal and adventurous spirit of the Founder to
preach the love of Jesus, and were successful in this mission. They overcame
the hurdles of extreme heat, lack of water, cultural differences and food
habits. It was the love and the desire to prove worthy of the trust of their
spiritual Father, Msgr RFC Mascarenhas that motivated and sustained them.
The Founder was very conscious of the difficult circumstances of the
Guledgudd mission and though he left with Mother Martha and Sr Magdelene
for Dharwar and from there for Mangalore, his heart was with his young
spiritual daughters. His love and anxiety for their welfare made him to make
once again within a month the long journey back to Guledgudd. On reaching
the place, his first question to Sr Lucina was, “How are you my child?” He
was pleased to note that the sisters had begun to integrate themselves in
the life of the people, reaching out to women and educating the children.
The sisters began to visit the villages such as Karadi, Asangi and Katnalli,
catechizing the people and preparing the neophytes to receive the
sacraments when the priest visited them. As there was no transportation,
the sisters travelled to the villages, walking miles in the scorching heat. With
great affection and compassion they cared for the children in the orphanage.
Today the hard work of the Bethany Sisters at Guledgudd is bearing

abundant fruit, with thousands of students passing out of their schools.
The medical aid and health awareness programmes have gradually improved
the health condition of the villages. The Christian faith is deeply rooted
among the people.
The Mission in the Patriarchate of Goa
During the first half of the 1940s the world was engulfed in the Second
World War. The scarcity of food and other necessities caused great misery
to the poor of India. The young Bethany Congregation experienced intense
suffering during this period. It was a time, when the fledgling Congregation
lost a large number of young and talented sisters to tuberculosis.
It was an extremely painful and heartbreaking period for the Founder.

Added to the sorrow of the series of deaths of his beloved daughters, was
8
the criticism that he had to face from the public because of the illnesses of
the sisters. Yet this man of God was undaunted in his enthusiasm to spread
the love of God in the remotest mission stations. From 1945 to 1947 the
Founder opened seven convents in the Patriarchate of Goa.
The simplicity of life of Bethany sisters, their readiness to be one with

the poor and their compassion and unstinted zeal were noted by missionaries,
who were looking for collaborators, in their work of evangelization. They
were also conscious that Msgr Mascarenhas dreamt of reaching out to the
marginalized, the illiterate, the economically and socially poor. The Founder
constantly motivated and inspired the sisters, to be ready to accept any
sacrifice, to offer the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel in the
most difficult mission areas. In the very first Bethany prayer Manual, At the
Lord’s feet he wrote a prayer for the missions:
Most loving Lord Jesus Christ, who with the price of

Thy most precious blood hast redeemed the world,
look with thine eyes of pity, on unhappy mankind,
so large a portion of which still lies in the darkness of error
and the shadows of death.
…Multiply O Lord, the messengers of Thy Gospel. 7
Fortified by such prayer, the Bethany Sisters were enkindled with the
Founder’s own burning zeal for the mission. No wonder the Jesuit missionaries
in their work gave preference to the Bethany Sisters. Fr C P Andrade sj,
while requesting the Mother General to send sisters to Nandgad wrote, “Do
not lose this opportunity. I shall have to knock the doors of another
Congregation, but I do not want to do that, because your sisters are best
fitted for our missions given the present conditions.” 8
The first Jesuit missionary of the Belgaum mission, who was keen to
invite the Bethany Sisters was Fr Armando Alvares sj. He was not only a
zealous missionary, but one who like Robert de Nobilii adopted his life like
that of Indian gurus and tried to inculturate his evangelizing activities. Msgr
7
At Lord’s Feet, Bethany’s Prayer Manual
8
Letter of Fr C P Andrade, sj , dated September 24, 1946
9
Mascarenhas was deeply impressed by Fr Alvares’ commitment to the mission
and by his spirit of sacrifice. The Founder was keen that his daughters should
be trained and work under Fr Alvares as true Indian missionaries. At the
invitation of the Patriarch of Goa, Msgr Mascarenhas joyfully accepted to
send sisters to the missions. His letter to the Mission Superior of the Jesuits,
speaks of his admiration of Fr Alvares. He wrote, “We have considered all
the circumstances and particularly the invitation of H.E, the Patriarch of
Goa…not the least of all, the edifying zeal and saintly example of Fr Alvares
and have resolved to take up the work offered to us. … We beg of you
however to remember that ours is a new and young Congregation, still
groping its way in the
spiritual and religious life,
specially the missionary
kind of it, but we are
encouraged, in our rather
bold endeavour by the
fact of the charitable
active presence in the
field before us of you
Fathers of the Society Journeying in the Belgaum Mission
whom we know so well and deeply esteem. Be you our help and guide and
we have no fear.” 9
At Santibastwad
Within three months of writing the letter to the Jesuit Mission Superior,
Fr Mascarenhas was ready with a band of four young enthusiastic Bethany
Sisters Philomene, Marian, Felix and Salome to land in the mission adventure
of Bastwad and the surrounding villages. Adventure indeed it was from day
one, as Sr Philomene, one of the pioneers describes her missionary journey.
Despite the fact that the first day of their missionary journey was a rainy
day, Sisters Salome and Philomene travelled by bullock cart to the missions
without any provision for food but with two camp cots and a little money.
They reached Belgaum at a distance of 10 kms. It had begun to rain but the
9
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, dated February 10, 1945
10
two young missionaries were determined to reach the next mission station
another 10 kms away. Sr Philomene describes their tour thus, “From Belgaum
we proceeded to Balekundri mission, while it continued to rain. We arrived
there at midnight. We were wet through and through. The chapel over
there was locked. We asked the cart-driver for the catechist’s house and he
opened the chapel. With no food, drenched to the skin though we were,
we slept well on the camp-cots. The next day early morning we went to
the keri village and collected the adults and prepared them for confession.
We waited for the Priest, but there was no trace of him. We were quite
disappointed and hungry too.
The Priest arrived at about noon and sat in the confessional. Mass was
celebrated around 2 p.m. on that day. He asked us if there was anything to
drink and we said that we had nothing to offer him. He told us that he
would go ahead of us to Madanbhavi and prepare some food for us. On the
way to Madanbhavi by cart we found a hotel and had some coffee. Sr
Salome by then was completely exhausted.” 10
That was the first day. Sr Philomene further narrates their tour to
Madanbhavi village and how they were introduced to the people there. As
per her diary, on the following day Sr Salome was sick and was unfit for
travel. Sr Philomene and the catechist continued teaching catechism in the
villages of Madanbhavi for three consecutive days. On the fourth day they
returned by cart to St Paul’s in Belgaum. After the night’s rest on the fifth
day they left for the convent at Santisbastwad. This was the schedule of
their first missionary journey.
In the successive months and years, the sisters carried on their

evangelizing activities in 15 different villages, some of them at a distance of
3 to 6 kms and others 15 to 50 kms away. They would walk to the other
mission stations, reciting rosaries. In the distant villages, they would spend a
week or more, in extremely deprivation. Sr Philomene writes in her diary:
“We had no decent shelter. We would be put up in peoples’ huts or on a
little veranda. All our bodily needs like food, rest, bath etc. had to be met in
that improvised shelter. The only thought that sustained us in this plight
10
Annete, bs, The Saga of Bethany in North Karnataka, pp 44-45
11
was that the Son of God too had no place whereon to rest His head.
Sometimes a missionary priest would come and halt for two to five days in a
week as need arose.
Our life there was as follows: Rising at 3.30 am, with a little prayer we
would go to the Catholic peoples’ houses and awaken them for Mass. At
4.30 am, the Mass was offered by the missionary. The altar table was set
under a tree. During the months of December and January it would be very
cold and we would shiver having no warm clothes. Our food was very simple.
It was just rice and curry and some coffee. In spite of all these hardships
there was a kind of interior joy.”11
During the day, children were taught songs, Catechism, hygiene and
to read and write. In the evenings, as the people returned from their fields
adult Catechism classes were conducted. The untiring efforts of the sisters
were blessed, as many were drawn to the Faith. In Kuduchi village alone
there were 140 baptisms. The Founder’s heart was filled with joy as each of
the early sisters in the missions had spent not just a few years in these
difficult circumstances, but decades of their lives were offered for these
missions. Sr Edana and Sr Prudance are just two examples of such dedication.
Sr Edana spent 28 years (1947-1976) in the missions, 15 of them in
Santibastwad. She recalls her experience: “I used to teach the children and
also engage in different activities among the people. I liked those simple
innocent children. They were open hearted, guileless, obedient and always
eager to study. I spent my time happily with them. My faith is deepened by
working in the mission and witnessing the trust, respect and love of the
simple ignorant people. I praise God for giving me a chance to work among
these people, wherein I studied the virtue of humility and simplicity.” 12
Sr
Prudance recalls: “I served Madanbhavi mission for 13 years and for the past
33 years I am serving at Santibastwad. When I came here there were only
seven Catholic families. Now there are 52.”13
The Founder often visited Santibastwad, as he was drawn to the

simplicity of the people, open to receive the Word of God. His constant
11
Ibid p 48
12
Annette, bs, The Saga of Bethany in North Karnataka , p 51
13
Ibid, p. 57
12
support, encouragement and appreciation, made up for all the deprivations
the sisters had to undergo. On a rainy day when the stream on the way to
Santibastwad overflowed its banks and the road was blocked, Msgr
Mascarenhas arrived at the stream, from Mangalore via Belgaum. The villagers
from Santibastwad were waiting to tell him to return to Belgaum, as it
would be impossible to cross the stream. However the Founder was
determined to reach Santibastwad and refused to go back, in spite of the
villagers’ repeated assertions that it would be impossible for this elderly priest
to cross the stream. The distraught villagers then carried him in a chair on
their shoulders across the strong current of water. Such was his love and
zeal for the poor and the missions.
The success of the mission at Santibastwad made the missionary priests

request Fr Mascarenhas to open the Bethany Convents in the substations.
However, these places were fraught with problems and risks. But for Fr
Mascarenhas, a man of indomitable trust in God, evangelization was obedience
to Jesus’ command: “Go forth and proclaim the good news” (Mk 16:15).
The missions were such a great priority for him that at a time when there
were no sisters for the new mission stations, the services of the sisters
teaching in schools in South Kanara were sacrificed in order to send them to
the Belgaum mission. He did this under great financial constraints. The
sisters who were withdrawn from the school, had to be replaced by lay
teachers. The Congregation had to pay salary to these teachers from its
own meagre funds, while the sisters sent to the Belgaum missions received a
monthly subsidy of just Rs.25/- for their sustenance.
In his letter to Fr A Alvares, the Founder writes: “We have arranged to

send sisters to the new stations, four to each place. … need not explain
how we had to strain ourselves to do this.” 14
The Superior General, Mother Petra’s letter to Fr A Alvares expresses

her worry and anguish in providing sisters to the missions. She writes, “In
three years we have sent to your missions sixteen sisters. We have sent
them by removing them from their actual work here. … We feel that in
14
Letter of Fr RFC Mascarenhas, dated May 27, 1947
15
Letter of Mother Petra, bs , dated June 15, 1948
13
undertaking these missions we have attempted too much for our strength in
number and otherwise.”15
In spite of such anxieties and constraints, Bethany forged ahead in

proclaiming God’s kingdom
in the remote rural areas
of Belgaum mission under
the guidance of its
Founder. There were at
the same time moments
when both the sisters and
the authorities had to face
Caring for the Sick
painful experiences,
moments when hard decisions had to be taken, even to the point of
withdrawing the sisters from certain missions. Such was the case of the
Nandgad mission.
At Nandgad
The Immaculate Heart Convent at Nandgad was opened on May 31,

1947. Mother Gemma was the Superior. Sisters Marian, Antoinette and Manna
formed the community of zealous missionaries. They began their work with
enthusiasm, taught in an English medium school, visited the surrounding
villages, catechizing the people and preparing them to receive the sacraments.
During the four year period, the sisters faced innumerable problems
and difficulties. They had no proper residence of their own. Added to this
they had to face prolonged court cases and spent time attending the court
at Belgaum. The school too did not seem to have prospects of success, as
there were schools of different languages in this place. In spite of all these
difficulties, Mother Gemma in her letter to the Founder, after describing all
the problems states, “Truly I say to you, we are not hesitant to suffer. For
the sake of the Convent, we wish to struggle and toil.” 16 The authorities of
the Kannada medium school opposed the running of the English medium
school. So after much prayer and anxiety, a resolution was taken with great
sorrow to withdraw the sisters from Nandgad from May 1, 1951.
16
Letter of Mother Gemma,.bs, dated October 24, 1948
14
At Madanbhavi
Madanbhavi,
initially was the
substation of the
Santibastwad mission.
Since the substation
and its surrounding
villages were more The joy of being one with the people
than 50 kms away
from Santibastwad mission, Fr. Armando requested the Superior General to
open a convent at Madanbhavi. Madanbhavi was a backward and
undeveloped area. In the villages around there were landlords belonging to
the higher castes. They employed the dalits to work in their fields. The
dalits were segregated and were neither allowed to draw water from the
wells nor to enter the Hindu temples. They had neither opportunity for
education nor any possibility of improving their economic or social status.
Initially the convent was opened at a village called Chechadi. The sisters
had to visit the villages, stay in the huts of the poor. Every morning they had
to get up at 3 a.m., pray and then while it was pitch-dark go from hut to
hut to awaken people and bring them for the celebration of the Eucharist.
It was a dangerous and risky task. The sisters carried on this mission with a
spirit of sacrifice. However the Founder and the Superior General realized
the risk the sisters were exposed to and closed the convent and opened it
at Madanbhavi.
The Jesuit missionaries purchased two acres of land at Madanbhavi and

opened an orphanage and a Primary School, catering to the Dalit children.
They invited the Bethany Sisters to take care of the orphans and teach in
the School. The Fatima Convent was opened on August 13, 1946. Sisters
Annunciata, Venera, Laura and Concilia were the pioneers. The sisters visited
nine different villages on foot catechizing the dalits. In far away villages they
had to spend the night in the cowshed of the dalits. Since the sisters
worked for the dalits, they had no access to the wells. In spite of such harsh
conditions, the sisters expressed their compassionate love for the poor and
15
the outcastes, by educating them, taking care of the sick and being one
with the dalits.
The Jesuits missionaries had also opened a school for the dalits at a
village called Inchal, 7 kms from Madanbhavi. The higher caste Lingayats did
not approve of the service rendered by the sisters to the dalits. They hatched
a plot to drive away the Sisters. In March 1947, on learning that an Inspector
from the Education Department would visit the school at Inchal, Srs Anunciata
and Laura hurried to the school, 7 kms away from the convent with charts
and blackboards. As they were in the school, a group of men entered and
abused the sisters, asking them to leave the place. The sisters remained
reciting the rosary. Their serenity infuriated the men further. They advanced
towards Sr Anunciata and assaulted her. She fell from the chair, as they hit
her with wooden board. Frightened, the sisters came out of the building
and then were surrounded by men who drove them out of the village.
They walked back to Madanbhavi in pain and sorrow. In their thirst, when
they went to the well, they were not permitted to take water. Sr Annunciata
suffered intense pain in her chest and was hospitalized for 11 days.
Even such violent incidents did not deter the brave souls and they
continued their mission in Madanbhavi and Chechadi. Their dedication and
whole hearted commitment to the mission was admirable. Noting the selfless
service of Sr Venera at Chechadi the priest there wrote to the Founder,
“You know this mission is the hardest of all in Belgaum, beset with many
difficulties and opposition. Sr Venera is in best relations with everybody in
Hargoppa. She knows thoroughly the circumstances of this centre and its
people, is very energetic, healthy, zealous, courageous-qualities that are
necessary here.” 17
Motivated though, by the undaunted zeal for the mission, in sending

the sisters to the Belgaum mission, the Founder was deeply concerned
about their welfare and religious life. His letter to the Jesuit Superiors, reveals
his struggles, “We beg of you to understand, our personnel is limited both in
numbers and their general capacity and in accepting to work in so many
places in these parts we have with the best intention, overreached
ourselves.”18
17
Letter of Fr A Albinota,, sj, dated December 15, 1948
18
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, dated December 3, 1948
16
The Convent at Madanbhavi is flourishing to this day with the continuous
dedication of the sisters. Thousands of dalit children have been taken care
of with great love and affection in the orphanages. The children after
completing their primary education in Madanbhavi, continue their high school
studies at the Nesargi school run by the Jesuits.
At Balekundri
Balekundri was another substation of Santibastwad. Here too it was Fr

Armando Alvares, sj who first planted the vineyard of the Lord in 1947 and
invited the Bethany Sisters as his collaborators. Sr Maura was the first superior
of Sacred Heart Convent, Balekundri. The sisters taught in the Kannada
medium school and visited a number of villages catechizing the people. Often
they spent nights in the villages, teaching prayers and bhajans and preparing
the people for the sacraments. In the late 1940s and 1950s Fr C P Andrade
sj began evangelizing the people in the new villages with the cooperation of
the sisters. In his correspondence with the Founder, he expressed with joy
the success of their mission. In 1951 he reported that the number of baptisms
in two years were 116. In his letter of January 20, 1951 he writes, “On
Christmas day we baptized eight persons. One of them was from the new
village called Mavinnakatti. He was named Raymond after you. May he bring
his whole village into Christ’s fold. Sisters are doing well and I am pleased
with the sisters’ work.” 19
Thus one sees how the Founder’s zeal for the mission had an impact
on the sisters and the missionary and led to the christening and naming of
the neophytes after him. The Founder’s personal visits, his enquiries into
the needs of the mission and of sending sisters to work in this vineyard were
appreciated by Frs Alvares and Andrade. By 1950 there were a thousand
converts spread in nine villages. The sisters worked hard to deepen the
faith of the converts, spending even the whole night, praying and singing
bhajans with them.
The school was developed and raised to a High School by Fr C P Andrade.

The concentration on the growth of the institution led to the neglect of
the mission work. Fr Thomas Tharayil, the Parish Priest in the 1960s, wanted
19
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, dated January 20, 1951
17
to open a hospital and
requested the Mother
General to send a sister
doctor and sister nurses.
Since the Congregation
could not respond to this
request, the priest invited
another Congregation
who took up the medical
and educational ministry. In
The Early Mission in Belgaum 1947
1971, therefore, Bethany
Sisters were withdrawn from the Balekundri mission.
At Londa
Londa is a village surrounded by thick forests. It gained importance as a

railway junction connecting the Mumbai-Bangalore line to Goa. In the 1940s,
Londa had a few Catholic families who had migrated from Goa. There were
also Catholic railway employees stationed at Londa. The Jesuits from Belgaum
visited this mission station and took care of the spiritual needs of the people.
Fr A D’ Cruz, sj of Alnavar requested the Founder for the services of

the Bethany Sisters. The Founder ever eager for the expansion of the
missionary ventures, readily accepted the request in spite of the difficult
situations in which his spiritual daughters would have to work. He arrived at
Londa with Mother Priscilla, Sisters Florelle and Venera. Madeleine Convent,
Londa was opened on May 31, 1947.
The sisters had no proper residence, as the rooms in which they lived
doubled as classrooms during the day. The pioneers and the early sisters
courageously carried on the work of catechesis and gave the people whatever
they needed, even though the sisters themselves had very meagre funds.
They did not even have a place to bathe or wash their clothes and had to
go to one Mr Coelho’s house for these basic needs. Sr Verena who joined
the community later recalls her experiences, “It was a very lonely place,
surrounded by thick forests. There were no houses around. … We were
put up in a small house. That served as the classroom too. At times some
20
Annette, bs, The Saga of Bethany in North Karnataka, p 110
18
miscreants from the railway station side would come and trouble the Sisters.
Nights were frightening.” 20
In 1949 a plot of land was secured from the Government and a simple
convent and school building were constructed. The students came from
economically poor background and their parents lacked the resources to
earn their livelihood. The sisters educated these children with total
commitment and love. In 1954 Rt Rev Michael Rodrigues, the Bishop of
Belgaum visited the sisters. He was deeply touched by the simplicity of the
sisters and the rapport with the people. The sisters’ life of asceticism in the
remote forest area shocked him. He was at the same time edified by their
missionary zeal which made them live in such poverty and deprivation.
Even today the sisters work for the development of the children and
the poor women of the area. They strive to deepen the faith among the
Catholics of Londa and the substations. The Primary school has grown into a
High School. A boarding house caters to the needs of the poor children of
the surrounding villages.
Conclusion
Msgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas’ passion for the Belguam Mission has
transformed the lives of thousands of poor, especially the poor dalits. His
zeal for the liberation of the marginalized and outcastes of the Belgaum
Mission has given them a new lease of life, through the education imparted
by the Bethany Sisters for the past seven decades. The words of wisdom of
this holy prophet ring in the heart and mind of every Bethany Sister, his
spiritual daughter: “Let us revive our missionary spirit and once revived let us
ask God to keep it always ablaze for His greater glory and for the salvation of
souls.” 21
The aforementioned facts and episodes bring out in a small measure

the Founder, Msgr Raymond F C Mascarenhas’ heroic zeal and saintly
commitment, which strengthened by the Lord, he was able to inculcate
into the personality of the early Bethany Sisters and the mosaic of the
Congregation which has weathered the storms of time.
May his dream be realized to the full through the missionary enterprise
by his daughters, the present and the future generation of the Bethany
Sisters.
21
Bertha, bs From the Lips of the Founder, p 141
19
Rt Rev Mgr RFC Mascarenhas
Rev Fr John Pinto
A tribute that appeared in UNITAS of 1961(soon after Msgr’s death in

1960), a magazine of St Joseph’s Interdiocesan Seminary, Mangalore, the
author, the late Fr John G Pinto, a priest of the Mangalore Diocese, a
contemporary of the Servant of God Msgr Raymond (he was also his
Godchild, it is learnt). He served at Bantwal, Shirtady, Belthangady,
Omzoor, Hospet and Pezar parishes among other postings. As a close
confidant of the Servant of God, in later years, he stood by him in
various trials and difficulties in connection with his pastoral works. Thus
it brings out rare facets of Msgr Mascarenhas, poignantly from the heart
of a co-priest who knew him at close quarters. The author passed away
on 10 August 1967.
One of the most outstanding figures of the diocese of Mangalore and

among the clergy in India passed away when Mgr Raymond Francis Camil
Mascarenhas went to his reward on 23 December 1960 at the ripe old age of
86.
The immense work he had turned out in the long span of life is an asset to
the diocese and a manifestation of the zeal he had, to do what he could for the
furtherance of the Kingdom of God in this vast country of ours in the various
capacities he was placed in. This ideal he had before his mind from the day he
was ordained priest, on which occasion he took the name of Francis in honour
of the great apostle of India.
Born in a very respectable family in Shimoga on 23 January 1875, he was

brought up in Mangalore until he was ordained on 4 March 1900. For 60 years
he laboured in the various parishes of the diocese. He built a monumental
church at Udyavar in honour of his patron St Francis Xavier and after having
worked untiringly in the vast parish of Agrar he was appointed the first parish
priest of the newly constituted parish of Bendore in the city of Mangalore. For
the 17 years he was parish priest, practically from nothing he created a parish
20
full of blooming activities with a beautiful church, schools and the newly
started Congregation of the Bethany Sisters. With devotions and works of
zeal galore, Bendore parish was second to none in Mangalore. The raw
material-the new parish- offered to the zealous parish priest every incentive
to work with ardour unmindful of his own self; for though he was known to
have very poor health and was dyspeptic, he spent 17 years in the dusty
soda shop close to the road, intent first on building a worthy house for the
Lord with little thought for self.
When questioned how he could pass his days in that dust-ridden make-
shift of a house, he jokingly would remark that the dust around contained so
many germs that they attacked one another and never touched him.
As parish priest of Bendore he would, data occasione, place the high ideals
of what a diocesan priest ought to be before the large number of young men
who owing to his special attention and encouragement filled the rank and file
of the secular clergy both in Mangalore and elsewhere. Two of his assistants
became successively bishops of Mangalore, Mgr Victor Fernandes and Mgr Basil
Peres and the third, Mgr James Mendonca, joined the diocese of Trichinopoly
and is now the bishop there.
In 1931, Bishop Victor Fernandes made Mgr Mascarenhas his Vicar General.
He was a towering personality, head and shoulders over others. In the college
and in the seminary he was known for his brilliant talents, but he preferred to
carry out in himself the high ideals of the diocesan clergy and chose the humble
life of a secular priest. Even then the light could not be hidden under a bushel
and his brilliant talents brought him to the forefront wherever he was. As an
orator, dialectician and writer, he headed many a commission, and negotiating
mission and made his mark all over India and there were few among the
Catholic clergy and laity who did not know Mgr Mascarenhas.
With a view to providing for the education of the poor, he started on 16

July 1921 the Congregation of the Bethany Sisters. All religious orders and
Congregations have sowed in tears and reaped in joy. So too this indigenous
Congregation had to get through severe trials and tribulations. The Institute
has stood the test of time and weathered many a storm. In 40 years, it has its
21
ramifications in several other dioceses as Mysore, Bangalore, Calicut, Belgaum,
Poona, Delhi and Simla.
Mgr Mascarenhas carried on all these works at great personal sacrifice

and relying on Providence. With practically no help from others or from outside,
he built two fine churches, several convents, high schools and elementary
schools, industrial and training schools, a list that would bewilder anyone. His
life as a minister of God was solid and nobody would gainsay that he led a truly
sacerdotal interior life.
He was made a Domestic Prelate in 1955. That honour must have come to
the grand old octogenarian as a relief and recognition for the strenuous work
done by him for God and for the Church. “At last the cloud is lifted” said Cardinal
Newman when, misunderstood by his own and maligned by those of the Anglican
Communion, Leo XIII gave him the Red Hat. So did the good Monsignor feel
about the rare honour done him in similar circumstances.
Towards the end of his life he was failing in mind and no wonder. He had
worked so hard that he must have overtaxed himself.
With great joy he had ascended the Altar to celebrate his sacerdotal
Diamond Jubilee Mass on 29 February 1960. But after the Gospel at the sermon
he had a stroke of paralysis which was the beginning of the end. He did the
Jubilee Mass after a month, but mostly he was bed-ridden and he passed away
on 23 December exactly 85 years 11 months old to the day. His funeral took
place that very day and he lies buried in St Sebastian’s Church, Bendore, the
place wherein he had spent 47 years in strenuous labours.
Courtsey: Unitas 1961

(Obituary, pp 87-88)
St Joseph’s Interdiocesan Seminary
Jeppu, Mangalore
22
A Saint in the Making
Servant of God – Msgr RFC Mascarenhas
A Loving Father
Mr James D’ Souza, now 83 years of age, is a devoted

admirer of the Servant of God Raymond Mascarenhas.
Having been a parishioner at Bendur, Mangalore, and
an altar server to Msgr Raymond Mascarenhas, he
recollects our ‘Servant of God’ in an unusually warm
manner and brings out the ‘Fatherly’ qualities of Msgr
James D’ Souza
Mascarenhas. Mr James a successful banker, now lives Bangalore
in Bangalore.
If, at one time, I thought it was my good fortune to have known

Father Raymond Mascarenhas from such close quarters, being next-door
neighbour to Bethany which is older to me by eight years, I am now convinced
that it has been more than a blessing. At age 81 plus, to have been able to
recollect, reminiscence and to present our beloved father Raymond to our
readers, as I saw him, as I knew him, experienced love and awe for him,
over a period of time, is something I had not expected to achieve in my
lifetime.
In my writings on the great man, beginning with my presentation titled

“A Remembrance” which was carried by Mangalore Magazine, the official
publication of the Catholic Association of South Kanara in its January 2009
issue, I have tried to project him, in my simple language as (i) The
Compassionate Pastor (ii) The Compassionate Father (iii) The Forgiving Father
(iv) The Charismatic Father and (v) The Loving Father.
In the book Reminiscences, p. 37, Sr Theresine of Bethany writes that

our beloved Founder of their Congregation, though a deeply spiritual man,
had a sense of humour too. Why not enjoy a little humour ourselves to
share memories of that smiling face, even at this distance of time? I mean
no insult to anybody, my effort being to present Msgr Raymond as a unique
personality, and, as a simple loving Father.
On one occasion, when I went to visit a reigning Bishop, I acquiesced
23
with him my ignorance of the correct words in Konkani for greeting him. He
was so magnanimous and understanding, for I don’t know if he had advance
knowledge of the number of summers I was carrying on my shoulders partly
helped by my walking stick, a broken hip-joint, arthritic knee-joints and visible
signs of discomfort having been kissed by the chikunguniya bug few months
earlier he received me at the entrance to his chambers while still standing,
but asking me to a chair “first sit, make yourself comfortable and relax.” And,
as a finale to this happy, wonderful experience, instead of answering my
question, he confronted me with his own question, “You have not told me
the purpose of this visit.” And we all had a hearty laugh. He knew why I had
gone to meet him!!!
Our beloved Father Raymond carried the ex-officio title of Monsignor as

Vicar General for ten years from 1931 to 1941. He was made Domestic
Prelate by Pope Pius XII in 1955 which got him dignified title of Monsignor
for life. If ever he wanted anything for himself in this world it was this one
gift from God, though coming late in his life, as a sign of acceptance and
recognition for all he had done and accomplished for His Church. He was,
otherwise, the same simple ‘father’ to everybody who loved him and whom
he loved.
I must confess that, during my years of contact and interaction with

him, I have always addressed him as ‘Father.’ It was so beautiful and blessing
to be near him, to talk to him “Yes father,” “No father.” He was such a loving
and lovable personality. And, as for a father’s love for his children?
It was his life’s mission and he manifested it in establishing schools for

the education and uplift of children all through his active life, and carried
forward by the Congregation he founded. He loved children and his main
concern was the girl-child. He was ecstatic while in the midst of children. As
for the Congregation of Religious Sisters of Bethany, “I will give my life for
them,” he had said. Young or old, they were his children. To hear him
commiserating so very gently with them with a “Putha” in Konkani meaning
“my child” was music to the ears. Such was his endearing love for them.
This, then, is our loving father, servant of God Msgr Raymond FC

Mascarenhas. May God raise him to the honours of the Altar, is our fervent
prayer.
24
Close to Nature... Close to God
Founder - the Pioneer Ecologist
This analysis, in today’s context of ecology and

environment awareness, brings to the fore the
advance concern and eco-friendliness of the Servant
of God Msgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas, and the
manner in which he implemented the involvement of
Bethany Sisters, with nature values. Sr Santosh Maria,
hailing from Kerala, is a third year BTh student at St Sr Santosh Maria, BS
Joseph’s Interdiocesan Seminary, Mangalore. She is a diploma holder in
Theology of Consecrated life and an efficient teacher. Her writings and
conferences display a remarkable touch of originality and depth, reflected
in all her work.
Introduction
We are nearer to God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.

Possibly because lovely gardens evoke the luxuriance of Eden in the story of
humanity’s fall or because we discover something about God’s will when we
work in our garden. Whatever it may be, when we look through the history,
most of the holy and righteous persons, who fell in love with God had also
fallen in love with nature. They had truly found the heart of God in the very
heart of the nature. I would like to add a saintly man of the 20th century,
Raymond Francis Camillus Mascarenhas, the revered Founder of the Sisters of
the Little Flower of Bethany to the successive venerable persons like St Francis
of Assisi, St Therese of Lisieux, Rabindranath Tagore to name a few, who loved
God and nature. He truly loved nature and taught his sisters to do so, at a time
when people had begun to alienate themselves from nature through
industrialization. In his dealings with the nature, there was a ‘beyond vision’ of
reality yet to come. Hence through this article I would like to highlight a few
aspects from the life of Msgr Raymond as to how nature for him made an easy
link with God.
25
1. Finding God in the Nature
God created this beautiful earth and entrusted it to man to till it and keep
it, making him the crown of creation. Man became the caretaker of God’s works.
Only people who are close to God can hear God’s heart beating through nature.
RFC Mascarenhas was such a man who was very close to the heart of God
through the nature. Sr Esperie who had a first-hand experience with Msgr
Raymond remarks: “Fr Founder was a great lover of nature and he always
encouraged people to love nature and conserve it. He knew a great deal about
every tree, every plant and he treated nature with great respect and care. His
love was not only for humanity but also for all the works of the Creator. He saw
the beauty of the Creator reflected in everything. He inculcated a great love for
nature in our sisters. His advice to them was never to cut a tree but to plant
them more.”1
2. Eco-Spirituality of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas

Even a child knows now, why unending natural calamities occur. There is
no need to curse God for all these heart breaking occurrences, for “we have
treated our mother earth so badly, that at any moment an acid rain can fall in
our gardens and pollutants can drift from industry a hundred miles away.
Changing weather patterns have created winds that tear the branches of the
trees and bend the foxgloves to the ground. Climatologists tell us that the
flutter of a butterfly’s wings in Tokyo has an eventual effect on the weather in
London. It follows that the feelings of the rain forests and the fumes of fossils
fuels will ultimately affect not only our garden, but all life.”2
1
Esperie, bs, My Joy and My Crown, p 38
2
Roth, Nancy, Close to God’s Heart, p 40
26
Tsunamis and earthquakes break the rhythm of our life. They would
make us stretch our hands towards others for food and shelter. All wealth
earned for a life time is lost within the fraction of a second. Scientists estimate
that 50% of all land and sea-life will disappear by 2100. The extinction is
believed to be human-triggered and will be quickest in earth’s history. High
temperature, water scarcity and water abundance resulting from flooding
or heavy precipitation have shown to be related to many unheard of
sicknesses.
Whenever a man gets alienated from his eco system, he is in essence,

alienated from God too, for He is the Creator. Msgr RFC Mascarenhas loved
nature, preserved it and he could bring alive ‘the dry bones’ of a barren
land, plant gardens on rocky hills and trample down thorns and thistles to
grow fruit trees and food crops. He could hear the music of God in the
chirping of the birds and the running of the streams. There is an incident
narrated by Sr Agnus, ‘One day as it rained heavily at Rosa Mystica, Fr Founder
told me, “When you look at the showers of rain falling down on the ground
and making it fertile, think of the showers of graces God sends on you and
thank Him for them.” He was naturally attuned to see God in the nature.’ 3
3. The Garden Planted…

Msgr RFC Mascarenhas seemed to have special love to the word ‘garden’
which he often used it in his speech and so many of the sisters who were
associated with him could not but mention his love for the garden. First and
foremost he considered Bethany as the garden of Our Lady, where he was

the gardener for the timebeing. Another garden he cherished was the Rosa
Mystica at Gurupur, Mangalore. He dedicated this beautiful garden to Our
3
Bertha, bs,(Ed) From the Lips of the Founder, pp 306-7
27
Lady of Rosa Mystica.
Fr John D’Souza SJ of
revered memory had
this to say: “A den of
tigers and wild animals
has been transformed
into a beautiful garden
of Eden.”4 Sr Theresine
records this incident in
A Mango tree planted by the Founder still bearing fruit
the book, Reminiscences,
“Our elderly house maids, especially Cecybai, narrated to me how Fr. Founder
saw that the coconut palms and various fruit-yielding trees were planted in
the garden. Once the pits were dug, there were times when father himself
got down into them and planted the saplings. He knew every tree by name
and location. Every tree and every stone at Rosa Mystica would recall his
memory.”5 Those coconut palms and mango trees he planted are still yielding,
proclaiming the love of that benevolent gardener. It is marvellous to note
that in those days he could journey to the hills of Wynad which is almost a
2500 feet above the sea level and could spot another garden at Pallikunnu.
When he bought it, it was an orange orchard and later on it was converted
into a coffee, and a rubber estate. It was also just like Rosa Mystica a God-
forsaken land in those days, but today blooming with full life and full of colour.
He was not only a lover of gardens but also of sunrise, sunset and the
sea. Ullal was one of his favourite spots. He would take children along with
him so that they could enjoy a sea bath, which he knew would improve
their health and revive their fallen energy. He would spend time on the
seashore looking at the horizon. Saints can speak to God even from beyond
the horizon! He believed that nature could heal many of the aliments. So he
built the buildings in such eco-friendly way, very specially when they were
destined for infirmaries. We have the Raphael’s House at Gurpur, built on a
hill. The cool breeze of Gurpur valley dances into each room of this small
cottage. We would surely feel refreshed and revived if we take a good rest
here. He built Vamanjoor house as a health resort for sisters who were ailing
from Tuberculosis. The resort was built with an eco-friendly touch, proposed
by Father Founder himself.
4
Theresine, bs, “The Story of Rosa Mystica”:Platinum Jubilee Souvenir,1932-2007,p 24
5
Theresine and Esuria bs, Reminiscences, p 35
28
4. A Challenge Left for You and me
Our Planet Earth is one of the most beautiful creations of God and He
entrusted it to you and me. Our body is made up of this Earth. Thus to ‘love
oneself’ is to love nature. The recent Copenhagen Conference discussed
the many dangers our planet faces but they hardly made any radical decisions
to save the planet. Leaders are reluctant to take a firm step, because it
would bring down their flourishing economy.
Over the last centuries we too had our share in the form of floods,
tsunamis, cyclones, droughts and as a result many new diseases have crept
into our lives. They have wiped away many lives and so we cannot sit back
and think, and this is a subject which our leaders should discuss and plan. As
many single drops of water make a mighty ocean, so too I can add my mite
to this endeavour. I am obliged to do so. How and what to do is left to the
individual’s and community’s creative and responsible thinking.
Only rare people who have a greater God-consciousness are able to

recognize the face of the Creator in all the created things. Msgr Raymond
was such a person. In his letters to his sisters he would ask about the
garden they were cultivating, after enquiring about them with the same
affection. “…I forgot about the garden. What progress is it making…?”6
Everything in the nature spoke to him. He would find delight in the growth
of trees. He would miss them very much when they were cut. Sister Esperie
narrates an incident in her book Bethany My Joy and My Crown. “Fr Founder
was 84 and he came to Rosa Mystica to attend the vestition ceremony.
After the ceremony when father came out he noticed that two or three
drumstick trees were missing from their places in the compound. His keen
sense of perception and attention to details at this age is to be admired. He
asked me, “Esperie, who cut the trees?”...I accompanied father till the
chaplain’s cottage. There again he noticed another tree was cut. He said,
“Here there was a matti tree. Tell them not to cut such trees. In case it
dries up or needs to be cut, another sapling must be planted.” 7
When he
purchased the land at Gurpur, he wrote a letter to the sisters at Lisieux
Convent, Puttur, “…If any of you are willing, come and remain here. If you
come you must know how to dig, to plough, to take ¯ÁnZÉA GzÁPï, also to
6
Letter of Msgr.RFC Mascarenhas dated Nov 23, 1937 to Bethulia Community, Meppadi
7
Esperie, bs. Bethany My Joy and My crown, p 38
29
cut stones and build.
Send me your
application soon.”8 In
this humorous letter
he included a clarion
call to be a formator
of the virgin soil. We
see a man who
welcomed the
nature into his heart
and embraced it with a growing affection. That made all the difference.
The challenge before us is to form such an intimate friendship with nature.
We need to act with a greater urgency. We should ensure that we do not
punish our beautiful nature to a devastating end. The reaction of the nature
will be beyond our endurance. But should we wait until then?
Conclusion
The story of Msgr Raymond is a love story of nature too. He was a

gardener in every sense and taught many of his sisters to be good gardeners.
Gardening taught him that he could plant and water but have to wait,
allowing God to take over. Sometimes it may seem an eternity. But that
humble man was ready to wait, trusting in the providence of God fully. It
helped him to notice everything, to find joy in small things. In this process
he allowed himself to be a garden of Almighty Father. God pruned him offering
him the chalice of sufferings, ploughed him through humiliations and bitter
experiences. God granted the experience of droughts and cyclones in his
life. There were moments of sheer joy too when He sent pouring showers
of blessings on him. The unfathomed joy of being a priest of God, and
cherishing his priesthood in the daily Eucharistic sacrifice, the growth of his
most cherished garden…thus the eternal Gardener taught him the secret of
dying to live. “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24). Msgr RFC
Mascarenhas was a seed truly fallen to the ground. Thus in the process of
becoming a gardener, he became the garden itself offering us a challenge to
take up and live it in our day-to-day life.
8
Letter of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas, September 16, 1931
30
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bertha, M bs, (Ed). From the Lips of the Founder . Mangalore: Bethany
Publications, 1996.
Esperie, M bs, My Joy and My Crown: My Memories of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas.

Mangalore: Bethany Publications, 2003.
D’Souza, Violette, M. bs Unless the Seed Die. Mangalore: Bethany Publications,

1985.
Bethany Generalate Archives, Mangalore.
Roth, Nancy “Close to God’s Heart in the Garden”, in The Way:Contemporary

Christian Spirituality, Jan2001,(33-41).
Theresine, M bs, “The story of Rosa Mystica”: Platinum Jubilee Souvenir

1932-2007.
Theresine, M and Esuria,M bs. Reminiscences. Mangalore: Bethany Publications,

2009.
31
Memories of a Saintly Priest - our Fr Founder
Heroic sufferings are the hallmark of Saints in the

church. Servant of God Msgr Raymond all through his
life faced sufferings, walking the talk. Sr Doreen, a
senior nun of Bethany, deep from the heart and
experience, leads the reader into Msgr Mascarenhas’
last days. The writer has carved a place for herself in
Sr M Doreen BS
the field of education - celebrated teacher and
headmistress for 22 years. After her retirement she equipped herself from
Manitoba Institute of Management, Canada, and has engaged in multifarious
social action for the downtrodden and as a successful counsellor. Presently,
she is the director of Jyoti Social Work Centre of the Bethany
Congregation in Bangalore.
Rev Fr RFC Mascarenhas was a holy and loving priest of God and people.
I saw him for the first time in 1949 while I was studying in Third Form at the
Little Flower High School, Kinnigoly. This holy priest would visit the sisters
sometimes and at the same time come to our school and Boarding House as
well. We would be quite happy in his presence as he told the stories, he would
speak about the life and missionary zeal of Little Therese of Child Jesus, the
patroness of the School. It was so inspiring, that seven girls out of 15 in the
Sixth Form, in 1952 joined religious life (4 to Bethany, 1 to Ursulines, 1 to
Charity and 1 to Brigittines).
I was one among those four girls. I joined Bethany on 3rd June 1952. It
was customary during those days to go to Founder’s Cottage immediately after
the initial procedure of receiving the new candidates. Accordingly I went to
founder accompanied by my father and a sister. Rev Fr Mascarenhas blessed
me and my father. He spoke to my father for a while. Finally, he thanked him
for offering two of his daughters for Bethany. Ever since, I have experienced a
strong support of Fr Founder during my formative years.
After my joining Bethany, my mother was upset, so was my grand mother.

They were worried about me. I was a mischievous girl, a heavy sleeper and
fond of good food. On 8th June 1952, my grand mother appeared in the
32
parlour of Bethany. She met Mother Priscilla, the Superior of the Community
and proceeded to Fr Founder’s residence. I was called by Fr Founder. My
grand mother explained to Father, all her reasons for my so called unhappiness
in the convent and asked Fr Founder to send me back home along with her.
Ignorant as I was, of the arguments of my grand mother, I looked at Fr
Founder and said “I will not go home”. Beloved Fr Founder placed his hand
on my head and said, “No child, I will not send you, Bethany needs you, I
shall convince your grand mother”. And dear Fr Founder did it. My grand
mother returned home and I knelt down at father’s feet, for his blessing.
Our beloved Fr Founder intervened on my behalf and I continued my
formation.
At the end of my second year of Teachers’ training course in April

1954, I was attacked by typhoid and was hospitalized at Fr Muller’s. My
condition was very bad. During those days Fr Founder visited me very often.
Every time he visited me I would request him to send me to the Novitiate
along with my companions, since I was a postulant for six months. On medical
advice the superiors had decided to postpone my vestition by one year. The
compassionate Fr Founder encouraged me to obey my superiors with the
promise of reserving for me the name of Mother Mary. During that year I
was sent for teaching at Rosa Mystica. At the end of that year, as promised
Fr Founder gave me the name which he had reserved i.e. Sr Mary Doreen of
Jesus Pierced (Dolorosa) and I entered the Novitiate. Thus he relieved me
of all the tensions. He was a true and compassionate Father, who was true
to his word.
Those were the years of trials and misunderstandings for our Fr Founder.
We were asked to pray earnestly for Bethany, a fact we did not understand. Fr
Founder was suffering intensely. He was deprived of all the necessities of life as
the Founder. One afternoon we, the Novices at Rosa Mystica were surprised to
see our beloved Fr Founder walking alone from the bus stand to our Novitiate.
We rushed to meet him. We found him weak and worried. He sat in the convent
parlour for a while, spoke to us just a few words; finally requested us to pray
much for him and for Bethany. Such was his deep trust in the power of prayer!
I was a member of Motherhouse Community immediately after my First

Profession in May 1956. Bethany was in trouble then. On the feast of Little
Therese the second Patroness of our congregation we, the Junior sisters
33
requested Fr founder to speak to us. He came to the Motherhouse chapel
accompanied by one of the labourers. He spoke to us on the Little way of
Little Therese, her deep love for Jesus and Mary ... finally he touched upon
the power of prayer and said, “Prayer is like the cement which strengthens
the life span of a building and as such we need to spend more time in
prayer, storm heaven for Bethany”.
Fr Founder was directed to offer Mass in private. A temporary altar was

prepared in his cottage on the verandah. The Junior Sisters were asked to take
turns and serve Father’s Mass. We were happy to do this. Fr Founder offered
Mass daily with so much devotion and fervour, that we found him absorbed in
the Mystery of Calvary. After Mass he would spend time before the Crucifix. He
would not talk to us even while we lingered around after Mass. He taught us by
his eloquent example to obey our superiors in all circumstances.
We have experienced the consequences of secluded life of Fr Founder. All

the while he appeared to be resigned to the will of Superiors. He would not
utter any words of anger or impatience. We could see him seated on his chair
in the verandah and pray the Rosary. The saintly Fr Founder would not talk to
us then, since we were forbidden to talk to him. He was deeply hurt at this type
of indifference on the part of his own spiritual daughters, for whose sake he
was ready to give his life. Now I feel sorry for being one among those sisters
who were under pressure and ignored the holy person – our Rev Fr Founder!
He suffered loneliness and indifference from all of us, his beloved daughters.
Yes, he suffered in silence – Man of sorrows, strengthened by the Mother of
Sorrows to whom he had great filial devotion.
One morning, as I was going to school along with three other junior sisters,
Fr Founder walked near the gate of his compound, called me aside and asked
me to bring the notes of lessons book of one of the senior sisters teaching in
St Joseph’s, Kankanady. I was scared to attempt. In the evening Fr Founder
was awaiting my return from school and was disappointed to see me without
bringing that book. He told me to try the following day.
Meanwhile, word reached the superior of the community, that I was seen
speaking to Fr Founder. She was furious. As I reached the community bell,
near the Grotto of Our Lady, she asked me to go to Mother General’s room
immediately. Both of them were angry with me – Mother General too was very
displeased. Then, the superior of the house said to me “You are disobedient,
34
you were told not to go to Father’s house, now, take your trunk and go
home at once.”
Though the circumstances were apparently not favourable for Fr

Founder, I believed that he was still the superior to all of us. Therefore,
instead of running to take my trunk, I ran to father’s house- sobbing in
distress. He was praying the Rosary seated in front of our Lady. He lovingly
placed his hand on my head and asked me for the reason. I said “Mother has
told me to take my trunk and go home; I do not want to go.” Father was
silent for a while then he said “don’t cry my child, you are needed in Bethany.
Go to the community and have your tea. I shall tell the superior later.” I have
no comments further!
I am still in Bethany and I am grateful to God and to our beloved Fr

Founder for the blessings of my perseverance in Bethany.
I have often seen him seated before the Blessed Sacrament for long
hours. He had placed a picture of the Sacred Heart on the backside of the
Tabernacle in the Motherhouse Chapel and there he would spend long hours
all alone - in silence. Was he drinking the chalice of suffering, all for the sake
of Bethany, the apple of his eye! After the prayer he would go to his cottage
in deep thoughtfulness.
The clouds of sufferings were cleared gradually after 1959. There was
a change in the administration. Some relaxation was found. Fr Founder was
once again available to all of us to spend some time in recreation. He was
happy at the free atmosphere and speak about the blessings of God and of
Blessed Mother on Bethany.
All the same, Fr Founder continued to be in his cottage. His Sacerdotal

Diamond Jubilee was celebrated on 29th February 1960. He was very much
excited on the occasion, so also all of us. St Sebastian’s Church Bendore was
full to its capacity. But the Lord had his own plan-during the Eucharistic
Celebration Father was so happy - that after the homily he could not stand
up....! The doctors were called in- still, much could not be done.
Fr Founder proved to be the minister of God during the last few months.
He was confined to his cottage. Very often he would ask his attendants to
take him to the chapel to the Blessed Sacrament. He would gaze at the
Tabernacle with much devotion and love that I was inspired by that gesture
of the holy person – his living faith towards the Real Presence.
35
After Msgr Raymond got the paralytic stroke during the Eucharistic celebration of
his Sacerdotal Diamond Jubilee on 29th February 1960, Mother Macrina, the
Superior General presided over the felicitation programme. Most Rev Bishop
Raymond D’Mello and other priests of the diocese are seen in the photo.
Being in his room he would pray the Rosary. His trusted friend Fr Marian
Castelino would visit him often, so also many of his friends, sisters, relatives
and admirers. During the last week of his life i.e. December 1960, Fr Castelino
would teach him prayers in his ears saying “In Manos Tua Domine, commendo
spiritu mea”. Fr Founder would repeat the same in whispers. So also “Immaculate
Heart of Mary, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death”. Father’s
room was a holy place. On 22nd December 1960, late in the evening all of us
gathered in his room. Father was praying not in agony – calm and serene. On
23rd early morning at 5 a.m. we got the sad news that dear Father passed away.
A saint, I felt a great loss, someone who loved us had passed away …. an
intercessor in heaven.
His mortal remains were placed in the Motherhouse Chapel. People, religious
both men and women and priests poured in the Chapel all through the day.
Many priests offered prayers and blessings. I saw many touching their rosaries
to Father’s coffin. They were saying, “A holy person… a saintly priest… Bethany
is fortunate to have such a selfless, humble servant to be their Founder…”
The funeral was held the same evening at St Sebastian Church, Bendore.
Oh what a crowd! What a solemnity!
Mixed feeling of loneliness – of having lost a loving, compassionate, a kind

Father... one who understood me thoroughly… Feelings of joy – a powerful
intercessor in heaven.
36
Favours Received from 1999 to 2001 through
the Intercession of the Servant of God
Raymond FC Mascarenhas and Published in Raknno,
the Konkani Weekly of Mangalore Diocese
2000/12 Thanks to Msgr RFC Mascarenhas for favours received.

- Sr Victoria, Guledgudd
2000/13 My grateful thanks for the favours received through the intercession
of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas.
- James Canute Lobo, Mogarnad
- Dulhari Kujur, Ranchi
of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas
- A V Monteiro
- Sr Elnora, BS
2000/17 Thanks for the many favours received through then intercession
of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas. I shall continue to pray for still more
favours.
- A devotee
- Sr Sapientia, BS
- Sylvia, Taccode
2000/20 Thanks to Msgr RFC Mascarenhas for the favours received.
- Sr Theresine, BS
- Sr Edburge, BS
2000/22 Received favours through the intercession of Msgr Raymond
Mascarenhas. My heartfelt thanks to him.
- Sr Sheela, Madanbhavi
37
2000/23 Received favours through the intercession of Msgr RFC
Mascarenhas. My sincere thanks to him. I regret for the delay in
publication.
- Sr Surekha, BS
- Theresine, BS
2001/1 Through the intercession of Msgr Raymond Mascarenhas, my
sister’s health was restored. Sincere thanks to him.
- A devotee
- A devotee
2001/3 Received favours through the intercession of Msgr Raymond
Mascarenhas. My heartfelt thanks to him.
- William D’ Souza, Kinnigoli
- CRF
- Juliet Rasquinha
Mascarenhas. My sincere thanks to him.
- Sister Rosette, BS
2001/7 Thanksgiving for favours received through the intercession of Msgr
Raymond Francis Camillus Mascarenhas- Bethany Founder.
- Sr Esuria, BS
- WLC
- Sr Benny, BS, Orissa
- Sr Severine, BS
2001/11 Thanks to Msgr RFC Mascarenhas for the special favours received.
- Sr. Benny, BS, Orissa
38
of Msgr Raymond Mascarenhas. I still continue to pray for more
favours.
- C.A
- Shrimati Alice Sequeira, Kirem
of. Msgr RFC Mascarenhas
- Sr Felix, BS. Bangalore
- A devotee
- Maria
- Sr Victia, Guledgudd
- Sr Mariette, BS, Bendur
- Ancilla
- Superior, Rosa Mystica Convent
- A devotee
2001/22 Heartfelt thanks to Msgr RFC Mascarenhas for the favours received.
- Sr Theresild, BS
2001/23 Thanks to Rev Fr RFC Mascarenhas, the founder of Bethany for
the favours received.
- Bethany Convent, Bendur
2001/24 When I was at the point of dying, I was saved through the
intercession of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas. My sincere thanks to him.
May he be granted honours of the altar soon.
- Sr Noel, BS
39
2001/25 The mission which God ordained, I am carrying it out through the
intercession of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas. My grateful thanks to him.
- Sr Donalda Pais, Arunodaya Special School, Karkal
August 29, 2009 Published in Divo

Received favours through the intercession of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas. My sincere
thanks to him. Regret for the delay in publishing.
Sandra Baretto & Family, Honnavar
April 19, 2010 Published in The Secular Citizen

My heartfelt thanks to Msgr Raymond Mascarenhas for granting good health.
Praying for more favours.
- Ignatius D’ Souza,
Mangalore/Dubai
June 14, 2010 Published in The Secular Citizen

Thanks to Msgr Raimond Mascarenhas for the favours granted in successful
operation.
-Precilla Mathias, Parel
40
Favours Received
1991 Faith in God Moves Mountains.
i. The Provident Fund slips of the employees of St Vincent’s Convent School,

Berhampur, Orissa from 1991 to 2001 were not released due to the clerical
fault in the Provident Fund Office. The management of the school was asked to
pay the penalty to the tune of Rs four lakhs for no fault of their own.
Hence the school authorities sought the assistance of the Provident Fund
Commissioner at Delhi. But the Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner at
Berhampur was unmoved and unwilling to change his stand. We requested
the sisters, the staff and the students to intercede through Msgr RFC
Mascarenhas. Very soon there was a change in the attitude of the Assistant
Provident Fund Commissioner who passed an order in September 2001 and
released the Provident Fund slips free from having to pay any penalty.
ii. The construction of Oriya Medium School in Berhampur, Orissa was held
up for a number of years due to the delay in approving the building plan by the
Block Development Authority at Berhampur. After waiting patiently and praying
incessantly for several months through the intercession of Msgr RFC
Mascarenhas, the plan was sanctioned by the Block Development Authority.
iii. We were in need of a good water source. The water diviner located the
spot and assured us that there is good water source and water would be available
without having to drill deep. We were worried and anxious when water was
not found even after drilling to a level of 300 feet deep. To add to our anxiety
we were told that there is no chance of finding water even to a depth of 450
feet. We had recourse to God through the intercession of Msgr. RFC Mascarenhas
and next morning we had the good news of finding sufficient water as an
answer to our prayers. We thank and praise the Lord for answering our prayers
and granting our requests.
Sr Benedicta Castelino BS
Shanthi Ashram, Berhampur, Orissa.
41
1996 Prayer Changes Things
I developed severe itching on my whole body. Consulting several doctors

and taking treatment from them brought no relief. I felt embarrassed to meet
anyone in public because the skin of the whole body was dried up. Finally I
approached Dr Raghavendra Bhat who said prayer and faith alone can work a
miracle.
At this juncture I went to Msgr Raymond FC’s cottage, poured out to him
tearfully my distress and prayed for relief. I felt assured that I would be healed.
As a result of the ongoing treatment under Dr Raghavendra Bhat and the
unceasing prayers of all the inmates of Bethany day by day I found improvement
and now I am completely restored to good health.
May God be glorified for the healing power manifested through the
intercession of Msgr Raymond FC Mascarenhas.
Sr Josita BS
Santa Cruz Convent, Kulshekar
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
2000 God Answers Prayers
I was suffering with a deep wound on the right leg near the thigh. I
underwent treatment for two months without cure. As per the advice of the
doctor I was required to undergo plastic surgery. With trust and confidence I
prayed to the Founder earnestly for three months. I experienced healing and
now I am able to walk without pain.
My left leg below the knee and above the ankle was badly affected. I
consulted five doctors who prescribed antibiotics but without positive results.
My leg was looking disfigured. Doctors diagnosed it as cellulites, a type of ulcer.
I was advised to go to Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai for treatment. While the
treatment continued I prayed continuously through the intercession of Msgr
Raymond FC Mascarenhas for one and half year. I thank and praise God for
answering my prayers and granting me complete healing.
Sr Concetta BS
Rosa Mystica Convent, Kinnikambla.
42
09.07.2009 JOB SECURED
My brother was in need of a good job. I began praying to Msgr RFC

Mascarenhas. God has blessed him with a good job abroad.
My heartfelt thanks to God for answering my prayer.

Mrs. Jyothi Fernandes
Arasara Guthu House, Aikala Post
Talipady. Damaskatte
2010
My wife and I express our grateful thanks to the Servant of God, Msgr
Raymond Mascarenhas for the great favour received through his intercession.
I lost my job during the global recession in 2008. It was not going to be easy to
get another job at my age 52. We prayed to this great Man of God, persistently
since November 2008, for this miracle to happen. I got a decent job and I
started on it on 12th April 2010. We continue our prayers for the Honours of the
Altar to our Benefactor, and we request the Postulator and the Vice Postulator
to accept our humble thanks-offering for the “Cause”.
Cynthia and Peter D’ Souza

In Calgary (Alberta) Canada
24.09.2009
Through the intercession of Fr Founder I have received the following favours:
1. Dolphy D’ Souza, my nephew got a permanent job in MCC Bank though

he had crossed the age bar.
2. Permission for PCMB combination in Presentation Girls’ Composite P.U.

College, Dharwad was granted by the concerned authorities in 2009 which was
denied since 2006. Gradually the student strength increased considerably and
the required equipments for the college were received as a gift from generous
well-wisher. We thank and praise the Lord for the good infrastructure.
- Sr Prima BS
Presentation Convent, Dharwad
43
2010
Once my sister called me up and informed me that her child is running

high temperature. She was hesitating to go to the doctor as she had financial
problems. Praying through the intercession of Fr Founder daily for any favour
has been a practice, in her family. Therefore, I asked her to continue to pray.
One night she placed the photo of our Fr Founder on the child’s body and
continued to pray. To her surprise the next day when the child awoke from her
sleep, she did not have the temperature. She thanked God for working this
miracle thro’ our Fr Founder.
I was constantly praying to have a good job for my brother-in-law. Though

he had a job, he was not able to make both ends meet. I believe it is thro’ the
intercession of our Founder he got a better job and is now able to meet the
expenses of his family. So along with my sister’s family I thank and praise God
and pray that our Fr Founder may be granted the honours of the altar.
Sr Rositta, BS
Bethany Convent, Susni
Jharkhand
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 - 575 002
Karnataka, India
Managing Editor
44

Compassionate Pastor July 2010

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Compassionate Pastor July 2010

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE COMPASSIONATE PASTOR

Editorial Board Contents

Chief Editor 2. Msgr Raymond’s Passion for Belgaum

3. Rt Rev Msgr RFC Mascarenhas

4. A Saint in the Making

Mr Ivan Saldanha A Loving Father

Sr M Theresine, BS 5. Close to Nature... Close to God

Sr M Rose Celine, BS 6. Memories of a Saintly Priest- Our Fr Founder

Sr M Jessy Rita, BS 7. Favours Received 37

- From the letter of the Servant of God

The month of July is allied with rain and floods.

One would expect the Founder to take time to deliberate on this

On November 3, 1939, the first step of a long missionary journey and

When Msgr RFC Mascarenhas took the courageous step of starting a

The Blessed Virgin Mary continued to be the patroness and protector

After the opening of the convent at Dharwar, the Founder, together

Today the hard work of the Bethany Sisters at Guledgudd is bearing

The Mission in the Patriarchate of Goa

It was an extremely painful and heartbreaking period for the Founder.

The simplicity of life of Bethany sisters, their readiness to be one with

Most loving Lord Jesus Christ, who with the price of

In the successive months and years, the sisters carried on their

The Founder often visited Santibastwad, as he was drawn to the

The success of the mission at Santibastwad made the missionary priests

In his letter to Fr A Alvares, the Founder writes: “We have arranged to

The Superior General, Mother Petra’s letter to Fr A Alvares expresses

In spite of such anxieties and constraints, Bethany forged ahead in

The Immaculate Heart Convent at Nandgad was opened on May 31,

The Jesuit missionaries purchased two acres of land at Madanbhavi and

Motivated though, by the undaunted zeal for the mission, in sending

Balekundri was another substation of Santibastwad. Here too it was Fr

The school was developed and raised to a High School by Fr C P Andrade.

Londa is a village surrounded by thick forests. It gained importance as a

Fr A D’ Cruz, sj of Alnavar requested the Founder for the services of

The aforementioned facts and episodes bring out in a small measure

Rev Fr John Pinto

A tribute that appeared in UNITAS of 1961(soon after Msgr’s death in

One of the most outstanding figures of the diocese of Mangalore and

Born in a very respectable family in Shimoga on 23 January 1875, he was

With a view to providing for the education of the poor, he started on 16

Mgr Mascarenhas carried on all these works at great personal sacrifice

Courtsey: Unitas 1961

Mr James D’ Souza, now 83 years of age, is a devoted

If, at one time, I thought it was my good fortune to have known

In my writings on the great man, beginning with my presentation titled

In the book Reminiscences, p. 37, Sr Theresine of Bethany writes that

On one occasion, when I went to visit a reigning Bishop, I acquiesced

Our beloved Father Raymond carried the ex-officio title of Monsignor as

I must confess that, during my years of contact and interaction with

It was his life’s mission and he manifested it in establishing schools for

This, then, is our loving father, servant of God Msgr Raymond FC

This analysis, in today’s context of ecology and

We are nearer to God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.

2. Eco-Spirituality of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas

Whenever a man gets alienated from his eco system, he is in essence,

3. The Garden Planted…

foremost he considered Bethany as the garden of Our Lady, where he was

Only rare people who have a greater God-consciousness are able to

The story of Msgr Raymond is a love story of nature too. He was a

Esperie, M bs, My Joy and My Crown: My Memories of Msgr RFC Mascarenhas.

D’Souza, Violette, M. bs Unless the Seed Die. Mangalore: Bethany Publications,

Bethany Generalate Archives, Mangalore.

Roth, Nancy “Close to God’s Heart in the Garden”, in The Way:Contemporary

Theresine, M bs, “The story of Rosa Mystica”: Platinum Jubilee Souvenir