Fr John Fernandes, a Mangaluru scholar priest passes away

Fr John Fernandes, a Mangaluru scholar priest passes away

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jul 03, 2021: Fr John Fernandes,  of the diocese of Mangalore, a scholar, author and mentor, former professor and head of chair of Christianity, Mangalore University, passed away on Saturday July 3. He was 85.

 

He was born on March 7, 1936 in Udyavar.  Fr John Fernandes did philosophy and theology studies in Pune and Innsbruck, Austria. He obtained his doctorate in Theology from the University of Trier, Germany and Licentiate in Philosophy from Pune. He was ordained on March 30, 1963 at Innsbruck and Trier, Germany. He was the recipient of the Herbert Haag Award for Freedom in the Church from Lucerne, Switzerland in 2007. After his retirement, he was staying at senior priests’ home at St Antony’s Charity Institute, Jeppu.  Funeral rites tomorrow,  Sunday July 4 at 9.30 am. St Joseph the Worker Church, Vamanjoor. Covid Restrictions are to be followed.

In Mangalore diocese, his pastoral work included a stint as the director of the Mangala Jyothi, the Diocesan Biblical Liturgical and Catechetical Centre. He was also a professor and head of chair in Christianity, Mangalore University. He had served as assistant parish priest at Bejai and Rosario Cathedral, as a co-pastor at Urwa teaching seminarians, and as parish priest at Hosabettu, Katapady and Belman. He further worked as a professor at St Joseph’s Seminary and a resident priest at the Pastoral Institute.   A prolific writer his publications include books and articles in English, German, Kannada and Konkani.

Fr Fernandes had written a comprehensive autobiography ‘Unbeaten Path’ a few years ago which was also translated into German later.  Glimpses of the book which follow here give a deeper insight into the life and times of this great priest :

The book ‘Unbeaten Paths’  is more far more than an autobiography of Rev. Dr. John Fernandes, (Born:March 7, 1936). a senior priest of the diocese of Mangaluru.  This account of his life on untrodden paths is a wonderful treatise. The more precious matters are rarely brought into the open and are over powered by many routine matters that attract humans.  For the casual reader it has a lot to entertain, educate and enlighten.....be it history, culture, community, local geography and far more.
 
As a school boy John’s life with his mother and siblings is laid bare without reservations that touches the soul. He recollects the Indian freedom movement, August 15, `1947 and  singing the well known “Raghupathy Raghava Rajaram.....”  and such,  that perhaps shaped him well to look fairly at all faiths in a perspective that  did not have a bias and a freedom to be open to much that is constructive in his life and work accounting for a “lived liberation theology”.

Life away from Mangalore :  Young John Fernandes first crossed the bridge from Udayavar to Kudla,  St Joseph’s Seminary, Mangalore to Papal Seminary  Poona (now Pune), in 1955-1960;  he was into Philosophy and Theology there, the first broadening of his knowledge base. All the nuances  of the changes he made are explained in most captivating detail .  The Second Ecumenical Council called by Pope John XXIII in 1959, had a bearing on John’s voyages too. He was a singular one to get selected for higher study at ’Innsbruck Canisianum’ College and University in Austria.  His priestly formation too was on going here. Fr.John’s ordination was  perhaps a rare one for it was in a parish church, that  was considered his ‘home’, in the German town,Trier-Euren, St Helena, where in the  University Fr.John did advanced study and research.  on March 30, 1963, by the then  Bishop of Mangalore  Rt Rev Raymond D’Mello. After  finishing studies and formalities, he returned to Mangalore in November 1963. The ordination, it’s aftermath and his pastoral work in Mangalore for 3 years is very interestingly put forth in the book, page after page. Rev.John’s  interest to delve into Ecumenical and inter religious movements and in the process find meaning in Indian oriented liturgies took him well into the study of the 16 Hindu rituals (’Upanayana’, in particular) comparative to the 7 church sacraments. He explains that the word ‘Samskara’ has close roots with the words ‘sacramentum /sacrament’. In the meantime the then Bishop of Mangalore Rt.Rev. Basil D’Souza wanted him to  study and take on the task of  furthering the aims of Vatican II in the diocese. The diversity of his out look in depth is very palpable, if Mangalore was his home,  Innsbruck, Austria and Trier Germany was no less to him among other places. There is a vast and deep exposure involved in the “context of a multi religious, multicultural society and in an unjust, ecologically precarious world” a witness to changing times and perspectives, working towards the book’s three way subtitle.
    
Points from the prologue by the author will throw light – ’He promises a lot but he delivers in full measure, pressed down and overflowing’.  Retiring at 75, his contacts and admirers specially from Germany made him realise that it is  for the greater good that Rev Dr. John Fernandes, must put down something of his life and this book was the result.  The memory of the past  becomes ‘living’ or alive in the present.  Recapturing the past and living in the present, we prepare ourselves for the future.  Every person is unique, every life is unique; it follows knowing about any life, does not happen by chance but by design of the ’One’ above. Orienting the book into 3 parts makes for rational absorption – Living on the periphery, Crossing the Borders and Building bridges.  this is a good time to remember this great priest, who will never pass this way again - Fr.John Fernandes.