Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias
Mombasa Goan School luminary
By Marci Pereira (April 2017) as part of the Project: Archiving Memories of Mombasa Goan School.
An Icon to my mind
Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias, ranks
high amongst that notional, ‘Exclusive Club of Mombasa Goan School Luminaries’,
as per my research. He is the first of
three school ex-students I am aware of, that appears to have had opted for the Priesthood.
The other two being Michael De Souza who
joined the Fransalian Order and Leslie Coutinho who joined the Jesuits – all
three in India. I marvel at Agnelo’s astounding
accomplishments and the profound impact he has made in his apostolic ministry ~
this Bishop, my former Makadara boyhood, play-mate. To have risen to the status of “Auxiliary
Bishop of Bombay” was for me, as for all fellow Makadara Goans of the day, an
immense occasion of pride, joy and thanksgiving. To this day, he is still jealously remembered
by Makadara Goans, as: ‘One of our very own’.
And so, it is with the Mombasa Goan School and the Mombasa Catholic
Community too.
I can still sense that buzz of high elation
that transmitted through our Makadara Goan Community, when Agnelo’s ordination
to the Priesthood was announced in 1962 and the excitement it generated in our
circles, in witnessing him celebrate his very first Mass at the Holy Ghost
Cathedral, Mombasa, on 23 December 1962.
The fact that I still have his celebratory holy-picture, that was issued
as a memento on that occasion, on the cover of my working file to this day,
shows my high regard and respect for the Bishop. (A copy of that holy picture
is reproduced herein). If I heard someone
mutter: “What good did ever come out of Makadara?” Well, he is one.
Memories of his boyhood
Agnelo was born in Mombasa on 30th
July 1939. I presume, like so many of us
boys, he will also have attended the “White Sisters Convent School” until the
age of 10/11, when we had to transfer to another school for secondary
education. Many of us moved over to the
Mombasa Goan School. Agnelo went on to
complete the Senior Cambridge School Certificate, at the Mombasa Goan School in
1953.
He always struck me as being very
studious, someone who took his studies seriously. I remember him as always being loving,
mild-mannered and courteous, qualities that endeared him to all our families
and mates. His extraordinary devotion to
the Catholic faith, stood out very early on, amongst the boys. The ‘Holy Ghost Church’, as it was called
then, used to draw quite a few devotees for daily services from Makadara. Those loud peals of that distinctive church
bell echoing in our direction, was an unmistakable reminder of ‘God’s calling’
it seemed. The Gracias family, were
regulars in this lot, as were the Pereiras’, the Gonsalves’, the Monteiros’,
the Fernandes’, the De Souzas’, the Mascarenhas’ etc.
I still hold vivid memories of the young
Agnelo, armed with, what seemed like a ‘voluminous’ leather-bound Daily Missal
in hand, walking briskly diagonally through the Makadara Park after morning
Mass. That short-cut to his home, was regularly
used by other town-folk who lived in that direction. Remember the Makadara
Park? That was the park with the
circular band stand, with a rotund roof and circumferential steps leading up to
the platform. When not in use as a band
stand, it was a great place for kids to play around safely, especially on
Sunday evenings, with their parents squatting leisurely close by.
Love for Football ~ “Stella Maris
Club”
Up to today, my enduring memory of
Agnelo, as a boy, was his love for football.
That image of him, soon after he finished his Cambridge School Exams, is
so colourfully etched on my mind. That
was the time between him awaiting his results and sailing off to seminary, in
Bombay. For many of us Makadara boys, our playground
was the “Stella Maris Club”, immediately behind, and located within the Holy
Ghost Church grounds. It was as good as
an extension of our neighbourhood. On
days when there were no evening church services on, the Stella Maris playing field
was alive with boys eager for a robust and energetic kick-about, quite apart
from those that fancied table-tennis indoors.
The numbers were often sufficient to select two lively competing teams.
Now, somebody had to be responsible
for ensuring there was a decently inflated and well-maintained leather football,
available for play. Whose role was
that? Who else? Me. Kidding aside, this was serious stuff,
because I was conscious that if there is no ball, there is no play. Imagine the disappointment if there was no
ball? After inflating it to the right pressure with a bicycle hand pump and
ensuring the tie-lace was sufficiently tensioned, my regime was to rub candle wax
into the stitching (and the leather) of the panels. That was to ensure a prolonged life for the
ball. Soon after that ‘polish treatment’,
it really was a big temptation to give the waxed ball, the first whack. I loved the sight of seeing our mate Agnelo
turn up at our house, around play time, infused with such excitement, take
charge of the ball, grab it tightly under- arm and along with Flavio, his
brother, myself and my brothers, and anyone else whoever was there, march delightedly
towards the Stella Maris ground. What a
lovely and delightful memory that remains for me. I missed that playful ‘passion’ when he
sailed off to Bombay in 1954. So much
has happened in the 64 years (!!!) since then that I will not be surprised if
the Bishop hardly remembers any of this.
We have not met since.
Off to Seminary & Ordination to
Priesthood
Agnelo’s leaning towards the
priesthood will have undoubtedly have emerged during his family life at home,
with perhaps some influence from his attachment to the church and probably, in
a small way, the school. With no
seminaries in East Africa at that time, those opting for the priesthood would
go to Rome; the UK; Ireland or India. Agnelo
was admitted to the Bombay Diocesan Seminary and left Mombasa in 1954. The history of this seminary has three specific
periodic phases, defined by its physical location in Bombay, as follows:
a) Pre-Parel Period
(1770-1936);
b) Parel Period (1936-1960);
c) Goregaon Period ~ St Pius X College (1960 to date).
Bishop Agnelo, having joined in
1954, had spells first in Parel and then St Pius X College, Goregaon, where he was
ordained as a Priest on 21st December, 1962. He
celebrated his First Holy Mass at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Mombasa on 23
December 1962.
[A full historical listing of Bishop
Agnelo’s impressive appointments in his vocational ministry is presented in a
tabular format in Section (g), below].
Appointment
as ‘Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay’
Further to accomplishing a Doctorate
in Spiritual Theology in Rome (1971-1975), Father Agnelo took up a
Professorship at the St Pius X College, in Goregaon, Bombay. In 1985 he was appointed the Rector of St Pius X College. In 2001, he was elevated to the rank of ‘Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay’. His ordination as the ‘Titular Bishop of Molicunza’,
was conducted by Cardinal Ivan Dias on 21 April 2001.
After his ordination as a Priest, this
appointment as a Bishop, must surely feature as another very proud milestone
for Agnelo, his family and the Mombasa Goan Community. I know the Makadara Goans were abuzz when the
announcement was first released. This
was truly a momentous day for so many of us ~ a Bishop of a city, as renowned
as Bombay, with a population of over 16 million, of which, Catholics numbered half-a-million
then, somewhat puts that elevated status in the archdiocese, into perspective.
Humilility exemplified
For me, a statement of his profound
humility is best summarised by the following account. When I worked in London around 2005/06, I
used to visit Mr and Mrs Joaquim Monteiro, at least once a month, before
commuting back home to High Wycombe.
The Monteiros, our very good family friends, formerly from Makadara,
Mombasa, lived near Ilford (Greater London).
Being senior citizens, (Mr Monteiro was 98!!!), I recall how eagerly they
looked forward to my visits.
On this one visit, they were both
most anxious to relate how much over-awed they felt with an unexpected visitor
~ none other than ~ Bishop Agnelo Gracias, who was in London and made it a
point to go and see them. The Gracias
family and the Monteiros, were almost next-door neighbours in Makadara. Mrs Monteiro, a very good cook, quickly
conjured up a meal for their distinguished guest and his brother, Flavio.
On taking his leave, the Bishop, stooped
down before Mr Monteiro, with ‘praying hands’, seeking his blessing ~ a
traditional custom during our upbringing, as a mark of respect for the
elders. Mr Monteiro would have nothing
of it and insisted stubbornly, that the blessing should be in reverse. This account is from the mouth of Mr Monteiro
himself. They felt so honoured that they
should be visited by a Bishop: “One of our very own”, as described earlier ~ in
their case, someone they witnessed, almost daily, grows up in their
neighbourhood. That exceedingly humble
gesture by the Bishop moves me to this day.
My mind flicks to thoughts of him every time the following line appears,
whenever singing the hymn: “As the deer pants for the water …. by Martin
Nystrom”, at our church. The line? “You’re my Friend and you’re my Brother, even though you are a
king”. The Monteiros would certainly
endorse that.
Outstanding Vocational Advancement/Appointments
Item
|
Date(s)
|
Event/Appointment
|
Comments
|
1.0
|
30 July 1939
|
Born in Mombasa, Kenya
|
|
2.0
|
December 1953
|
Passed ‘Senior Cambridge School
Certificate’
|
Mombasa Goan School
|
3.0
|
1954
|
Admitted to ‘Bombay Diocesan
Seminary’
|
Parel, Bombay
|
4.0
|
21 December 1962
|
Ordination to Priesthood
at ‘St Pius X College, Goregaon,
Bombay’
|
|
5.0
|
23 December 1962
|
Celebrated First Mass
at ‘Holy Ghost Cathedral, Mombasa,
Kenya
|
The church he attended as a boy
|
6.0
|
1 June 1963 ~
31 May 1971
|
Assistant Priest at ‘Holy Name
Cathedral’
|
Bombay
|
7.0
|
1971 ~ 1975
|
Doctorate in ‘Spiritual Theology’
|
Rome
|
8.0
|
1 June 1975
|
Professor/Spiritual Director
at ‘St Pius X College’
|
Goregaon,
Bombay
|
9.0
|
1 June 1985 ~
31 May 1993
|
Rector of St Pius X College
|
Goregaon,
Bombay
|
10.0
|
1 June 2000 ~
February 2001
|
Parish Priest
of St Michael’s Church, Mahim
|
Bombay
|
11.0
|
13 March 2001
|
Appointed ‘Auxiliary Bishop of
Bombay’
|
|
12.0
|
21 April 2001
|
Ordained Bishop (Titular Bishop of
Molicunza)
By Cardinal Ivan Dias
|
Bombay
|
13.0
|
28 February 2002
|
Elected Chairman of ‘Catholic
Bishops Conference of India’
~ Family Commission
|
Jalandhar
|
14.0
|
1 August 2007
|
Appointed ‘Archdiocesan Consultor’
|
|
15.0
|
16 January 2008
|
Appointed ‘Pontifical Commissary’ ~
Heralds of Goodness
|
|
16.0
|
2010 ~ 2011
|
Named “Goan Review’s” ‘Personality
of the Year’
(For dedicated service to society
+ Konkani Language & Culture)
|
Taught Konkani Language to
Seminarians
|
17.0
|
January 2011
|
Elected Chairman of ‘Catholic
Bishops Conference of India-
~ Doctrinal Commission
|
|
18.0
|
1 June 2011
|
Appointed Rector of St Pius X
College
|
Second spell as ‘Rector’ of
College
|
19.0
|
30 July 2014
|
Retired as ‘Auxiliary Bishop of
Bombay’
(As Emeritus Bishop he was engaged
in General Administration of Archdiocese
+ Convenor of ‘Archdiocesan
Proclamation Commission of Faith’)
|
|
20.0
|
2017
|
New appointment was expected to a
Mission Parish in Panvel
|
Anticipated as of 26/12/2016
|
Casting an eye through the listing
in the table above, Bishop Agnelo strikes me as an outstanding Theology
academic, borne out by his Doctorate in Rome, followed by the two stints as the
Rector of St Pius X College (his alma mater).
He will have impacted on so many Seminarians during his years of
leadership of the College. Likewise, in
his spiritual and pastoral ministry, he will have touched countless lives through
administering the holy sacraments, his advisory role and guidance, counselling,
attention to the sick, poor and needy in the community, driving educational
advancement, community progress and well being, etc.
Member of that renowned ‘Gracias-Name’
Pedigree
The ‘Gracias’ name appears to carry
high prominence in the history of the Bombay Archdiocese hierarchy. The first ethnic Indian, to be appointed Cardinal
of Bombay, was Cardinal Valerian Gracias, who made a big impact with Catholics
in Bombay and Goa. The current Cardinal
of Bombay is Cardinal Oswald Gracias and with Bishop Agnelo Gracias, all
one-time residents of Bishops’ House, I know many in our community who get confused
on who is who. Although, probably not
related at all, the ‘Gracias Name’ has certainly left a lasting historical
memory, especially with Goans, in general.
I feel great pride that our
ex-student, Agnelo Gracias, stands amongst that select group of residents of
Bishops’ House in Bombay. The Bishop, I
proudly remember as my playmate, schoolmate, family friend and now brother in Christ.
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