Fr. Maurice D’Souza: A journey of service from Moodubelle to Bangalore and the United States

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 07 November 2010: It is said that God calls people to his service in different ways. So was the case with Fr. Maurice D’Souza of Kodangala from Moodubelle who found God’s calling in a strange way. Certain tragic incidents in his neighbourhood prompted him to move away from the village and seek solace in the service of God and humanity by joining the Holy Cross religious order. This strange vocation of Fr. Maurice took him from Moodubelle to Bangalore where he continued his studies, underwent religious training, ordained a priest, given the responsibility to start a students’ home, proceeded to the United States for further studies, came back to Bangalore, assigned the responsibility of Financial Administrator and eventually elected to be the Provincial and after completing two terms in this position once again proceeded to the United States where he is presently serving the community. Thus the journey of Fr. Maurice from Moodubelle to Bangalore and then to the United States has been both challenging and inspiring.

 

 

Fr. Maurice D’Souza was born on 26 January 1948 as the sixth among nine children and first among three sons of late Nicholas D’Souza and Agnes Gaga in Kodangala, Moodubelle. He had his primary and secondary education up to SSLC in Moodubelle.

 

At this juncture in a pensive mood, Fr. Maurice narrated a curious incident while he was studying in the 5th standard. He said that he stayed at home for a couple of days to attend his sister’s wedding...and then continued to stay on for three months. Due to the long period of absence he lost interest to go to school and decided to discontinue studies. As he was the eldest son after five daughters, his father wanted him to continue the family tradition of agriculture and did not mind Maurice staying at home and discontinuing his studies.

 

William D’Sa (Willie Master)

 

However, the class teacher of Maurice in the 5th standard, William D’Sa (Willie Master) was determined to see that Maurice would continue his studies as he had perceived in him a great future through education. Thus, he began persuading the family of Maurice to send him back to the school. Three months later, one fine morning the mother and the elder sister of Maurice practically dragged him back to school. What Maurice did not know was that Willie Master had been repeatedly reminding his mother and sister whenever he used to meet them at the Church or at the market, not to let the ‘boy’ stay at home but to bring him back to school. After being forcibly taken to school, Maurice was practically scared to meet Willie Master. However, Fr. Maurice recalled that Willie Master simply looked at him with compassion, gave a pat on his back and said, “It is alright. Now on, you must attend the school regularly.” Fr. Maurice owes his further education and his achievements in the Holy Cross Order to Willie Master and fondly remebers that William D’Sa has been one of his most admired teachers of younger days!

 

After passing the SSLC in 1966, Maurice proceeded to Bangalore and continued his studies for PUC and graduation in science at St. Joseph’s College and acquired BSc degree in 1970. The higher secondary and college education of Maurice was sponsored by the Holy Cross religious order which he wanted to join.

 

When quizzed about the reason behind his intention of joining the religious order, Fr. Maurice narrated two tragic incidents that he had witnessed in his village while he was a young boy made him to think deeply about leaving the village and going to far away place where he could serve the people. He felt that he could fulfill his desire only by joining a religious order which has missions in far off regions of the Indian sub-continent. After completing SSLC, father of Maurice wanted him to continue education and was prepared to send him to Engineering studies at Manipal. However, Maurice had made up his mind of joining the Holy Cross religious order as he felt that he would get an opportunity to go to North-east India as the Holy Cross order had their mission centre in Bengal which was the earliest in India that was established in the early nineteenth century.

 

 

When Maurice conveyed his desire to join the Holy Cross religious order to his parents, his father was a little disappointed but eventually agreed to his decision. However, his mother being too attached to him as he was the first son in the family following five earlier daughters, was quite disappointed at the decision of Maurice, but eventually she relented and allowed him to go for further studies to Bangalore as the candidate student of the Holy Cross religious order.

 

Fr. Maurice said that he was greatly helped in joining the Holy Cross order by the then parish priest of Belle, Fr. Abundius D’Souza and assistant parish priest, Fr. Valerian D’Souza who not only encouraged him to pursue his vocation but also contacted the Holy Cross superiors at Bangalore who made arrangements for his education in St. Joseph’s College. Maurice went to Bangalore soon after getting results of the SSLC examination in 1966 and continued his college studies while staying at the Vocation Discernment Centre.

 

As the medium of studies in primary and high school had been Kannada, Maurice found some difficulties in coping up with the English medium, that too with science and mathematics as subjects of study. However, soon he overcame the English phobia and was able to do well in his studies eventually acquiring the BSC degree in 1970.

 

 

As a student in Moodubelle and also in Bangalore, Maurice was quite good in athletics and games. His favourite athletics events were high jump, long jump, hop step and jump and pole vault. He was also a good kabaddi player and was a team member in zonal tournaments that did take place at Kaup and Bailoor. During the school sports day Maurice usually stood first in jumping events. Other than sports and games, Maurice was also acted as the Speaker of the Mock Parliament while studying in St. Lawrence High school, Moodubelle.

 

As a college student in Bangalore, Maurice was exposed to various activities which helped to a great extent in widening the base of his experience. As a member of the All India Catholic Universities Federation (AICUF) he attended zonal meetings that promoted leadership qualities and faith education. As social work they also built homes for the poor at Kammanahalli near Bangalore and also constructed small dam for irrigation in a village in Mysore.

 

After completing graduation in 1970, Maurice eventually made up his mind to join the Holy Cross religious order and joined novitiate at Yarcaud, a beautiful place 7000 feet above the sea level and in midst of coffee estates near Salem in Tamilnadu.

 

Fr. Maurice with his Provincial Council (Pune)

 

Fr. Maurice narrated a unique experience during this one year long novitiate. He said that during this period along with the Novice Master the novices undertook a month long pilgrimage to various religious centers belonging to different faiths in South India. They visited the Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry, visited Kulithalay Christian ashram along the bank of Cauvery River in Trichy where liturgy of worship has been adapted to Indian culture. Next the group of novices went to Ramanna Maharshi’s ashram at Tiruvanamalai. At Alampundi near Tanjore in Tamilnadu where they met Fr. Faucault from France who has developed a kind of simple religious life close to the day to day life of the common people. This religious group known as ‘ Little Brothers of Jesus’ carried on agriculture and other forms of manual work. In Kerala, the novices visited the birth place of Adi Shankaracharya, the exponent of the Adwaita philosophy at Kaladi in Kerala, prayed in the Jewish Synagogue in Cochin, Guruvayur temple, Kursimala where Carthusian Contemplatives spend their time in prayer and farm work.

 

After undergoing the mandatory phases of priestly training , Br. Maurice was ordained on 5 May 1977 in the Milagres Church, Mangalore by the then Bishop of Mangalore, Rt. Rev. Dr. Basil D’Suza along with 12 other deacons belonging to different religious orders and diocesan clergy.

 

Fr. Maurice with the provincials of Karnataka Religious at a national meeting in Varanasi in the mid 90’s

 

After ordination, Fr. Maurice was called upon to shoulder the responsibility of starting Holy Cross centre of vocation in the Diocese of Mangalore where the young boys who wanted to join the Holy Cross religious order could be provided Pre-University education. After looking for a suitable place, Fr. Maurice initially chose Shirva where he started the Holy Cross Students’ Home in a rented place in 1977. In the first year of the starting the students’ home at Shirva there were nine students. These students attended St. Mary’s PU College. In 1979, Fr. Maurice found a new place at Katapadi where he built a fine Holy Cross Students’ Home. Students from this home have been attending PU Course in the SVS Junior College, Katapadi.

 

While being the Director of the Holy Cross Students’ Home, first for three years at Shirva and four years at Katapadi, Fr. Maurice was active in various fields. He was Coordinator of Youth organizations of the Shirva Varado for four years. He organized activities such as AICUF. Organized Jerome Nite to raise funds for local educational institutions, organized a number of seminars to develop leadership qualities among the students. Fr. Maurice was also an active member of the Rotary Club of Shirva for six years through which he organized a number of socially relevant activities.

 

Fr. Maurice during an inauguration of their formation House in Bangalore

 

After laying a strong foundation for the Holy Cross Students’ Home at Katapadi which has been contributing to the vocations in the Holy cross religious order, Fr. Maurice was sent to Indiana in the United States as part of the cross cultural exchange programme between Holy Cross Provinces from different countries of the world. In fact, Fr. Maurice was the first member of the Holy Cross religious order to be sent to the United States under this programme.

 

Taking the advantage of this cross cultural exchange programme, Fr. Maurice decided to continue higher studies and joined the Notredam University for the Post Graduate course in Sociology between 1984 and 1987. Fr. Maurice used to spend half of the time in the Holy cross Seminary and half of the time in the University campus in the students hostel as resident priest. Besides doing his priestly duties and studying for the Masters degree in Sociology, Fr. Maurice was also the member of the Holy Cross seminary’s Basketball team.

 

Fr. Maurice with novices and their Staff at Yercaud (Tamilnadu)

 

After returning from the United States, Fr. Maurice D’Souza was appointed as the Financial Administrator of the Indian Province of Holy Cross Priests. In this capacity he was in charge of the accounting and auditing of the Holy Cross establishments throughout India. Fr. Maurice carried on the responsibility from 1987 to 1991.

 

In 1991, Fr. Maurice D’Souza was elected as the Provincial of the Holy Cross Priests Province in India and completed two terms as the Provincial in 2000. During this period, from his headquarters at Bangalore, Fr. Maurice had to visit various Holy Cross centers in different parts of India. For administrative facility, Fr. Maurice initiated the process of dividing the Indian Province of the Holy Cross into two separate provinces which was eventually materialized in the year 2003 when the Indian Province was divided into Southern Province and North-eastern Province.

 

 

After successfully completing his two terms as the Provincial, Fr. Maurice D’Souza took one year sabbatical leave and went to Notredam University where earlier he had completed Masters Degree in Sociology and began a course in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in the Cleaveland Clinic Foundation which is one of the best hospitals for heart surgery in the world. This three month long course and a full year residency enabled him to understand the importance of the Spirituality and Healthcare related services in medical colleges and health centers. Fr. Maurice says that it was a wonderful experience to work in this field.

 

Fr. Maurice D’Souza also spent three months in the Silicon Valley, California where he did theological update in St. Patrick’s Seminary. He also spent the sabbatical in reading a number of books related to spirituality and other subjects as well.

 

Having considerable experience in working with the Holy Cross Community in the United States, Fr. Maurice was invited to the United States as a kind of contract between the Indian and the United States Holy Cross Provinces. Though the contract is meant initially for three years, Fr. Maurice has been rendering his service in the United States since 2001.

 

Presently, Fr. Maurice is in Cleaveland which has three Holy Cross communities. He helps in the spiritual and pastoral needs of the local community as well as diocesan parishes. Three days a week, Fr. Maurice visits the medical center known as Veterans’ Affairs Medical center where he takes classes in Patient Evaluation and Sacramental Ministry. Meanwhile, Fr. Maurice is also carries on research for doctoral degree.

 

 

I had an opportunity to meet Fr. Maurice D’Souza recently when he had come to Moodubelle from the United States to attend his niece’s marriage. When I sent a message with Pravin Castelino expressing a desire to meet him and have an interaction for Bellevision, Fr. Maurice readily agreed to meet me at the Holy Cross Students’ Home at Katapady. During my interaction with him, I found him to be extremely courteous, simple and articulate.