Tuesday, 6 November 2012
At Farewell Eucharist at Holy Name Cathedral on 27th May 2012
Vote of thanks from the parish
during the farewell mass at Holy Name, Mumbai.
Dear
Fr. Xavier.
Whilst
our admiration for you is always soaring high, the situation compels us to let
you go and it is with much reluctance we will have to bid Good Bye.
You
have been an integral part of the Holy Name Cathedral Community from the very
first day you came in and we are very grateful to you for that.
Seva
Community and St. Thomas community were especially fortunate to have you as
their Spiritual Director. You will always be remembered for your active involvement
in enhancing the small Christian communities, for enriching our lives and for
being a role model to us. By doing so
you have fulfilled your motto, “TO BE WITH HIM AND TO BE WITH THEM”
Your
grace and character in reaching out to people is commendable. Your sincerity
and dedication to pastoral work, is more than evident and sources within the
parish say that you have held an unbeatable record. A special mention about
your personal touch, you actually address 90% of our parishioners by their first
names, it is incredible indeed.
In
more than many ways you have made a huge impact on us by caring, sharing and
touching our lives unconditionally.
Irrespective of cultural and economic barriers, you have been the torch
bearer of transformation and a real life hero.
You
have empowered the Tamil and Hindi speaking communities and been a treasure
chest to them. To the children you have
been a Piped Piper, To the youth a source of inspiration, To the old a source
of joy and happiness. The nuns admit
that you are ever willing to give your time, the priests describe you as “full
of life”, they appreciate the balance you maintain between academics and
pastoral work and you are someone whom they can rely on anytime. Last but not
the least, we cannot forget the sinners, the confessional was ever ready and
edifying.
In
short, you came, you saw and you conquered and that too in great style!
Our
brief interaction in the church compound after the 7.30 am Mass will be dull in
the near future. Many of us looked
forward to meeting him in the mornings. It simply felt good with each one
seeking a fair share of his attention. Just those few minutes
in the morning were so full of bliss.
Any conversation was backed with background music tein te dein, his animated gestures and then we would hear the
resounding roaring laughter. We will
miss you a great deal, especially in the mornings.
Fr.
Xavier has been very sincere, approachable and encouraging in every respect. It
has been fulfilling to see how he acknowledged the many interfaith unions,
rectified the marriages and got them to be blessed in the Sacrament of Holy
Matrimony. He took the trouble and made
it a point to give our parishioners his time and energy despite his hectic
academic schedule. Thank you once again.
Whilst
the list can go on and I wish to continue saying many more good things about
him, I would also like to share his straightforward personality. He would not mince his words if he had to get
a point across. He justified whatever he
said with valid reasons. This I would
say, heightened his spirit of valour and integrity.
Fr.
Xavier you have left a mark in our hearts, I would have preferred to call it a
tattoo though ! We will always cherish
your love, the warmth, your friendly nature and many more memories that you
leave behind for us. You are a true Disciple of Christ & true priest . We wish you a meaningful vocation and a
fruitful ministry in pioneering the new mission in Siddhpur, the
Archdiocese of Gandhinagar
With
lots of love and God’s blessing in abundance.
From
the Holy Name Cathedral community.
Vote of Thanks by Xavier James at
the farewell Mass by His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias and Fathers at Holy
Name Cathedral on 27th May 2012
His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracius, Fr. Caesar
Rector, Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,
First of all I would like to thank your Eminence
Oswald Cardinal Gracius for offering the Eucharist and for the love
appreciation and warmth I experienced from you for the two full years of my
stay with you. Thank you Eminence.
I am grateful to His Lordship Agnelo Gracius for the
arrangement to stay here and study. For the guidance I have been receiving from
the time of my seminary days. He is my spiritual father.
I thank Fr. Caesar who asked Bp Agnelo to appoint me
here with him. He was my Rector in the Seminary and is also my rector here. He
is loving, caring, encouraging and hospitable person. Thank you father.
I thank all the Nuns of this parish and the fathers
Nicholas, Nigel, Bento, Avin, Sunder, Tony, Elias, Neil, Jervis, Monsignor
Willie and Savio for the acceptance, love and companionship I experienced.
I thank the animators of SCC especially of St.Thomas
and Seva communities for all their support in building vibrant communities. I
thank all of you for making me feel at home in this parish for the constant
encouragement, love and for all the genuine smiles I received from you for 2
years.
I thank the Spice girls who help out in the
Eucharist have been very helpful in teaching catechism for children and adults,
taking care of children’s choir, cultural programmes in the parish whether it
was the Golden Jubilee of Fr. Bento or Silver Jubilee of Fr. Nicholas. You have
helped me in my ministry.
Thank you all once again for making me feel as a
member of each of your family, so in St. Paul’s words to Philippians 1:3-10 I
thank my God each time I Think of you and when I pray for you I pray with joy, Now
there is one thing I am sure of He who began His work in you see that it is
truly finished when the day of Jesus come. Now that I feel like this towards
you seems only natural to me for you have shared me with my labour the Gospel privilege
with me.
This Interview was published in the Holy Name Record - Christmas 2011 issue
Always available, except when he is at
college. Armed with an infectious smile, Fr. Xavier James is loved by all. The Holy Name Record Reporter met him to find
out what makes him tick.
We believe that you are not from our
diocese but have only been lent to us.
Tell us a little about your family and how you came to our parish.
I
belong to the village of Poothurai, in Kanyakumari district and Trivandrum
Archdiocese. We are two children for our parents. As my aunt died then my
mother took care of her children thus I am one of nine children – four brothers
and five sisters. My father was a
fisherman who died when I was only five and my mother was a Balwadi helper. I joined the Apostolic School in 1988, which
sends their seminarians to North Indian dioceses. I chose to work in Ahmedabad and was sent
there in 1992. I was ordained in 2007
and have come to do my masters in Social Work from Mumbai University. While I am studying I have been deputed to
this parish to be part of the parish team.
What made you decide to be a
priest? And what draws you to pastoral
work?
I
have always been drawn to the church but when I was in my early teens in 1987,
I went swimming in the sea. I developed
cramps in my legs and could not move. I thought I was going to die and called
out to God to help me. I stared death in
the face and was reborn. I knew that my
life is given by God and decided to devote my new life to HIM and to His
people. In 1994 I wrote to Mother Teresa
about my desire to be a missionary priest in Gujarat and she replied that ‘what
the Church needs now are really priests Holy, full of faith and love for Jesus
in the Eucharist and the poor. My prayer for you is that you always be generous
to the call of God. Be God’s love and compassion and presence to all you meet,
be available for the people’. Both go
together communion with the Lord and communion with the people. One cannot separate the two. In fact my personal motto is “to be with Him
and to be with Them”.
You are a whiz with languages. How many languages do you speak?
My
village is in the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala so I grew up speaking both
the languages. While studying in Mumbai
– I picked up Hindi and in Ahmedabad though I did my schooling in Tamil, I did
my B.A. in sociology and Psychology in Gujarati medium. So besides English I speak four other
languages, which has been a blessing for me in my pastoral work. You have
noticed I express more through my gestures. I really acknowledge that love
knows every language so even Konkani speaking people in our parish understand
what I want to say through my laughter.
You are a great supporter of the Small
Christian Community. In fact, the
communities you have been assigned to in our parish have become more active
with you as their Spiritual Director.
I
grew up with in a village where the community life is very strong. My mother and sister were animators and from
an early age I was involved through helping them. In my village meetings are held every week on
Wednesdays, and the entire community is present. Not just the core group. Something like the cluster meetings but only
larger. We share God’s Word and then
discuss other matters.
While
I was a seminarian I studied at St. Pius Goregaon. I was deputed to work at Malad and Dharavi
and help Fr. Alwyn, the Parish Priest to start the SCC movement there. I worked with him for three years. Once a week Bp. Bosco Penha asked me to visit
Our Lady of Good Counsel parish in Sion where there is a sizeable Tamil
population and promote the SCC with them.
Before coming here I was the Parish Priest of Mehsana and there too I
started SCCs. This was a success. God’s grace helps me to get people involved
in community work & keep going.
I believe you are going to be completing
your Masters in this academic year and will be returning to your Archdiocese in
Gandhinagar from June. We shall
certainly miss your smiling face and helpful nature. Is there any message you would like to give
the parishioners?
I
don’t believe in number but the willingness to participate. Some say that Holy
name is a dying parish means less number due to people shifting to other
suburbs. Even hand full of can make the parish vibrant. I want all of you to be
generous in participation in responding in the Euchararist and for the Eucharistic
celebration, community works and selfless services. I wish you all the best to
be witnessing community in the prime place of the economic capital. I thank
each of you for the love and support for the past two years. I thank the Parish
team of fathers and from the Archbishop’s house. I am grateful to Cardinal
Oswald & Bp. Agnelo, Abp.Stanny & Fr. Caesar for giving me the
oppertunity to be with you and work for the growth of the catholic community
and glory of the Lord. ALL THE BEST & THANX.
The Introduction was published in the Holy Name Record - The Parish News Letter in Mumbai - as a sign of welcome
When welcomed to Holy Name
Cathedral Mumbai
“To
be with Him and to be with them” was the motto I chose when I began my journey
to priesthood. I was born to Selvarani and Leenus at Poothurai, Kanyakumari
district, in Tamilnadu. I have a younger brother who is married. When I was
five, my father was risen with Christ. When I was in 4th std. my
aunt left for her heavenly reward leaving seven children behind. My mother
brought them up in our home and they are settled and are grateful to God and my
mother.
I
joined the seminary in 1988 at Tamilnadu Xavier Mission Home, Nagercoil. In
1992 I opted to be a missionary priest in Gujarat. I came to Mumbai in 1998 to
do my philosophical studies at St.Pius College, Goregaon. I worked in Malad
East and Dharavi with Fr. Allwyn D’silva. Here I picked up taste for pastoral
care of the faithful. Frs. Caesar & Cleo were my rectors and Bp. Agnelo was
my spiritual father. I am grateful to all the seminary staff for their
encouragement I received to be effective in pastoral field. I was ordained on 1st
May 2007 for the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar.
I am grateful to Archbishop Stanny and fathers for their continual
support.
I
was appointed as the vice principal and teacher in the higher secondary school
in Deesa, Gujarat. Afterwards, since the archdiocese was taking over Mehsana
mission from the Jesuit fathers I was appointed there. One thing, I always say
to myself that I do this not for me, it is the mission of Jesus so he will take
care of it. Tremendous hard work and prayer life have helped me to solve many
problems in the mission and do many pastoral activities in the parish. I have
really experienced the providence of God in my apostolic work. We have a
boarding for poor children who are really in need. We have a school there for
the poor students around. We have a community care centre for the HIV AIDS
patients. We have 85 migrant catholic families and we have begun SCC and is
picking up well with its seven step method of Gospel Sharing. I get up very
early and offer the people and the work to the Lord and it really bore
fruit.
Now
I have come back to Mumbai to do my Masters in Social Work. I am really happy
to have Fr. Caesar as my Parish Priest. I am glad to be in the company of
vibrant priests, bishops and Cardinals.
I am sure together with my studies I will enjoy my pastoral care to you,
the parishioners of Holy Name Cathedral and I am confident that you will enrich
me with your experiences of God so that
I can live up to my motto of ‘To be with Him and to be with them’.
Xavier
James
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