‘Simple Jesuit Priest’ Denzil Lobo celebrates Golden Jubilee in a ‘Simple Way’ with Destitute

‘Simple Jesuit Priest’ Denzil Lobo celebrates Golden Jubilee in a ‘Simple Way’ with Destitute

‘Simple Jesuit Priest’ and also a ‘Humble Priest’ Denzil Lobo SJ celebrates Golden Jubilee in the Society of Jesus Congregation in a ‘Simple Way’ with Destitute of ‘White Doves’, a NGO in Maroli-Mangaluru. “Dear Heavenly Father, open My life and let it shine. So all may know, that I am thine. Give me the courage to say a Word, to all I meet, for you, Dear Lord. Help me to show by my very religious life, what it means to be a Catholic Jesuit Priest” – Rev Fr Denzil Lobo SJ

Mangaluru : What a grace it was, what a joy it was, to be gathered on the lovely evening of Saturday, 10- August 2019 for the Thanksgiving Eucharistic Celebration at ‘White Doves’ ( a NGO) at Maroli-Mangaluru Chapel followed by a short simple programme at the hall with Fr Denzil Lobo SJ, who with joy and gratitude to God celebrated his 50th Anniversary of his Profession serving in the Society of Jesus congregation. And it was indeed a great pleasure for me to grace the occasion after Fr Denzil had personally invited me- and I couldn’t miss it because Fr Denzil was the one who trained me how to use a camera and how to click photos (Black & White) during my college days at St Aloysius College in the 80’s, being in the Photography Club handled by Fr Denzil.

“Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel the most alive….that is where God is” said St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of Jesuits. Rev Fr Denzil Lobo SJ, the Former Rector of St Aloysius Institutions-Mangaluru, and presently the Director of AIMIT (St Aloysius Institute for Management & Information Technology), Beeri- Mangaluru, is a person who truly believes in these words and finds God in every work. Whatever he does, He does it with full enthusiasm and in his unique style. It is said every person comes to earth with a God given mission. We can undoubtedly say Fr Denzil SJ came to this earth with a special mission and that is ‘Spreading Joy Everywhere’. He is a very vibrant, dynamic and intellectual person. A true Jesuit and a blessing to everyone around him. As they say that Jubilee is a life well and long lived, and Fr Denzil is perfect example of it. His qualities and characters has made him a much loved person in the society. We should all thank God for showering His blessings on Fr Denzil to serve the society for the last 50 years.

Fr Denzil SJ a person always smiling, cheerful, soft-spoken, social and a spiritual leader is very much loved by all, for his kind and gentle nature whomever he meets, and he is always courteous and ready to assist anyone in need regardless of their religion or way of life. “The Son of Man comes not to be served, but to serve” Jesus said, and, after washing their feet, told the disciples to do what he did. Serving people is what Jesus did, and doing what Jesus did is a privilege- and that’s what Fr Denzil as a devoted Jesuit priest has been doing since his ordination in April 1983. Today the Catholic faithful expect their priest to be a dynamic preacher, impressive celebrant, effective healer, sensitive listener, able administrator, friendly person, sounding board and even, sometimes a punching bag-and yes, Fr Denzil Lobo has all these qualities and has kept his promises to serve as a good, God-fearing priest. His gentleness, humour, his smile, friendliness and all the wonderful things he does, has kept him very close to everyone he has met and made friends with.

And 10 August 2019 was a joyous day, when Fr Denzil celebrated his 50 years of priesthood life in the Society of Jesus congregation, at the White Doves Chapel. The entrance hymn sung by Ms Corrine Rasquinha (Founder of White Doves) joined by Jerome Coelho and Gerald Fernandes (Treasurer and Manager of White Doves respectively) did capture the spirit of the day, the joy rippling through the liturgy and drawing us across the threshold of ordinariness to a place of Jubilee. Fr Denzil’s family members, priests, relatives and friends all gathered to give thanks for the faithfulness of this religious Jesuit priest over the past 50 years and to encourage him as he begins his Jubilee journey- and whose love, inspiration and support helped him to reach this blessed day. But most of all everyone was present to praise the faithfulness of the Lord – the ‘strength, the song, the salvation’ of this missionary, whose life give witness to ‘the marvelous things’ he does through those who follow him.

The Eucharistic Mass was celebrated by Fr Denzil Lobo SJ along with Fr Dr Praveen Martis SJ-Principal of St Aloysius College, Mangaluru and Fr Fredrick Menezes SJ- the Finance Officer at AIMIT, Beeri-Mangaluru. Other priests joined during the mass were- Msgr Denis Moras Prabhu-former Vicar General of Mangaluru diocese & presently the Chaplain at White Doves, Fr Clifford Sequeira SJ- Principal of St Aloysius PUC; Fr Sijo Mathew SJ- AIMIT; Fr Felix Victor SJ- Campus Minister at St Aloysius College; and Bro Anand, Bro Ashwin D’silva, Bro Orin Rodrigues, Bro Joseph Gerald and Bro Arvi Pais.

Sermon was given by Fr Wilson Moras SJ, who is doing his MBA at AIMIT. In His Homily, Fr Moras said, “All of us are called but a few are chosen in a special way to continue the work of the Kingdom of God on this Earth. Every priest is called to configure himself to Christ, act in His name and become another Christ in this world to His people. A call to priesthood and religious life is a call not a career,it is a way of life and not a job, it is a state of being and not just a function. When we are faithful to this mission we become a blessing to others in the name of Christ”. At the conclusion of the Mass, Fr Denzil expressed his gratitude to everyone who played a important role during his 50 years of Jesuit priest life. He also expressed his gratitude to “Yours Truly” and Mangalorean,.com for giving wide coverage of Jesuit activities and AIMIT happenings.

As Fr Denzil Lobo SJ completes his 50 long years as religious life, He did it with full assistance of God. So it would be right to call this achievement of his religious life, a fulfillment of God’s plan in his life and of course it does not stop here-it continues till his last breath. Fr Denzil deserves mine and yours congratulations and good wishes while He is celebrating his Golden Jubilee serving Christ. He has lived for fifty long years under the rule of Society of Jesus Congregation, true to the spirit of the Founder of SJ Order. It is said that a life of a religious person may be compared to a building of a Cathedral-once a firm foundation has been laid, the building rises slowly. It is true with the life of Fr Denzil, where He built his house on the rock like a wise man so He was able to preserve it for so many years and this foundation He received in his family itself.

Born in September 1952, he joined the Society of Jesus on 10th July, 1969. and was ordained in April, 1983. His first teaching assignment was at St Aloysius College during the Centenary year: 1979-80, where he taught Chemistry and was also Vice Principal for a long time. Computer Education in Mangaluru was initially started at St Aloysius College when Aubrey D’Souza donated the first four terminal ZENITH ORION computer. Fr Denzil was the Founder director of the Institute which has grown in leaps and bounds and has become a prestigious Institute under St Aloysius College(Autonomous) offering MBA, MCA, MSc( Software Technology), M Sc (Big-data & Analytics) and M Sc (bio-informatics).

Now these courses are housed in the campus at Beeri, Kotekar, known as AIMIT, St Aloysius Institute for Management & Information Technology. Fr Denzil had done his Master’s Computer Engineering from Marquette University, USA back in 1989-91. He wanted to have a simple celebration of his Golden Jubilee in the Society of Jesus by celebrating Mass for the destitute at WHITE DOVES, Maroli/Kulshekar-Mangaluru, followed by sharing meal with the inmates. His family members, the Jesuit confreres and some friends were present for the function. Max Rasquinha, and his wife from Houston, Texas-USA, who are closely associated with Fr Denzil also graced the occasion.

During a simple function following the Mass, the inmates of White Doves gave a instrumental and a dance performances, which received loud applaud from the audience for unleashing their hidden talents. Yet another instrumental performance was rendered by Adrian Gomes (Ex-Aloysian) on Trumpet and his son, Alston Gomes on saxophone. Following a short entertainment session, Fr Denzil then served meal to 148 destitute of White Doves for Destitute, and 30 children belonging to White Doves Children Home.

Yes, no doubt, Fr Denzil is a multi-faceted personality, and also a good musician and singer too. He is an institution in himself. His mission in life is to give ‘joy of living’ to everyone and make their life joyful. Fr Denzil is a man of God in true sense. His service revolves around the purpose of spreading God’s love. As a true Jesuit, he is closely united with Christ in spirit. May Fr Denzil Lobo SJ continue his ministry for many more years to come! With a person of courage, strong faith, values, ideals, love, and years of wisdom makes him who he is. His spiritual life bears witness to the joy of loving, the dignity of every human person, the value of little things done faithfully and the surpassing worth of faith in God. We simply should adore his qualities and ideals, thereby accepting him as a role model in our lives. To live as a true Society of Jesus priest for a single day demands a special assistance of Almighty God. What a chain of graces then must Fr Denzil have received to persevere for fifty years as a true SJ priest. And he is and always has been true to every characteristic laid down by his Holy Founder; and him as a Son of love, caring and Charity, know better what that means than I can explain to you.

In conclusion, now that Fr Denzil SJ has reached his Golden Jubilee year and moves into a new spiritual landscape I join you all and pray that he will with a new energy and deeper joy, celebrate ‘the breadth and the length, the height and the depth’ of Christ in his life. This is a Holy time, a time to ‘listen thickly’ and be fully present to the mystery that holds him. Who can tell the treasures the Lord has in store for him, the gifts still hidden in his heart? Who can know the wonders that the love of Christ, ‘which is beyond all knowledge’ will open for him? We, and He, can only pray to Jesus Christ, ‘Glory be to him…’ May He journey well and lightly and, as he embraces the whole of his life, the weave of youth and maturity. May God grant him good health so that he continues to serve the Lord till his last breath, May Fr Denzil be an inspiration and role model for all of us on our religious journey.

Team Mangalorean extends heartfelt wishes to FR Denzil Lobo SJ on his Golden Jubilee Celebrations, marking his completion of 50 years serving the Lord as a Jesuit Priest. May God bless you, Father! While our blessings and our prayers go with you, Dear Father on this memorable occasion, let me end this column with the thought-provoking lyrics from the psalm: “I will sing forever of your love, O Lord.” –

“I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
I will celebrate the wonder of Your name
For the word that You speak is a song of forgiveness
And a song of gentle mercy and of peace

Let us wake at the morning and be filled with Your love
And sing songs of praise all our days
For Your love is as high as the heavens above us
And Your faithfulness as certain as the dawn

I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
I will celebrate the wonder of Your name
For the word that You speak is a song of forgiveness
And a song of gentle mercy and of peace

I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
For You are my refuge and my strength
You fill the world with Your life-giving spirit
That speaks Your word
Your word of mercy and of peace”.

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