Rector of St Aloysius Institutions Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ is Now Provincial of Karnataka Jesuit Province

Rector of St Aloysius Institutions Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ is Now Provincial of Karnataka Jesuit Province

Mangaluru: Rev Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, who has been serving as the Rector of St Aloysius Institutions, Mangaluru since 2 May 2016, was on Tuesday, 25 August 2020, was appointed as the new PROVINCIAL OF THE KARNATAKA JESUIT PROVINCE- and He will be taking over charge from Fr Jerome Stanislaus D’Souza SJ. Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ is an alumnus of the prestigious and illustrious 149 years old Jesuit institution, St Aloysius Institutions from 1969 to 1981 and again from 1994-97.

Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ hailing from Highlands/Falnir, Mangaluru is one among the four siblings of Richard Vaz and Mrs Juliet Vaz. Having done most of his studies at St Aloysius College, Mangaluru, He joined the Society of Jesus, a world-renowned Catholic religious order founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in 1981 at Mount St Joseph, Bengaluru, and later did his year-long juniorate programme at Beschi College, Dindigul, Philosophy studies at JDV, Pune; and Theology at Vidyajyothi, Delhi. On 14 April 1997, he was ordained as a priest.

Fr Dionysius SJ has also an MA in Sociology and has experience in the formation of young Jesuits, social work, Ignatian spirituality, counselling and in the pastoral field. He served as a vocation promoter and Director at Loyola pre novitiate from 1996-1999, pursued pastoral counselling in Loyola University, Maryland, US from 2000-2002, became a renowned novice master at Mount St Joseph for seven years from 2004- 2011 and before he was given the reins of the prestigious Aloysian institutions he headed Jesuit Mission in Vijayapura, in North Karnataka as Mission Superior from 2011 to 2016.

He was also elected as a delegate from the Karnataka Jesuit Province for the 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus scheduled for October 2016. With his vast experience in different fields, he brings with him spiritual depth, psychological wisdom, socio-economic analytical ability to face the challenges of our times. People approach him for counselling and guidance. Having begun with the legacy of Fr Joseph Antony Willy SJ who was the first Rector (1880-1885) of the St. Aloysius Institutions, Fr Dionysius Vaz who took over as the Rector in May 2016, the Institutions received the impetus of Fr Vaz’s experience for its tremendous growth. No doubt at all, that the Karnataka Jesuit Province has got Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, the right person to lead as its Provincial, to make it reach to much greater heights.

REV FR DIONYSIUS VAZ SJ- a JESUIT & a RECTOR THAT I KNOW!

A humble and simple Jesuit Priest whom I met and became great friends ever since the last four years feels like that we knew each longer than that. Among all the former Rectors of St Aloysius Institutions, Mangaluru that I was closely associated with, to name a few Fr Ronnie Prabhu SJ, Fr L F Rasquinha SJ, Fr Leo D’Souza SJ, Fr Denzil Lobo, among others, but my short time relationship with Fr Vaz is something that I would cherish throughout my life. Every time, I visit his office at the Mangaluru Jesuit Education Society, he would always joke around with silly comments, and this was always coming from his mouth-“Hope you didn’t come again asking for more contributions from our institutions for Mangalorean.com?”.

“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 Dionysius Vaz SJ, the former Rector of St Aloysius Institutions- Mangaluru, and presently the Provincial of Karnataka Jesuit Province, 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 Vaz 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. His qualities and characters had made him a much-loved person in society. We should all thank God for showering His blessings on Fr Vaz for serving the society all these as a religious Jesuit priest. Fr Dionysius is 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 Dionysius as a devoted Jesuit priest has been doing since his ordination on 14 April 1997.

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 Vaz 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. It’s true that only 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 these priests are faithful to this mission they become a blessing to others in the name of Christ- and Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ did fall in that category, serving the society and continuing the work of God and the Founder of Jesuit Congregation, St Ignatius Loyola.

After ordination as a Jesuit priest and serving for 23 long years as religious life, Fr Vaz has done it with the full assistance of God. So it would be right to call this achievement of his religious life, a fulfilment of God’s plan in his life and of course it does not stop here-it continues till his last breath. Fr Dionysius deserves mine and your congratulations and good wishes while He leads the Karnataka Jesuit Province as its Provincial. He has lived for 23 long years under the rule of Society of Jesus Congregation, true to the spirit of the Founder of SJ Order. It is said that the 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 Dionysius, 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.

Yes, no doubt, Fr Denzil is a multi-faceted personality, He is an institution in himself. His mission in life is to give ‘joy of living’ to everyone and make their life joyful. He is a man of God in a 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 Vaz SJ continue his ministry for many more years to come! With a person of courage, strong faith, values, ideals, love, and years of wisdom make 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 special assistance of Almighty God. What a chain of graces then must Fr Dionysius have received to persevere for 23 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. During the recent lockdown of Covid-19 pandemic, Fr Vaz was instrumental in donating nearly Rs 30 lakh worth of ration/essentials to the needy from the Jesuit funds and donations from well-wishers.

In conclusion, now that Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ is at the helm of a prestigious post to lead the Karnataka Jesuit Province, I join you all and pray that he will with 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 Dionysius Vaz SJ be an inspiration and role model for all of us on our religious journey.

Team Mangalorean extends heartfelt wishes to our well-wisher and supporter, Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ as Provincial of Karnataka Jesuit Province. May God bless you, Father! While our blessings and our prayers go with you, Dear Father, 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”.