Mangaluru: He Came, He Saw, He Conquered Hearts of Milagreans! Fond Farewell to Fr FX Gomes

” I will be missing all those ‘Tatas and Bye Byes” from some of the girl students who used to do it whenever they go home after classes. Among all the places that I have visited, served-I very much love the ambiance at Milagres-I fell in love with the staff, teachers and management at Milagres. No matter where I go, where I will be, Milagres will always be in my heart. I would like to see that Milagres Institutions stand tall and grow in greater heights like few other institutions in and around Mangaluru- I am confident that with dedicated and energetic staff and students , Milagres will emerge as one of the best educational institution. Everyone at Milagres gave me comfort and strength during the loss of my mother, and many other times during my tenure here. To everyone of you, I am grateful, and say a BIG THANK YOU. You all had made my years at Milagres a memorable one”.- Fr FX Gomes,during his farewell speech.

Mangaluru: “Fr Francis Xavier Gomes- not only was the administrator of Milagres Education Institutions; and Principal of Milagres College, but he was a well revered priest, a seasoned teacher, a frank and forthright communicator, a proficient administrator, a good fluent speaker, and a motivator, and above all, Fr Gomes was a role model to all. It is often said that some succeed because they are destined to, but others are victorious because they are determined to ; Fr.Gomes belongs to the second category; he is not a person to give up easily when he knows that the cause is genuine. Thus Father has rich experience in moulding the lives of thousands of students who have bloomed under his care and with his counsel” said college lecturer Dhanalaxmi K, while she read the citation of Fr Gomes. .

Yes, Fr Gomes will be dearly missed by all those who were closely associated with him, while he takes up a new designation as Parish Priest of Mulky Church. To show their gratitude, appreciation and love, the management and staff of Milagres Education Institutions hosted a “Farewell Function” for Fr FX Gomes on Tuesday, 2 June 2015 at the Milagres College hall. Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it’s one day further from the last time you saw each other, it’s one day closer to the next time you will. Some people come into our lives and quickly leave. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same. Fr Gomes had touched the hearts of many Milagreans during his tenure as the Administrator and Principal at Milagres, and that will be cherished by all those who had very close encounters with him.

The Farewell Ceremony began with invoking God’s blessings through a prayer song rendered by Milagres Primary school teachers, which was followed by the welcome address by John Pais-Principal of Milagres PU College. Milagres College Lecturer, Dhanalaxmi K expressing her emotions, kind thoughts and delivering the words of wisdom, while reading the citation of Fr Gomes said, ” Fr .Gomes not only played the role of a principal but was a humane person, generous to a fault and forgiving too. We are here to express our deep gratitude to this revered personality whom we have grown to love and admire. He has been a model of simplicity and service. He has acted responsibly and with respect as the head of our great institute– the Milagres College. His success has been due to his hard work dedication and concerted effort to encourage the staff and students towards excellence. He has striven hard to create a harmonious and happy environment of growth for all, at this temple of learning”.

“Having worked for thirty years, as the Principal of St Philomena’s College,Puttur , Fr Gomes utilized his rich expertise in guiding the destinies of the Milagres students. With his vision and mission, he joined the authorities concerned to start the Milagres College Building despite several odds.One of the outstanding qualities of Fr Gomes is compassion towards students who are economically weak or poor in performance, despite hard efforts. He has helped this category of students both monetarily from his own purse and intellectually too, through his assistant teachers. His vision for Milagres Institutions has been high and this has materialized into the commencement of a building which will complete in record time. He has also a vision for post graduation and research facilities on the campus”.

“We, the staff and students enjoyed Father’s company as he was a good friend, Principal, guide and an excellent motivator. Father, will remain as a role model for all of us at Milagres College. His friendly attitude , jovial nature had an enduring effect on us and memories of all that he was, will linger even though he will soon leave the campus. Just as his size is ,so are his manifold qualities which have endeared him to us and we will certainly miss a tall personality walking around on the Milagres premises”.

“Father Gomes is specialized in Political Science. By and large those who have this specialization have a nuance towards dominating in day to day decision-making and trying to manage power. This has not been the case with our principal, Fr Gomes. Instead in every decision making process, he accepted the inputs given by Office staff and faculty members and thus he carried all of us together. Fr Gomes has been an effective campus administrator guiding the staff of all sections in day to day work. His maturity in maintaining discipline on the campus deserves a special mention. He was a well known and well respected person in political circles, Principals’ Association of private colleges , in social circles especially in Milagres parish. Being a sportsman himself, he was of great guidance to students whom he encouraged to participate and win in various sports events”.

While concluding, she said, “Today , we are here to wish Fr Gomes “Au revoir -Farewell” and God’s choicest blessings. I would like to end my speech with a request to Fr Gomes that the gates of Milagres Institutions are always open and he should visit us as often as possible and give us the benefit of his maturity as a teacher , good friend , administrator and a hallowed priest. Thank You, Father for your service to Milagres Institutions and wish you good health and success in your new assignment”. That was indeed a very touching and emotional citation while describing a person whom they loved very much. As they say, “Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I’ll miss you, Until we meet again!”, -Surely, Fr Gomes will make a few surprise visits to Milagres, a place that he had loved very dearly.

Fr FX Gomes was then felicitated with a shawl, fruit basket, flower garland, memento and a citation by Milagres Church Parish Priest, and Correspondent of the Milagres institutions, Fr Valerian Gomes, along with other dignitaries on the dais namely- Assistant parish Priest of Milagres church-Fr santhosh, Vice President of Parish pastoral Council-Ivan D’souza, Milagres PU College Principal-John Pais, Vice principal- Avith Barbozaand Primary School Headmistress- Elveera Lasrado. Fr Valerian D’souza addressing the gathering said, ” “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. Gratitude is an expression that comes from the heart- I am happy to see you in large numbers who have come here to show your love and appreciation toward Fr Gomes for his great service towards this institution”.

Fr D’souza further said, ” Fr Gomes having more than three decades of educational experiences, had been a great asset to this institution, he has moulded numerable students to be good students, he has been a good teacher and a good administrator, always interacted with teachers, staff and students. His service to this institution is commendable- he has been a great friend, a great teacher, a great administrator, and above all, a great human being always ready to open his hearts for the less fortunate and the needy. His heart is full of concerns for others. His friends range from politicians to entrepreneurs, sportsmen to artists, teachers to students, rich and poor- he is a man loved by all. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Fr Gomes for his impeccable, dedicated and sincere service rendered towards Milagres Institutions. Thank you, Father-you will be missed by all of us”.

Now it was time for the outgoing Administrator and Principal, Fr Gomes who thanked the staff and the management for the opportunity provided to serve institution. He also recalled the challenges that he had to face during his tenure of more than five years of service in the Institution. His speech moved every staff which was almost heart touching. Addressing the audience, he said, ” Having faith in me the Bishop assigned me two posts, as a Administrator and also as a Principal. It was tough but I managed it with the great support and cooperation from the management and staff. My designations had made me a rough and tough man, you hardly see me smile, I am a man of peculiar nature, but I am always good at heart. I have heard comments like that I am idealistic, anarchistic, I have faced them all.”

Fr Gomes further said, ” Among all the places that I have visited, served-I very much love the ambiance at Milagres-I fell in love with the staff, teachers and management at Milagres. No matter where I go, where I will be, Milagres will always be in my heart. I have experienced many memories here, and I will cherish them forever. One thing I want to stress before I exit from this great institution is that teachers should develop more leadership qualities-if you are a good leader, you can make others good leaders. Let me quote Winston Churchill’s words, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. Don’t give up when problems arise, try to solve them, work out a solution, and success will prevail. I would like to see that Milagres Institutions stand tall and grow in greater heights like few other institutions in and around Mangaluru- I am confident that with dedicated and energetic staff and students, Milagres will emerge as one of the best educational institution. Thank you for all your support and love- you gave me comfort and strength during the loss of my mother, and many other times. To everyone of you, I am grateful, and say a BIG THANK YOU. You all had made my years at Milagres a memorable one”.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Avith Barboza, and the function was professionally compered by teacher Lavita Pereira.

Milagres Students Bid Farewell to Fr Gomes with Love & Affection

A touching farewell programme was for Rev. Fr. F.X. Gomes by the students of Milagres P.U. College during the assembly. The correspondent Rev. Fr. Valerian D’Souza presided over the function.

Anurag Nagvekar of 7th Std. welcomed the dignitaries on the dais – The Correspondent Rev. Fr.Valerian D’Souza, Campus Administrator Rev. Fr. F. X. Gomes, Mr. Ivan D’Souza, the Vice President of Milagres Parish Pastoral Council, Mr. Avith Paul Barboza , Vice Principal of High School Section, Mrs. Elveera Lasrado , Headmistress of Primary Section and the gathering.

Miss Priya D’Souza and group invoked God’s blessings through a prayer song. Mr. John Pais, the Principal of P. U. College spoke a few words of appreciation about Rev. Fr. F. X. Gomes who had made rapid progress with the help of his rich knowledge in the field of education, his administration and his ability to mould the students and motivate the teaching staff.

Rev. Fr. Valerian D’Souza honoured Rev. Fr. F. X. Gomes with a bouquet. The student representatives from the Primary, High School and College section offered flowers to Fr. Gomes to show their love and affection. A farewell song was sung by the students of Primary section. The Campus Administrator Rev. Fr. F. X. Gomes spoke to the student community expressing his views and his dreams for them and his wishes. The programme was compered by Master Avin Jibbson from High school section