Born in a well-placed, well known and well respected Catholic family of Mangalore, Claude graduated from St Aloysius College, where he came under the benign and beneficial influence of exemplary Jesuits, especially the Late Fr Louis Mascarenhas, and joined the Society of Jesus in Calicut at the age of 20. He had his philosophical studies in Shembaganur and theological studies in Chieri, Italy and was ordained a priest by Cardinal Fossato of Turin, Italy on 08 July 1962.
Claude was quintessentially a priest of Jesus Christ, striving all his life to let Christ Jesus to shine more and more through him, looking at the world through the eyes of Christ, loving the world with the heart of Christ and ministering to the world with the hands of Christ, not primarily through a cultic priesthood, but pre-eminently through a prophetic priesthood. He was indeed a courageous, compassionate and creative prophet of his times, denouncing the evils that plague contemporary society, announcing the vision of a better, more humane and a more just world, lighting the fire of social justice in many a heart, concretely devising strategies for the integral liberation of the deprived, disadvantaged and dispossessed masses of people, and mobilising a band of convinced, committed and courageous co-workers to realize his vision through concrete action.
In this sense Fr Claude was a true Jesuit, embodying in himself all the essential values of Ignatian Charism, especially the Society’s preferential option for the poor. In him Faith and Justice found a fine blend and balance. There was neither dichotomy nor opposition between Faith and Justice. If at all, there was constructive and creative tension. Claude was a man of deep and vibrant faith, fervour and fellowship, and at the same time a fierce foe of every trace of discrimination, deprivation and domination as well as an ardent and accomplished advocate of emancipation and empowerment of the poor through education, enlightenment and enhancement of employment potential. He was a man with a passion for God, passion for humanity and passion for the poor, spiritually strong, pastorally prolific and apostolically active. Only God knew and Claude knew how many thousands were the beneficiaries of his ministry. Only God knew and Claude knew how many young minds he ignited with his passion for the poor. Only God knew and Claude knew how many social animators he inspired, trained, guided and supported in his long and eventful life of ministry for the marginalized. Claude never boasted of his achievements and accomplishments. He never publicised his work.
This is what set Fr Claude apart as a true Jesuit, a man of God, a man of the people and a man on mission, ever ready to be sent anywhere, at any time, for any work, whether as a professor in St Joseph’s seminary, Mangalore, or as the Principal of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Bangalore, or as the Chaplain of AICUF for 12 long, challenging and creative years, or as the Rector of St Joseph’s College for 6 years and as the Director of Ashirvad for another 6 years and finally as the Mission Superior in distant Bijapur. In all these ministries what stood out clearly were his deep spirituality, great humanity and strong commitment to the excluded. He always remained his simple, genial, cordial, amiable, approachable self. Even when his younger brother, Blasius, was a cabinet minister in the Government of Karnataka, Fr Claude never put on airs, never threw his weight around and never tried to climb on to a pedestal. His constant refrain to his Jesuit companions and lay collaborators was: “listen to the cry of the poor”
Fr Claude could also be seen as a prophet of his time. A prophet does not have a bed of roses to lie on or a highway to tread or a blueprint for a better tomorrow. What he knows and feels deep down in his guts is that society is not what it should be. That there is stratification, injustice, marginalization, exploitation and that this state of affairs should not be because it is neither God’s will nor can any human society be built upon it. The word of God the prophet brings, and the prophet himself, whether we accept them or not, are divine realities.
Fr Claude was one such prophet. He deeply felt the contradictions in society and wanted to resolve them and to foster life and dignity, especially for the most vulnerable in society. He was a pioneer in social outreach and patron of the lowly, the least and the lost. While there have been other Jesuits engaged in social work, Fr Claude had a vision and a dream that was holistic, not piecemeal, inclusive not exclusive. Even while he detested evil, pain, suffering inflicted on fellow humans, he would never detest any human being, knowing fully well that the latter himself was a victim of unjust social, economic, political and even religious structures and institutions; fellow human being, God’s creation, made in his own image and likeness as the Christian faith upholds. And so there was never a negative word about anyone, even if the person had hurt him. That was Fr Claude.
In assigning him his last mission, Fr Provincial wrote:
`Dear Fr Claude, you have been a pioneer in the Province with regard to many apostolic initiatives and ventures. Through CNFCE you have not only inspired and guided Jesuits and others into the social apostolate but also reached out to hundreds of the poor and the downtrodden in love and concern to better their lot. Your example and encouragement have led many Jesuits and others into social action and writing. Your positive attitude and disposition to life and people have always set you apart as a person who builds up and promotes people, rather than tarnishes their image. Your work as principal of BHS and AICUF chaplain has created many youth leaders imbued with values of justice and service. As you look back you will see much to be thankful for. As you look ahead, you will see that there is still much to be done for the Church and the Society. The Society gives you a mission to sustain its life and mission through your prayers, example and encouragement of others.’ This is a beautiful, though inadequate summary of Fr Claude’s life – a life that was lived to the full, a life to be thankful to God for.
Death came to Fr Claude D’Souza just two weeks after he had celebrated his birthday. He was 87. Towards the end he was getting progressively weaker and had to be sent to the Senior Jesuits’ Home in Mount St Joseph for the last year of his life. Ever since then he became more silent, more sedate and more subdued, until, because of the almost uncontrollable trembling in his hands, he needed to be hand fed and began to spend most of the time in bed, with sporadic intervals of brightness and vivacity, particularly when he had visitors, either his close relatives or erstwhile colleagues in social action. During the last few days of his life he was not able to ingest any solid food and had to be hospitalized, where he was quite lucid and conversed freely with the visitors, until the end came almost unexpectedly and imperceptibly, like a candle going out, silent, soft and serene.
And so, when the large number of his confreres, relatives, friends, collaborators and beneficiaries had gathered in the crowded and overflowing Chapel of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School in the afternoon of 08 July 2018 to say a final farewell to Fr Claude, there were not too many tears in any eyes but certainly there were many smiles on the faces all around because there were many grateful hearts in their hundreds in that sacred sanctuary, which had been touched by the warmth, care, concern and idealism of the wonderful human being, an exemplary priest, a great Jesuit, and an exceptional visionary who was a father, friend and faithful mentor to many. No one seemed to be there to mourn a death. All were there to celebrate a life lived fully for God, fully for people, fully for the poor. And so, when Fr Claude’s mortal remains were laid to rest in the earth, there was no sadness that the candle had gone out, but rather there was joy that the dawn had arrived.
- by Fr Richard Sequiera, SJ
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