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| Fr Henry Buzzoni, SJ |
Fr Buzzoni was a true man of God, whose chief occupation was the teaching of catechism, the most apostolic of all apostolic works, which he would not entrust to others and for which he could always find time. Another characteristic of his was a constant equanimity, as he was always in the same tranquil and joyous mood, whether things were going right, or, more frequently, going wrong. His life may be summed up as a life of sacrifice, suffering and hard work for God's glory and for the salvation and sanctification of men. Of all the different posts he had filled, none perhaps was more to his liking than the one he held last, even to his last days; that of Spiritual Father of the Seminarians.
Fr Buzzoni was born in Verona on the 18th of April, 1852. Having lost his father early, he was brought up under the tender care of his mother and the firm rule of his paternal uncle. He was a second father to me," Buzzoni would say in speaking of his uncle. There is no doubt that, under God, Fr Buzzoni owed his priestly and religious vocation to his early training received at the knees of his mother, of whom he always spoke with great tenderness and veneration.
At an early age he joined the local seminary and soon after his ordination for nearly six years he was on the staff of an institution for the education of Deaf-Mutes, where he learned the so called "oral method", by which a number of these otherwise unfortunate young men and women are restored to society and become fit to earn their living. Towards the end of 1881 he joined the Society of Jesus in the Venetian Province and was sent to Chieri to begin his novitiate. But those being troublesome times, after only six months he had to emigrate to Spain with other novices, and from there, after another six months' time, he was allowed to sail for the Mission of Mangalore, where he landed on 1st January, 1883 with Schol. Molocchi. The novitiate of the Mission had recently been started, and Fr Buzzoni was to be one of the first novices in the Mangalore novitiate at Jeppoo, in the present catechumenate, and still more to be a model to the young novices already there. He completed his probation under Fr Zanetti, as beadle of the new recruits, i. e. the novices Denis Coelho, Paschal Rego, P. C. Rosario and Cregory Coelho, who all attained a fairly old age, but were outlived and buried by Fr Buzzoni.
On 21st September of the same year our experienced novice of 31 made his first Vows, and for two years continued to live in the Seminary "recolens theologiam". Then from June 1885 for over 30 years he was in charge of important parishes in Mangalore and Malabar- now the Diocese of Calicut spreading the good odour of his virtuous life wherever obedience placed him. Soon after his refresher course in theology in the Seminary, he was sent to the Rosario Cathedral as an Assistant to Fr Stein. It was then that he first conceived the idea of replacing the then existing Cathedral- a very poor concern indeed by a more stately building, "more fit to be a Cathedral", as he would smilingly remark. Trained for parish work by that soldier" (Fr Stein) as Fr Buzzoni would call him, he was next appointed to Cannanore as Vicar which post he filled for several years. For many long years was his memory fondly cherished by the people of Cannanore who for a long time after his departure kept writing to their good father.
From Cannanore he was brought back again in 1896 to the Cathedral in Mangalore as Vicar, and thence to the Seminary as Rector for six years and back again to the Cathedral. Providence seems to have arranged this second transfer to the Cathedral, that he might execute the plan of the new Cathedral he had so long conceived and cherished. After a couple of years as Vicar this second time, in January 1910, he commenced in right earnest the work of the present building. It was in this half demolished Cathedral that Bishop Perini was consecrated on December 4th, 1910. This, no doubt his opus magnum, was his major contribution to the Diocese if we consider only the material side of his activities. About the building of the Cathedral, we have the following from the pen of Fr William F. Sequeira:
"I too can claim to have known Fr Buzzoni though for a few years. Until about fifty years ago there were only three parishes in Mangalore: Rosario Cathedral, Milagres and Urwa, the last built many years after the first two. The Rosario Church was rebuilt by Fr Buzzoni. As a little boy I saw its walls rise. One evening under a heavy shower and cyclone, one of the main arches collapsed. The news went round the parish very fast, and the parishioners, the older folk not excluded, rushed to the place, not so much to the rescue, in fact there were two casualties, as to witness the tragedy and sympathise with the parish priest whom they loved so much! I remember attending Mass in the old church, the building of which is referred to in the 1860 memorial presented to the Pope's delegate. According to modern estimates, it was a mere shed, but historically it was a great edifice of our forefathers, who returning from their captivity in Srirangapattinam (Seringapatam), raised this edifice, with the work of their own hands and their little contributions. In a sense the structure is still not complete.
"The Cathedral parish in those days comprised half of Mangalore, including the present Bijey, Bendore and Valencia parishes. It was a joy to see the parish priest, even only with his long beard, already grey in those years, and plentiful busy moustache, to both of which he gave full autonomy; it was a joy to see him and to say with hands joined, 'Good Morning, Father', and receive his blessing. Even the grown-up parishioners had no chance of an idle evening chat with him: he was fully busy with his Father's work, visiting such parishioners as were in distress; especially when there was a loss in the family, he would pay a prompt visit. At other times he was busy with Fr Rosetti and the Diocesan Fr Pereira (three familiar figures for many years in that parish) attending to parochial duties like, Mass, sermons, novenas, Communion to the sick etc. It was really hard work he put in, there being no transport even in the shape of cycles or buses as obtaining at present. Going by horse-carriage, or 'jutka' was an occasional performance and a costly one according to old standards.
"In such a content, Fr Buzzoni conceived the idea of building a grand edifice worthy of the chief house of God. As in the case of all great men of the past, the idea was everything; the practicalities and difficulties, and the accomplishment of the plan were safely left in the hands of God, perhaps through St Joseph and St Anthony.
"Even according to modern standards, it is a huge church a spacious sanctuary with the great dome above, the building and completion of which defied many an engineer. Successive parish priests have piecemeal tried to complete the work, but it is still not entirely finished if we consider the details that need completion. How he got the funds is a wonder! The only rich parishioners in those years, as now, were tile manufacturers, but their total contribution came to a few thousand rupees. Aid from abroad came in driblets. It almost looks like a miracle. He trusted in God, and when he did his share of work, he would pass on to any other assignment, and get fully involved, forgetting the past, and busy only with the present".
Before seeing the completion of his work, the Hand of God had begun to weigh heavily on him-a cataract was formed in his right eye and an unsuccessful operation deprived him entirely of the use of it. It was then that Bishop Perini wrote to him: "But for your failing eyesight, I should never have conceived the idea of removing you from the Cathedral". With what patience and courage, the good old Father bore this bitter trial, only those that have known him can tell. God has removed my eyesight", he once said to a fellow-Jesuit, but has given me something better - He has taught me patience and endurance". He was later on to sacrifice his very eye, when it was extracted in his feeble age. He retired from the Cathedral and from his inseparable friend, Fr Rosetti, (who was transferred to Fr Muller's) on the 1st of May, 1922, and after a month's stay on the hills for a well-earned rest, was brought back to the Seminary, where he had made his novitiate and of which later, he was the Rector, and was put in charge of St Joseph's Asylum with its various departments the workshops, Boys' and Girls' Orphanages and Boys' and Girls' Schools.
"As the stately Cathedral was slowly but steadily rising. how often have I not seen the good old Father telling his beads sitting in the sacristy.", writes one who knew him intimately. What was he praying for? For the building? Not likely. He knew it was God's work and that God would see to it. In fact, when one of the main arches collapsed, Fr Buzzoni knew how to take it with a smile, knowing that God would draw good out of evil. The fallen arch was a blessing in disguise, as it brought in money to continue the work. For what I know of the good Father, Fr Buzzoni was telling those beads in the sacristy asking God to make him a saint and to spare him not in the making; and God did not spare him sorely trying him with ill health, particularly in his declining years".
There was hardly a name more familiar to the parishioners of the Cathedral than that of Fr Buzzoni. His simple habits of life-one might say carried even to excess - forceful character, untiring energy. self-sacrificing zeal and earnest devotion to duty were well known to them. Never would he court popularity, or applause of men: never fearing their opinion, he was really a 'man of God'. If there was a thought farthest removed from his mind, it was "What will men say?" His question was rather. What will God say?" He weighed things with the weight of the sanctuary.
To Fr Buzzoni, as mentioned earlier, the teaching of catechism was the most apostolic of apostolates, a work so dear to his heart that he would on no account leave it to others, be it to the sacristan or even to his assistants. Whilst a Parish Priest he could be seen morning after morning teaching catechism to little children, preparing them for First Communion or to grownups preparing for marriage. Even as Director of St Joseph's Asylum Works, he could be seen every Tuesday in the Seminary church teaching catechism to the school children. This was a work for which he always found leisure and energy. He had even drawn up a syllabus with a view to helping the seminarians in their work of teaching catechism. to school children.
Towards the evening of his life, he consecrated his remaining strength for the spiritual advancement of the Seminarians and of the people of the Catechumenate even when he had become totally blind. He was truly a father to them: taking his age into consideration, we ought rather to call him a grandfather-so fatherly and grandfatherly was he. The young students of the Seminary would tell with what affection he received them, with what patience he listened to them, to their every tale of joy and sorrow, and how he used to cheer them up. He was in every sense of the word a vir Dei, cuius conversataio in coelis est", as his one endeavour was to form Jesus in the young seminarians entrusted to his care. In his conferences to the seminarians, the personal santification of the priest and of everything that tended to it seasoned every exhortation, whatever be the subject of it. He interested himself even in their games. His was practical spirituality that taught the young seminarian the right perspective to face life later on On the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the Seminary a priest recalling his seminary days wrote in the Souvenir some anecdotes in the life of Fr Buzzoni which bring out this characteristic of his spiritual direction. Once a student of theology went to him with a practical complaint against a companion of his who had accused him falsely and both had used hot words to each other. The good Father heard the seminarian patiently and then said: "Very good. I am glad that you had that much. Let us both say together 'Deo Gratias'. Then Fr Buzzoni continued: "Now look here, Johnny, in your priesthood this will be your daily bread. A priest is often accused of faults he does not commit. At times even for the good he does; he is found fault with. Is it not then the goodness of God to have given you this rehearsal that you may be armed well with the virtue of patience?"
On another occasion a Philosopher said to Fr Buzzoni Say a Hail Mary, Father, that we may win the badminton match, the Philosophers us Juniors. The Philosophers were defeated and the Juniors won. The defeated party was called to his room. He congratulated them and gave them each a holy picture and a toffee and added: "Be prepared always to take all failures and disappointments in good part. This is the practical way to face life as Jesus did'.
"Brothers, let us humbly confess", he used to say, "that we are half mad. Otherwise how to explain sin ?"
Early in the morning of Saturday the 16th November, 1935, when the Br Infirmarian had gone to him as usual, he found him on the floor beside his bed, in a kneeling posture, with his forehead reclining on his pillow. A man of assiduous prayer in life, death found him in a prayerful posture. His mortal remains lay exposed in the Seminary chapel the whole day, where streams of people poured in the whole day long, to pay to their beloved father their last tokens of respect and gratitude. At 4. 15 the Office of the Dead was said, followed by the obsequies at which the Very Rev. Father Superior of the Mission officiated. The funeral cortege then moved to the Cathedral. The funeral seemed to be a pageant rather than a funeral cortege, owing to the large attendance, an eloquent testimony to the love and veneration in which her was held by the rich and poor of Mangalore and particularly by the parishioners of the Cathedral, for whose spiritual and material uplift he had so lovingly and strenuously worked and spent himself. His remains were interred in the Cathedral, where a resting place, in recognition of his services and as a poor return for the stately and vast Cathedral he had built, was assigned to him by the Vicar of the Cathedral. He was buried in front of the altar of Our Lady, where for many years he used to spend daily several hours in prayer.
Fr Buzzoni was eighty three years old when he died, had been a priest for sixty years, a Jesuit for fifty four years, and in the Mission for nearly fifty three uninterrupted years. His life could be summed up as: a man of 'good counsel' whose conversation mingled utile dulci.
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