THANK
YOU ALLWYN FOR BEING ALLWYN!
-Fr. Cedric Prakash
sj*
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
We – your many relatives and friends –
gather today with great sorrow around your mortal remains to say goodbye to you,
together with Enid, Rohini, Rohan and Anisha; Selwyn, Bibiana, Marina, Martina,
Matilda and Clotilda. It is not easy for us to accept that you have gone
home. But we are here today to thank you
and to thank God for gifting you to each one of us in a very special way.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
We remember the days when as a boy
growing up, you were always there for your siblings: Selwyn, Bibiana, Marina,
Martina, Matilda, and Clotilda. The eldest of the bunch and a true elder
brother to them all: caring and loving, always concerned and with a sense of
doing what is right. It was Selwyn who was the mischievous one not his big
brother! You were the calm and serious
one. You were always there when your sisters and brother needed you and in so
many different ways you taught each one of them how to be concerned for others.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
For the times you excelled in school and
in college; in the neighbourhoods at Jacob Circle, Vikhroli and Ghatkopar where
you lived when growing up. It was a proud day indeed for the family when you
stood first in Fatima High School in Vikhroli in the SSC examinations way back
in 1965! It was definitely no mean
achievement. It was a time when nobody went for tuitions to get “sure questions
for high marks.” One had to work hard and you showed the others that you were
capable of the task.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
For the time you knocked at the door of
St. Xavier’s College, Bombay. Your first college was not good enough for a brilliant student like you who wanted to do
much more in Physics, Mathematics and of course in extra-curricular activities.
So Xavier’s it was and it is fitting that today as the Universal Church
celebrates the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, we pay our tribute to you.
Personally, for me a Jesuit, I feel really good about highlighting the
beginning of your Jesuit connection.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
And then there were those very special
years of your deep involvement with the Christian Life Community (CLC) in Seva
Niketan (also known as ‘Sodality House’).
There you learnt the Ignatian way of proceeding – of how to be a person
for others and at the same time how to deepen your faith in every possible way.
Great Jesuits like Fr. Sidney D’souza – who is also present here today (from
Kenya) – and the late Frs. Benac and Pujol were among those who inspired you
and guided you. It was during your years with the CLC, that your commitment for
a greater good deepened in every possible way. It was on the 12th
October 1974 on the 6th floor of Seva Niketan that you first met Enid
D’souza, another committed CLC’er who became
the heart-throb of your life and later in
January 1978 your life-partner.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
For being that loving husband and caring
father all these years! Enid, Rohan and Rohini will easily testify to the care
and concern you had for them throughout. You left no stone unturned to give
them your best. You gave your very best to your work. But when it came to
family, that was sacred space for you and nothing could come in between. You took Enid, Rohan and Rohini to the most
exotic locations for vacations...off the beaten-track, to places where no one
dared to go. You were also a disciplinarian and as recently as the other day
when you were taken in for a bath, you still asked them, “Who is in-charge?”
and with smiles on their faces they replied, “Dad, of course!”
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
For your tremendous contribution to the
world of media! For the twenty-five years you worked with the Times of India
doing investigative journalism; writing stories and reports which few others
dared to. Although the slogan of a competitor newspaper was, “free, frank and
fearless” - you showed the world that you lived it! You left no stone unturned to get at the
truth of the matter. Those of us who have known you well will vouch for the way
you always took a stand for what is right and for what is just and always for
the underdog. Through your consistency, authenticity
and creativity, you did the media world proud!
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
You are remembered as a person of
unflinching commitment and devotion to duty.
In life, you gave and did not count the cost. You had the courage to take up issues in society
and also within the Church. It was not easy for some to accept this. Together
with John Dayal you began ‘a communicating Indian Church google-group’, which
encouraged the laity, priests and nuns to voice their opinions freely. On 1st
December you completed twenty-years with the PR company – Edelman. The citation
given to you by one of the CEOs of the company and the wonderful dossier
presented to you by several of your colleagues speaks volumes of your great
contribution; and of how you enriched the lives of many – as friend,
philosopher, mentor, trainer and guide.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
For giving each one of us the
opportunity to celebrate a great soul who walked this earth with us for
sixty-six years! We know that at this
moment though your mortal remains are here before us, you enjoy that eternal
happiness to which you have been called. Our faith today is strengthened; our
belief in the Risen Lord gives us that consolation that each one of us here
today will join you in that eternal happiness. Thank you for being a man of deep
faith: a person who was a true Christian witness all along.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn!
For all that you have meant to each one
of us gathered here today and to the many, many more who are not present: to
Enid, Rohini, Rohan and Anisha; to Selwyn, Bibiana, Marina, Martina, Matilda,
Clotilda and every single member of your immediate and extended family; to all
your other relatives, friends, colleagues and collaborators who are here to bid
‘goodbye’ to you. It is indeed difficult but it is a reality which we accept
with great pain.
Thank
you Allwyn for being Allwyn! Goodbye dear friend – till we meet again!
(This
eulogy was delivered at the funeral Mass of Mr. Allwyn Fernandes at St. Vincent
Palloti Church, Marol Maroshi, Andheri, Mumbai on Wednesday, 3rd
December, 2014)
(* Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is
the Director of PRASHANT, the
Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace.)
Address: PRASHANT, Hill Nagar, Near Saffron Hotel, Drive-in Road, Ahmedabad - 380052
Phone:
(079) 27455913, 66522333 Fax: (079) 27489018
Email: sjprashant@gmail.com www.humanrightsindia.in
Email: sjprashant@gmail.com www.humanrightsindia.in
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