March 28, on
the occasion of his first visit to a Religious House since his
installation, Abp. Ozzie Gracias was at his charming best. At
6.30 p.m. he was welcomed at the entrance of Vinay by a large
number of Local Superiors, Directors of Works, other Jesuits
and workers of Vinay, shaking hands with all, identifying many
by name, exchanging a brief word and obliging those who sought
a blessing. Shortly after, while relaxing in the Loyola Kiosk
and surrounded by about 50-60 Jesuits seated informally around
him, he was welcomed by Francis, our Provincial, while
Gerard’s witty comments helped to break the ice and set the
tone of informality. Abp. Ozzie then began his short address.
In keeping with the motto of his crest, “To reconcile all
things in Christ”, the tone of his speech was positive and
encouraging. He publicly acknowledged his indebtedness to the
Jesuits from his college days, taining in the seminary and
Rome and later contacts, identifying Frs. Dan Ferrando and
Feliu for special attention.
He told the audience that he was the fourth
Diocesan Archbishop of Mumbai, taking over from a line of
eminent Jesuit Archbishops. He provided this little historical
background to stress the need for Jesuits to feel that this is
their Archdiocese, that they should not feel like strangers
alongside the diocesan clergy working in the Archdiocese and
that in fact as the largest Religious body they should give
the lead in striving for excellence, particularly in the field
of education, where there seems to have been a slippage of
standards in recent years. He also appealed to the Jesuits to
be frontiersmen, ready to take on pioneering work in the
Archdiocese, especially since the Diocesan clergy are largely
tied down by ongoing parish responsibilities. He also stressed
the need for the Church in Mumbai to move from an
inward-looking caretaking approach to an outwardly-oriented
Church, eager to reach beyond Catholic parishioners to
faith-seekers outside the Church.
After speaking for about 15 minutes, he
fielded a number of questions on his relationships with
political leaders in Delhi, the local police, new plans for
the Archdiocese (he pleaded for more time to study the local
situation), each time acknowledging the questioner by name,
before giving a polite and precise reply. At no point were
there the caveats or warnings, which Jesuits have grown
accustomed to hearing from the Archbishop’s Office every now
and again.
The hour-long address and question-answer
session was followed by drinks and a sumptuous meal, courtesy
Fr. Vinay Vaz and his catering team. During the meal Abp.
Ozzie went around mixing freely with groups of Jesuits, and
giving all a chance to meet him. Given his phenomenal memory
he is not likely to forget those he met. The whole program was
over by 9.00 p.m., but talk of the enthusiastic spirit and
positive energy generated by our new Abp. Continued ringing
through the corridors of Vinay. Abp. Ozzie has challenged the
Bombay Jesuits. How will we rise to meet this challenge?
Events
Abp. Oswald-Visits Vinayalaya