Fr. Arnold Gonsalves SJ
1929 - 2005

"Arnold lived life to the full" - that was the upshot of Fr. Provincial's homily at the well-attended Funeral Mass for Fr. Arnold Gonsalves at St. Peter's Church, Bandra on Sept 26, Arnold's 76th birthday. Whether explaining the intricacies of English poetry, or sweating it out on a playground, or drawing up the menu for a Jesuit first-class feast, or partying with relatives and friends or plodding with non-English speaking seminarians through the rudiments of our irrational English grammar and pronunciation, Arnold was always vibrantly alive. Perhaps he inherited this zest for life from his family of whom he spoke dearly and with whom he was constantly in touch. He was born and bred in Umerkhadi. He studied with Bishop Ferdie Fonseca at St. Joseph's School and heeded the call to become a priest by joining the Diocesan Seminary at Parel in 1948. He left a year later to join the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus.

There followed the traditional Jesuit formation of Juniorate (still at Vinayalaya), and Philosophy at Pune and Shembaganur, three years of Regency at St. Mary's (Mazagaon), where his striking figure and easy manner with the boys brought out other aspects of his charming personality. Regency also revealed his aptitude for educational work, a factor instrumental in his being sent for higher studies at St. Xavier's College. He excelled in his studies finishing with a First Class in English at the B.A. in 1960.

Arnold loved the outdoors and especially the hills. He enjoyed his years at Shembaganur and spoke glowingly of the flora and fauna, the long walks and happy times spent there. The lure of the hills drew him to Kurseong for theology, where he was known for his long treks in the mountains and hard-fought games with the boys of the Christian Brothers' school there. The hills left their imprint on him, for he would always have the fan at full speed even in the coolest weather of Mumbai. "Cold hands, warm heart" the saying goes. With Arnold it was "Cold weather, warm heart". In fact he was very warm-hearted in all weather, as will be shown later.

In 1965, having completed his formal Jesuit training, Arnold received his first and major assignment to go St. Xavier's College, where he taught for 29 long and fruitful years. He began as a Lecturer in the English Department but was soon entrusted with the full-time job of Director of Sports, a post he held even after his retirement from teaching in 1989. His sportsmen found him helpful and supportive, and they appreciated the fact that after a full day's teaching and making himself available in his office, he still found time to visit the various sports venues to encourage the college teams and share his wealth of experience with them. As one famous Xavierite sportswoman put it, "Though in his fifties, he would be on his feet at the venues, moving around in the scorching sun throughout the duration of the matches".

Arnold's availability for service to his brother Jesuits is seen from his serving as Minister of the College community not once but twice. Thanks to him the college Jesuits tasted a number of culinary delights and always looked well fed! Towards the end of his teaching career he was appointed Hostel Superintendent and later a Secretary of the Bombay St. Xavier's College Society, faithfully discharging this responsibility for a number of years.

Five years after retiring from his teaching post, Arnold offered his services to Madhya Pradesh Province to help in teaching English to the novices. Though the original appointment was only for a year, it was extended for almost a decade, during which time he was transferred to Sneha Sadan, Jabalpur to supervise the studies and formation of young college Jesuits and minister to the various convents and religious houses in the area. In 2002, because of his illness, it was suggested that he return to the Bombay Province for better medical treatment.

Arnold adapted well to his new community of St. Peter's, Bandra. His wounded toe, which had defied all earlier treatment because of his diabetes, began to gradually heal. He made little of the inconvenience of living in non self-contained rooms, nor did he complain about having to negotiate four flights of stairs. In spite of his pain and inconvenience, he was always approachable for help in the correct usage of the English language. People appreciated his homilies for their careful preparation, richness of language, and theological content.

Despite his limited movements, Arnold entered fully into the life of the community, in participating in all sorts of activities and assisting in the running of the house. His failing health was never a reason to turn down any request for assistance in pastoral activities of the parish. Arnold's health began to deteriorate further when kidney and heart problems complicated his diabetic condition. He shuttled between ICCU and ward for two months at Holy Family Hospital before being taken to the Jesuit Nursing Home at Vinayalaya, where he was put on a special self-administered dialysis procedure. When that too failed to purify his system and his body began to fill with fluids, it was clear that the end was near. He passed away peacefully on Sept. 25 morning, when he was roused from sleep for the usual body-sponge and just slipped away quietly under the attendant's care.

Except for the final spell when diabetes restricted his movements, Arnold was always a very active person. He loved a game of bridge, being equally affable in victory or defeat. It was only a game, and the relationships built over a card table or playground were what mattered most! Building and maintaining friendships was all-important for Arnold. That is why he loved fellowship in the community and when he never got enough of it he sought the companionship of friends and family outside. There was a tenderness about him that deceived those taken in by his robust stature and commanding voice. He was a thorough gentleman, a peaceable Jesuit who rarely lost his cool and never indulged in criticism of others. He was a surprisingly simple man, with a childlike devotion to Jesus and Mary and an extremely sensitive heart. He would sometimes break down in tears when sharing with the community his childhood and family life. He was known to faint at the sight of blood, hardly a reaction one would expect from a robust sportsman who enjoyed a hard-fought contest. But this sensitivity only revealed a tender heart, a heart alive to the pain and plight of others, the heart of a man fully alive to his own feelings and those of others. Very appropriately he died in time to celebrate his 76th birthday with the heavenly hosts. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Arnold!

- Frs. Simon D'Souza and Albert Jou, S. J.