Fr. Harry Pereira SJ
1929 - 2007

Harry was an enthusiast. He was enthusiastic about his priesthood, his ministry, and the people he served, indeed about the whole of life itself. He was passionate about life. He wanted to live fully at every moment of every day, and attempted to reach out to as many as he could on any given day. Though he died after having completed his seventy-sixth birthday, he had the energy of someone much younger, and this showed in every aspect of his life. He always wanted to do "more".

Harry joined the Society of 18 March 1958 when he was already twenty-nine years old and so, older than many of his Novice companions. This was because after completing his matriculation he id a course for three years at VJTI in Textiles. He was ordained on 23 March 1968 and took his final vows on 15 August 1977. While in the Society, Harry completed his B.Ed., M.Ed and a Masters' degree in English literature. These degrees meant that Harry would spend a large part of his Jesuit life in schools. He served as Assistant Principal in St. Stanislaus' and as Principal in St. Xavier's Nashik. After he retired from school, when many would have preferred to take life easy, Harry volunteered to go to Nagaland and then to Nairobi for one purpose, to serve.

Harry enjoyed good health and would only have the occasional problem of gout, which would lay him down for a few days twice or thrice a year. Despite being in pain during these times, Harry would push himself as much as he could with constant positive self-talk. When he really needed to have professional help, he would be admitted to Holy Spirit Hospital, and even there raise the spirits of his co-patients and doctors and nurses with his humour and positive outlook on life.

Harry's funeral was a grand event. People from all walks of life, the rich and the poor, men, women and children, clergy and laity, Christians and those of other faiths were all present, because Harry had touched the lives of so very many. Bishop Percival Fernandez celebrate the funeral Eucharist and Fr. Francis de Melo SJ, the Provincial of the Bombay Province preached the homily. Harry's sister had journeyed from Delhi to be with him on his final journey. Harry now rests in peace.

- Fr. Errol Fernades SJ