FR. HECTOR MASCARENHAS SJ
24.11.1936 – 27.01.2010

Fr. Hector can rightly be called an ardent apostle of the Eucharist. The Eucharist was indeed the source and summit of his life. The time, place, language, group did not matter. If there was a Eucharist to be celebrated, Hector was available. He was as fluent in Hindi and Marathi as he was in English and so received numerous invitations to celebrate the Eucharist all of which he accepted with joy. For Hector, the Eucharist was not merely a ritual or an obligation, it was primarily a Sacrament. Hector celebrated the Eucharist not only with great devotion, but also with great faith and trust and made every attempt to make every celebration as relevant as possible. This meant that the Eucharist continued even after Hector gave the “final’ blessing. The effects of the Eucharist were seen clearly in the manner of life that Hector lived.

He was determined to follow his Lord in poverty and so lived an extremely austere and spartan life. For him, poverty was not an end it itself. It was a means to the end, which for him, was always Christ.  His desire was to follow Christ poor. Even as he lived poorly, Hector would not impose his poverty on others and wanted instead that those who encountered him learn from his actions rather than his words.

This poverty of life spilled over into his desire to do the task assigned to him to the best of his ability. After he completed his Masters Degree in Electronics and in his capacity as Principal of the Xavier Institute of Technical Education at Mahim (1977-85) he was always “on the job” and did all that he could to make the Institute an Institute of learning and of excellence. His dedication to the task on hand was exemplary.

Another characteristic of Hector’s personality was his versatility. He could be given any job anywhere and Hector would see that it was done. This is why after his Sabbatical in Nagaland (1985), he continued to do Pastoral work in Chizami in Nagaland. After his return from there he worked in the Pastoral field in Manickpur and Igatpuri (1988 -89) and then went to Bhopal not primarily for Pastoral work but to teach English at Vidyasadan (1989 -1996). Since Hector was always interested in Jesuit Spirituality, he was transferred to Ambikapur in Madhya Pradesh (1997 – 2005) as Spiritual and Study guide to the seminarians and because of his fluency in both English and Hindi he would conduct language classes for the seminarians which were much appreciated.

Hector came back to the Province in 2006 and was appointed to St. Xavier’s High School, Fort where he took on the responsibility of Chaplaincy. He excelled in this role. He was always up before dawn to ensure that the doors of the Chapel were opened early so that the laity who wanted to pray were not kept waiting. It was in this role that he had to interact with the Scholastics who live in the Community and all of them found him a deeply spiritual man and yet a man who had a wonderful sense of humour. He had the ability to become one with them and would even use the language of today’s youth including the common “Wassup man?” Hector’s “one-liners” were not only humorous but often conveyed a deeper truth. He would speak them at the right time and the right place and we would often try to get him to give us one at the supper table or at recreation because we enjoyed them so much.  

In the last few months before his death, Hector had become more lively and involved. His insight into every member of the Community and especially the Scholastics was an indication that Hector took a keen interest in every member of the Community. He knew each one intimately and was concerned about each.

Hector was with us for recreation the night before his death and was enjoying the singing and light banter. He had even given us a taste of his subtle humour at the supper table. When he went to bed that night none of us ever thought that it would be his last night on earth. However, God has plans for each of us and his plan for Hector was that God wanted to take him home. When Br. Bruno, the Minister realised that Hector had not been seen since the morning he went to check if he was around the house. He did not find him anywhere. Finally Br. Bruno went to his room and found him asleep for the last time on earth.

Hector died as he lived without troubling anyone and without any fanfare or display. There is no doubt that because he constantly opened himself to God’s love and grace, he now enjoys eternal life with God.

Errol Fernandes SJ
January 31, 2010