Fr. Vincent Banon SJ
1927 - 2007

The Bridegroom's Friend

It is easy to speak of one who loved wisely and so well to the end of his life. Fr. Vincent Banon's life was a simple as the Lord's final command to his disciples: "Love one another as I have loved you".

His life was at the service of his three great loves: Jesus Christ, his family (both natural and adopted, especially the tribals and Dalits), and his friends in India. The photographs of his dear parents always adorned his desk: his beautiful mother who died when he was only a child, his devoted father, who, as a widower, had to raise four children: his beloved sisters Maite and Modestina, and his very dear kid brother Juanjo.

His was a long and varied ministry: a missionary in Nashik (four years) and Talasari (eight years in two stints), District Superior, Rector and Novice Master (six years), Superior and Chaplain of the Infant Jesus Shrine (one year), Tertian Instructor (two years) and spiritual Advisor to hundreds of Religious and Lay people, who eagerly sought his wise and prudent spiritual direction. Yet he was never a "Master", or "Teacher". Rather he saw himself as a Servant, like John the Baptist pointing the way to the True Master, the "Good Lord", as he loved to say. And like John the Baptist, he was revered precisely for his gentle, welcoming and unassuming manner.

As I think of Vincent Banon, the first quality that comes to my mind is his great humanity. "Great was his, love without end". His humanity colored all his achievements, enhancing them in a deeply personal way. He was truly the Friend of the Bridegroom all his life, deflecting attention from himself to make Christ the Bridegroom more manifest.

Banon's was not an easy life. In solidarity with his beloved Warlis, the poor and suffering and all the troubled hearts that turned to him in their material, psychological and spiritual needs, his heart bled in compassion for their pain and he gave himself fully to them. Like Christ the Bridegroom, he could say, "I have compassion on the people." In fact compassion was his "passion", born not out of any philanthropic tendency, but from his oneness with the heart of Christ who favored the poor. In his efforts to concentrate on 'wiping away a few tears" instead of struggling against unjust social structures, he did not feel isolated, or embittered or depressed. Rather he felt he shared in the Mission to the Poor of every Jesuit, a true Companion of Christ and therefore a "companion" to the Poor. He knew very well that no single individual could hope to remedy all social evils. But he preferred to save the life of one stranded starfish rather than throw up his hands in despair and indifference at the plight of so many stranded starfish that die on our beaches everyday.

On his return from Spain a few months ago, his health deteriorated rapidly. Seeing that his end was approaching, he seemed to be in a hurry to dispose off all the funds he had collected for the needy and the education of their children. He was surprised by the visit of his younger brother, Juanjo along with has charming wife Maria Teresa. This visit was In Memoriam indeed the best gift he could receive before the end of his long "barat". The Bridegroom was near!

During the last days of his life, he made time to prepare a list of the Jesuits from the Aragon and Tarragona Provinces who have come to India since 1922. In the process of preparing such a list, death came to him silently in the presence of a Jesuit companion. I was privileged to be his last Jesuit companion on this earthly pilgrimage. He bowed his head and gave up his spirit, like the Lord he so faithfully served. It was June 21, 4.30 p.m. 2007. The Bridegroom had arrived!

- Fr. Fred Sopena, SJ