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 Jesuit
Brother, Raymond D’Lima, is no more with us. The “Bullitt” (as
he was affectionately called) has shot forth into eternity. He
lived for the Lord. He has now died in the Lord, reminding us
that alive or dead, we all belong to the Lord.
Being an active person, always on the move, these last few
months of inactivity, due to his stroke and paralysis, must have
been very painful, purifying him to become ever alive again,
ever active again in the kingdom of Heaven.
Being a very talkative person, ever ready to enter into a lively
conversation with anyone and everyone, these last few months of
relative silence, due to his difficulty in speaking clearly,
must have been pure suffering, both for himself and for his
visitors. The angels in heaven must be thrilled with his witty
and entertaining conversation.
Raymond Ignatius D’Lima was born on 31st August 1930 in Gondowli
village, Andheri East, Mumbai, and was 77 years of age when he
died on 23rd October, 2007 in the Jesuit Nursing Home, Andheri
East. He joined the Society of Jesus on 1st January, 1965 after
some years of service with the Standard Chartered Bank where he
had won the admiration of superiors and colleagues for his
honesty and dedication. He was always proud of his Jesuit
Vocation - his vocation not to the heights of the Priesthood but
to the humble service of the Brotherhood. He was proud that from
a rich Banker he had become a poor Brother. I thank you,
Heavenly Father, he would pray, for hiding these things from the
learned and clever and revealing them to your little ones like
myself.
He was proud to have been Secretary to four Provincials.
Provincials came into office and Provincials went out of office
but Bro. Bullit was always there to keep the Provincial’s office
going with his neat and orderly ways. He remembered his years of
driving the Provincial’s car, even driving the Jesuit General,
Fr. Pedro Arrupe, around town during his visit to Bombay
Province. He was proud of his relatives, his two Brothers, his
Sister-in-law and Nieces and Nephew and their families.
Sometimes, he could not keep count of all of them, but Raymond
was the favourite Uncle and Granduncle to all of them. He was
proud of all their achievements : how from humble beginnings
they had all risen to become important persons in Gondowli, in
Marol, holding good positions in Society. He was very shaken up
when his elder brother, George, passed away in Marol and felt
that his own turn would come soon.
Bro. Raymond had many friends - in Patna, where he did his
Novitiate - in Delhi, where he served as Assistant Librarian at
Vidyajyoti - among the Staff and Students of St. Xavier’s High
School, Mumbai where the Provincial’s Office was then situated -
in Bangalore, where he did his Tertianship - in the Xavier
Institute of Education and at St.Xavier’s College, Mumbai, where
he served for many years. He liked to communicate with his
relatives and his friends with Cards for all occasions.
And today, Bro. Raymond will have heard the voice of Jesus:
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. When you did this to the
least of my brothers or sisters, you did it to Me.
Bro. Raymond may not have great achievements to his credit. But
he found his joy in the service of others : purchasing hundreds
of Railway tickets for others and the latest postal stamps,
typing numerous letters, pasting and posting them himself at the
Post Office, welcoming strangers and guests, seeing to their
needs and even taking them around Mumbai, spending his precious
pocket money for Birthday cards for others, traveling far to
attend every single funeral of Jesuits, relatives,
acquaintances.
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In Memoriam