By Fr Joshan Rodrigues –
(Born: August 17, 1965; Died: January 5, 2020)
The guitar strings played the tune of ‘Mary did you know’ at IC Church, Borivali during the Requiem Mass, pensively reminding people of that beautiful moment when their beloved priest had performed this famous song at the Christmas Midnight Mass, not so long ago. A joyful melody had now become a harbinger of sadness. Without exception, a pale of gloom and shock hung on the faces of every member of the congregation, priests and laity alike, as His Eminence Cardinal Gracias presided over the Mass and bid farewell to Fr Alban D’Sousa on behalf of the entire Archdiocese.
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Sherwin Silveira who spoke on behalf of the youth of the parish, conveyed the irreparable loss that they had suffered when he said, “This morning we come to bury Fr. Alban’s body but not his spirit. We come to bury his mind but not his dreams. We come to bury his voice but not his message. We come to bury his hands but not his good works. We come to bury his heart but not his love. Never his love. Today we’ve not only lost a priest but we’ve lost a youth director, a band member, a confidant, a mentor, a spiritual guide and mostly importantly a friend.”
Born to Mr. Ramsay Joseph D‘Souza and Mrs. Sheila Mary D‘Souza on August 17, 1965, he was a former student of Our Lady of Salvation High School, Dadar and he did his Diploma in Electronics from Dr. Antonio Da Silva Technical Institute, Dadar. Prior to joining the seminary, he worked in an engineering firm and also as a teacher at St. Blaise High School, Amboli, Andheri West. He was ordained in 2010 and appointed to St John the Evangelist Church, Marol where he made a place for himself in the hearts of the parishioners with his contagious laughter and style of wit. His parish priest’s ill-health pushed Fr Alban to taking on a major share of responsibilities in the parish, a task that he took on willingly and with great ease and comfort, with the support of the archbishop. After Marol, he was transferred to IC Church, Borivali, where he had to step up once again due to Fr Ryan Fernandes’ untimely demise.
A priest and friend to all, there were two things however that drove him to excel – music and ministry to young people. And he brought these talents together seamlessly and effortlessly. He played a lead role in founding and helming the “Ambassadors for Christ”, a priests’ band, that entertained as well as lifted up spirits in prayer and worship at clergy meetings, archdiocesan events as well as at several parishes across the diocese. The band performed gospel music as well as hit covers form the 70s and 80s with effortless finesse, inspiring many youngsters in the process. No event was complete until Fr Alban had whipped out his guitar.
In his eulogy, Fr Oniel Rodrigues who served with him at IC Church, highlighted qualities that made Alban special: Fr Alban was a people’s priest, who loved to meet and interact with parishioners. He was a priest with a big heart, understanding, accommodating and extremely generous. He worked very hard to ensure the success of parish events. Fr Alban was a priest who had his head firmly on his shoulders, listening to people before making qualified and reasoned decisions. His commitment and faithfulness to the youth of the parish was unparalleled.
Sherwin, who is also the Youth President of the Archdiocese of Bombay says that Fr Alban had a knack of drawing youngsters to the Church and subsequently to Jesus. “He encouraged us to explore our talents and gave us a platform to showcase them to the world. His love for music was a sight for all to see, giving birth to the girls’ band ‘Teranova’ and a pool of talented youngsters in the technical team who are future musicians, sound engineers and music producers. Fr. Alban had given us countless opportunities to grow and room to make mistakes knowing that we if did, he’s there to correct us and support us unconditionally. He’s always taken the blame for the mistakes that we have made and never once let the shots be fired at us.”
Cardinal Gracias was profuse in his admiration for Fr Alban. He mentioned his particular quality of being able to lead while staying out of the limelight. While on stage he encouraged others to take the mike, while he effortlessly led the music from the sidelines. “On the faces of all those here in the congregation, there is a sense of gloom, a sense of sadness; Alban’s death came unexpectedly, shocking each one of us. From us has gone a brother who gave joy to so many, our brother who we just saw three days ago playing the guitar at the Bombay-Vasai Clergy Day at the seminary… When we go to heaven, Alban will be there with his guitar, welcoming us at the gates of heaven, singing for us”, His Eminence concluded.
The song is over, but the music plays on.
(collated from various sources)
Fr Joshan Rodrigues is currently the Managing Editor of The Examiner, Catholic Newsweekly of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome in Institutional and Social Communications. He has done brief stints with the DeSales Media Group in Brooklyn, New York and Communications Office of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales, London. He frequently blogs on faith and culture in ‘Musings in Catholic Land’