Wednesday, June 7, 2017

BR C J HARRISON by Mr Arun D'Souza

BR C J HARRISON
In  1977  the people of Bajpe were surprised to see a tall, gaunt Australian arrive to teach in St. Joseph’s.  He had been born Cedric Harrison  53  years earlier, and when he joined the Christian Brothers in 1943, he had been given the name Justinian  -  the Brothers always called him Jus.  The people were quick to refer to him as Kempanna, but with awe.  Foreign he may have been (the chillies in the food were always torture for him), but within a few short months he was joining in the Konkani hymns in the Church, though they were written in the Kannada script.  Many people thus realised that when Br. Harrison set out to communicate, nothing could come in his way, and he would work very hard to make whatever climatic and cultural adaptations he thought necessary.

As an Australian, it was not surprising that he was very fond of sports.  He was an accomplished cricketer himself, and over the years, had trained students in cricket, hockey and football :  some of them went on to be members of the Indian, (and Australian !) national teams.  St. Joseph’s quickly made a name in Inter-District and Inter-State competitions, and remains a force to contend with today !

He taught with the same energy and focus.  In order to help students to learn the important aspects of English and Education which he taught, he condensed the course material into pithy notes, and with the cooperation of the Providence Press, turned them into booklets which were prized by students (and teachers) all over the State.  When his name turns up in conversation people immediately refer to his handwriting.  It was stunningly beautiful.  And he spent hours working with students, many of whom picked up his Copperplate style, and still continue to wow those who see it.  Br. Harrison was aware that many of his students were bashful about their background  -  he set out to inculcate a sense of self-esteem through competence in varied fields.   When he visited his family in Australia, his descriptions of life in India prompted family and friends to open their pockets, and hearts.  He was able to buy musical instruments, among other things, to enable him to teach music. 

But what people remember about him most of all are not his talents, though they were many.  They remember a warm personality, a person who epitomised the gentle in gentleman.  Through crises and obstacles, he was able to smile and encourage others to see the possibilities that were hidden.  It was not an empty optimism.  He had evidently been carried through periods of suffering by a God who loved him, and he longed to make that love known.  Priests of the Diocese warmed to him ;  Sisters of neighbouring communities sought his advice ;  Lions International valued his presence.  His generosity and enthusiasm were such that two classes of students under the direction of Br. Harrison and Br. Wilfred D’Souza carried the roof tiles for the first classroom of Airport School (now Morning Star).  And he was a devoted correspondent.  The relationships that had been nurtured during the years that he laboured in varied places, were continued with letters that those people received for years afterward, in that meticulous hand.

In his last year, he was smitten by leukemia, and his whole body was wracked by pain, while he rested in the Brothers’ home in Goa.  The Superior of the community was Br. William D’Souza, one of Br. Harrison’s most fond alumni (and whose handwriting leaves you in no doubt about that)  They had many visitors during that year from Bajpe.  Through his pain he was an inspiration to them all.  It is not surprising that the people of the parish concurred with Fr. Mathias, the parish priest, when Br. Harrison died on the 19th  of November 2008, that they would request the Brothers to have him buried in Bajpe.

And so, the parish is blessed to have Br. Harrison for ever, long after the Brothers hand over the administration of St. Joseph’s institutions to younger people.


Mr. Arun D’Souza

No comments: