REV. BRO. WILFRED
D’SOUZA – THE GREAT TEACHER INSPIRED
“The mediocre teacher tells,
The superior teacher
demonstrates,
The great teacher inspires.”
I am
immensely pleased to pen down about a great personality Bro. Wilfred D’Souza, who
made the school a building with four walls with tomorrow inside.
On 26th
May, 1977 two Christian brothers set foot in Bajpe with a vision of
enlightening the lives of young people in and around this coastal remote
village. One among them was the Australian Rev. Bro. C.J. Harrison and the
other was the Mangalorean Rev. Bro. Wilfred D’Souza. Bro. Wilfred being the
superior of the community of two brothers helped the principal Rev. Fr. Bernard
D’Souza in the high school. In the mid-year 1979 Christian Brothers took the
responsibility of the administration of SJJC.
Bro. Wilfred took charge of the high school and it was a new beginning
for the keen adolescents who were studying there. Lives associated to the
school started flourishing under the able and inspiring leader Bro. Wilfred. All
the credit goes to Bro. Wilfred who in June 1983 started the English medium
section in high school and succeeded to get an aided tag from the government
then. Till date it is the only aided
English medium section in and around Bajpe. The Institution is ever grateful to
Bro. Wilfred for this milestone.
In
June 1983, Bro. Wilfred and I myself started our new journey as Bro. Wilfred
the principal of SJJC and me being the student in class 8th. I was
fortunate to be under him and had all privileges to get exposed to his broader
angle of visionary field. It is hard to forget the great sports days, memorable
drill displays, drum and bugle groups, delightful concerts, various
competitions like singing, elocution, fancy dress etc. I would love to
recollect the great assemblies of Bro. Wilfred in English where I got the
foundation of the language irrespective of my ability to understand it as I was
in Kannada medium. It was an added bonus to me when I was invited to teach by
Bro. Harrison in the school and in the due course I got Bro. Wilfred as a
correspondent. He served as the principal till 1987 and was back to SJJC as a
correspondent from 1996 to 1998.
Bro.
Wilfred was a man with principles. Firm but reachable, strict but with a soft
heart. His walk matched his talk. He worked with parents to raise the children.
He never forgot the language of love. His ability to understand the connection
between the actions and consequences yielded high results with both staff and
students. Being a role model he encouraged the compassion among students. He
tapped the stream of creative talents, brought them to the surface and rewarded
them. He created an atmosphere of openness. The term authority was always
positive and it gave all staff and students a feel of security. Bro. Wilfred
wore many hats namely mentor, friend, expert and even a judge. But at most of
the times he balanced justice with mercy. He balanced work with play. He was a
bridge and got well connected to the people he was associated with. He had a
special ability of responding rather than reacting to any emergency situation. His
decisions prove it. His team building techniques made SJJC a strong
institution. He influenced many and I am one among them. If I summarise his
personality he was hopeful, he was prepared, resourceful, accountable and
available. From the strong foundation Bro. Wilfred has laid SJJC and the people
connected have grown in the spirit of solidarity and we pray to the almighty to
continue the same mission to serve the needy and underprivileged in the years
ahead.
Bro.
Wilfred was always simple and straight. When he arrived in Bajpe for the first
time it was an enriching experience for him, a
new place so different (rural setting) for a young Brother who was born and
grew up in a big city. It was a challenging task to be teaching Kannada Medium
students without himself knowing a word of Kannada. As Bro. Wilfred
acknowledges, it was a wisdom experience to be a pioneer with a man like Br
Harrison. It was an exposure to great generosity in the person of the late Fr.
Bernard D’Souza who was then principal.
Before coming to Bajpe Bro. Wilfred served in Kolkata, Mount Abu and Mumbai and had
theological studies at the CRI Bangalore.
After getting transferred from Bajpe
Bro. Wilfred has been posted in Shilling, Delhi, Goa, Vasai and Dadar.
Presently Bro. Wilfred D’Souza is
serving in Dadar. He is still young in spirit and has the cool smile of satisfaction
of his deeds. I wish him all happiness and best of health to serve the needy
and for motivating young lives. We the staff and students of SJPUC will ever
remain grateful for his tremendous contribution in building up our lives and
promise him to walk in the path he has directed us. Long live Bro. Wilfred.
ALWYN NORONHA
STAFF,
ST. JOSEPH'S P U COLLEGE
No comments:
Post a Comment