News & Events

Remembering + Br Gregory Fernandes

It was way back in 1970 that I, armed with a PUC passed certificate from Mysore University, landed in our Juniorate in Palmaner. We were 23 pledging seekers of a way of life that was unknown to us. It must be credited to Fr. Gregory for forming this divergent group of younglings from various places into a harmonious unit of ‘Franciscan Aspirants’. The apt word to describe Fr. Gregory would be that he was very approachable.

Teaching Method: Fr. Gregory had a unique method of teaching us English. Each day he would give us five new English words. We had to find the meaning of these words, learn this word with spelling and meaning and make a sentence using that word. The next day we would be all ready with our regional master pieces. Correction of those sentences, which would be an awesome job, is done with such joviality, I must admit learning English was really a fun.

Fr. Gregory the preacher with Fire and Flame: Fr. Gregory is always a picture of a lanky person possessing a mild and jovial personality. But once he is on the pulpit that picture takes a back seat. Once we invited him to Ramnagar Parish for Lenten preaching and here he was on his usual turf- preaching with ‘fire and flame’.

An accompaniment never to forget: It was in 1983. I had my first transfer from Ramnagar to Basen, our newly opened Mission in the North.. Fr. Gregory, then one of the councilors of our Province accompanied me taking this long and tiring journey lasting more than 48 hours in train and buses with a number of breaks and breakdowns in unknown places. That accompaniment conveyed a message beyond any words, that you have the backing of the brotherhood on your onward Franciscan Mission Thrust. It was so energetic that I got rooted in Basen and spent the prime of my life there. Fr Gregory leaves behind a message without much ado that the sum total of our existence is worth only to the extent of how we relate to each other. – Br Davis ofm

Back