India’s seniormost Catholic bishop turns 100

By Matters India Reporter

Kolkata, Sept 7, 2020: Jesuit Bishop Linus Nirmal Gomes, the first prelate of Baruipur diocese in West Bengal and pioneer of Jesuit mission in Bangladesh, turned a centenarian on September 7.

“Our bishop is celebrating his 100th birthday today. He is the seniormost bishop in India,” says Father P J Joseph, a member of the Jesuit’s Calcutta province.

Father Joseph also says the centenarian prelate “still goes around giving communion to the sick in the infirmary. Before the Covid, he had played table tennis. He leads a very inspiring life.”

Jesuit conferrers and others wished Bishop Gomes on his benchmark birthday, Jesuit Father Pradeep Perez, who takes care of the bishop, told Matters India.

According to Father Perez, the bishop was admitted to a hospital but returned to the St. Xavier’s College infirmary, a few days ago.

“His condition is stable Father Perez added.

Bishop Gomes was born on September 7, 1921 Boro Golla, a small village in present Bangladesh. He entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained priest on November 21, 1954. He was appointed the first bishop of Baruipur on May 30, 1977. He retired on October 31, 1995.

He studied in the Holy Cross High School in Bandura before coming to Calcutta (now Kolkata) for college studies. He stayed in the hostel of St. Xavier’s College and grew close to the staff.

In March 2019, Bishop Gomes told an interviewer that when he came to St Xavier’s, Father Peter Gomes, who taught English, asked what he wanted to do in life. “Father, I want to serve my people in the villages and improve their lives,” he recalled answering.

The English teacher then told him that he could serve villagers better as a priest since he would not have a family. “That inspired me, and I joined the Society of Jesus,” Bishop Gomes told Ritam Saha of the Humans of St Xavier’s College, a platform for all Xaverians to share their experiences, memories and certain defining moments.

He was made the headmaster of St. Peter’s High School on Lower Circular Road, Jesuits’ first Bengali Medium school. The first batch had only nine students, whom he called “navratna” (nine jewels).

“On one occasion, a boy was absent for four days, and I cycled to his home to find out what had happened. He was ill, and his mother, a widow, did not have the resources to nurse him back to health. That was when we stepped in. Each and every one of the navratnas passed the Higher Secondary Examination in their first attempt,” Bishop Gomes recalled.

He was consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Lawrence Picachy, Archbishop of Calcutta, on the St. Xavier’s College field.

Recalling his appointment as a bishop, he said he had found looking after a parish was a huge responsibility. “Now, I had to choose whether I wanted to be a bishop! The letter (from the Pope) told me that I could discuss the issue only with my spiritual father. When I read out the letter to him, he said – “You are not very strong, but accept it – God will help you.”

He served as the Baruipur bishop for18 years.

In 1997, he agreed to lead a Jesuit mission to Bangladesh. “There were no Jesuits in Bangladesh before this. I stayed there for 14 years with a group of Jesuit.”

He returned to St Xavier’s Calcutta after an accident. “I am staying since 2014. I am the eldest of the whole community. I don’t have any particular work here! I am praying, and sometimes other Jesuit Fathers come to me for advice, so I help them.”