By Stanislaus Alla
New Delhi, March 27, 2022: Jesuit theologian Father Poulose Mangai, who died in New Delhi, will be buried in Kolkata, eastern India, says a message from the Calcutta Jesuit provincial.
The funeral will take place at St Xavier’s College chapel in Kolkata at 10:30 am on March 29. “His remains would be buried at Dhyan Ashram cemetery, Diamond Harbour Road on the same afternoon,” the message adds.
Father Mangai, who had taught theology in Vidyajyoti College in Old Delhi for 20 years, died at 5:30 pm on March 26 at New Delhi’s Holy Family Hospital after a brief hospitalization.
A message from Vidyajyoti says Father Mangai’s body will kept for paying homage from 12 noon to 2 pm at Vidyajyoti Jesuit Residence. The Requiem Mass will be at 2:30 pm in the Millennium Hall of nearby St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School. Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi will be the main celebrant.
The Calcutta provincial’s note says Father Mangai began his priestly career as a professor of Mathematics at Kolkata’s St Xavier’s College. After two years, he was assigned to teach theology in Vidyajyoti. “He was a professor, spiritual guide, write and social activist,” it adds.
“Father Poulose was a very humble and dedicated Jesuit who was always available for any assignments his superiors gave him. His lifestyle always left a mark of simplicity and compassion among the generations of students he guided and mentored,” the message says.
The provincial also recalled that the late theologian was a friend of all, especially the poor and the street children called him “dadabhai.” Rickshaw pullers in Delhi looked to him as a source of support and friendship, the provincial says.