From Fr Richard Rego
Sr Augustina D’Souza (84), of the Sisters of Charity passed away on Thursday January 19 in Mangalore.
Sr Augustine, as she was fondly known, hailed from Shirva parish. Born in 1927, she had six brothers and two sisters. After joining the Sisters of Charity congregation, she made her first profession in 1949. She was a teacher by profession, serving in Bela and Capitanio. In 1975, she also had a brief stint at Mount St Joseph, Bangalore, serving the retreatants for a year.
Sr Augustine retired from active teaching life in 1975.
When, in 1980, St Aloysius College, Mangalore, decided to start a Boys’ Home for the juvenile delinquents as a part of its Centenary Year celebration extension activities, Sr Augustine was drafted by her superiors as the founding mother of the house, and its little boys. The Aloysian Boys Home (ABH) was established in 1982, giving hope and shelter to scores of boys who were either victims of misery, domestic violence, or their own temperament.
Sr Augustine served the Boys’ Home for 14 long years, with single minded dedication. In the recent past her health failed, and she was shifted to Casa Gaya, Charity Sisters’ house in Mangalore (Anjelore parish).
The funeral will be held on Friday January 20 in Anjelore at 4 pm.