Final Journey : Tearful Farewell to Fr Vincent Martis
Report by Dr. Eugene D’Souza and Kevin Rodrigues
Pictures by Mayur Studio, Barkur
WATCH VIDEO
Udupi, Feb 5: The people of St. Antony’s Parish Sastan bid a tearful farewell to their beloved parish priest, late Fr. Vincent Martis in the evening of Friday, 5th February 2010. He had been the parish priest of Sastan for the last nine years and had endeared to the people of the parish because of his friendly disposition and good work that he had done in the parish including the starting of an English Medium School, construction of the Community Hall and providing a four storey building for the Kannada Medium School. He had also completed the formalities to affiliate the English Medium School to the CBSE, Delhi.
Prior to the funeral at St. Antony’s Church, Sastan, the embalmed body of Fr. Vincent was taken from Fr. Muller’s Hospital to Milagres Church where a solemn Requiem Mass was offered by Rev. Fr. Denis Moras Prabhu, the Vicar General of Mangalore Diocese. Rev. Fr. Victor Machado, Rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary, Mangalore preached the homily recounting the contribution of late Fr. Vincent. Following the Mass, people of Mangalore who were present for the Mass paid their last respect to late Fr. Vincent.
From Mangalore, the glass casket containing the body of Fr. Vincent was taken in an ambulance to Belman to his ancestral house where Fr. Francis D’Souza, the Diocesan priest conducted the prayer service. The ambulance then proceeded from Belman to Moodubelle where, Fr. Vincent’s ailing elder sister, Mrs. Theresa Alva (wife of late Robert Alva) could glance for the last time her loving brother. From Moodubelle, the ambulance reached Sastan at around 1 pm where Fr. Alban D’Souza, Parish Priest of Kundapur and Dean of the Kundapur Deanery and Fr. Dominic Viegas (OFM) from Holy Family Church, Brahmavar and the Parish Pastoral Council members and other parishioners of Sastan received the casket near the entrance of the church.
The body of Fr. Vincent was kept in a specially arranged stand in front of the church in order to enable the parishioners and other mourners to pay their last respect. A large number of people, Christian as well as non-Christian from and around Sastan who had great respect and affection towards Fr. Vincent were seen queuing up to have the last glimpse of Fr. Vincent. Many people from other parishes where Fr. Vincent had served either as an assistant parish priest or as the parish priest had come in large number through hired vehicles.
On the arrival of Most. Rev. Dr. Aloysius D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore at around 3.50 pm, the body of Fr. Vincent was transferred to the wooden coffin and was placed on the stand in front of the altar in the church. The main altar of St. Antony’s Church, Sastan was decorated with white roses and purple cloth symbolizing mourning. The choir had been singing hymns throughout the time that the body of Fr. Vincent was kept for the public to pay their last respect.
The solemn funeral Mass was offered by Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius D’Souza at 4pm. Around 75 priests from different Deaneries attended the funeral Mass. Among them were: Rev. Dr. Baptist Menezes, Episcopal Vicar, Udupi, Rev. Fr. Mathew P. Vaz, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Sorrows Church and the Dean of Udupi Deanery, Rev. Fr. Marcel Saldanha, Parish Priest of Milagres Church and Dean of Kallianpur Deanery and Rev. Fr. Alban D’Souza, Parish Priest of Kundapur and the Dean of Kundapur Deanery. There were also a large number of religious sisters belonging to different congregations.
In his introductory remarks, Dr. Aloysius D’Souza said that Fr. Vincent had given selfless service to the people of Sastan and he participated in their pain and sorrow of losing their beloved parish priest. He further said that it was the will of God that he is no more with his people. In spite of being away from them, Fr. Vincent would always intercede in heaven with God for the welfare of the people of all the parishes that he had served, especially the parishioners of Sastan.
In his sermon, Fr. Vincent Menezes, Parish Priest of Cassia and batch mate of Fr. Vincent while in Seminary, spoke about the theology of priesthood and that of death. He said that a priest should live and work according to the life teachings of Christ and late Fr. Vincent lived and worked according to his priestly vocation in the path shown by Jesus Christ. He elaborated the sentence from the Holy Gospel that unless the grain of wheat falls in the soil and dies, it will not produce new life. So was the life of Fr. Vincent who toiled for the welfare of his parishioners wherever he had served.
In his eulogy following the end of the funeral Mass, Rev. Fr. Valerian Pinto, Parish Priest of Kulshekar and also the classmate of Fr. Vincent Martis narrated in brief his family background, education and training for priesthood in the Seminary. He said that he knew Fr. Vincent very well while in Seminary and was his study guide. He also recalled the dedicated service that Fr. Vincent had rendered in various parishes. His contribution to the Parish of Sastan has been memorable. Fr. Vincent had made many parishioners self sufficient different parishes that he had served. He had helped quietly many people in need.
While delivering the eulogy, Fr. Valerian Pinto could not hold back his tears and with choked voice he paid rich tribute to one of the most loved and admired priests in recent times. Fr. Valerian said that Fr. Vincent was a man of few words and plenty of blessings. He shared with the poor whatever he had. He was close to God and loved by people wherever he had served. Fr. Valerian noted that the enormous number of people that have attended the funeral of Fr. Vincent shows that he was loved by all.
Robert Furtado, Vice President of the Parish Pastoral Council offered emotional tribute to Fr. Vincent on behalf of the parishioners of Sastan by recalling the great work that he had done in the parish and placed flowers on the coffin of Fr. Vincent. While Robert Furtado was speaking many parishioners were found wiping their tears. The members of the Parish Pastoral Council, different Associations, Gurkars of Wards and heads of educational institutions run by the parish placed bouquets on the coffin of Fr. Vincent. K. Jayaprakash Hegde, the ex-MLA of Brahmavar and the ex-Minister of Fisheries in the previous Government of Karnataka also paid floral tribute to late Fr. Vincent.
William Saldanha, Secretary of the Parish Administrative Council of Sastan expressed thanks to all those who helped in bringing the body of Fr. Vincent from Rajasthan to Mangalore and those who helped in arranging the funeral.
On behalf of the family of Fr. Vincent, Rajesh Martis, nephew of Fr. Vincent and who had travelled with him to Rajasthan and miraculously had survived expressed gratitude to Dr. Aloysius D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore for offering the funeral Mass and all the priests and religious sisters and the people of Sastan for making arrangements of the funeral.
Bishop Dr. Aloysius D’Souza in his final remarks consoled the parishioners of Sastan and conducted the final funeral prayers. Thereafter, around 6pm the body of late Fr. Vincent Martis was carried in procession by the priests to the cemetery and was lowered in a specially built grave in the cemetery.
As the funeral service got over, the sun was seen setting on the horizon. People went back to their homes with tears in their eyes and emotion in their heart of losing their beloved parish priest. As the sun would rise again the next day so the great works that Fr. Vincent had done in Sastan and elsewhere will remind the parishioners that there lived a priest among them who not only loved them but showed them the path of living a respectful and dignified life.
Fr. Vincent, along with his sister, Benedicta Tauro, nephews, Rajesh and Prakash and nieces Reshma and Priya was on his way to meet his sister, Sr. Laura in Rajasthan when the Scorpio vehicle in which they were travelling met with a ghastly accident on 2nd February 2010 at Abu Cross Road near Mount Abu at around 12.30 pm. Fr. Vincent, who was in the front seat was believed to have succumbed on the spot due to the massive injuries that he had sustained. The injured were taken immediately to the Brahma Kumaris Hospital near Mount Abu. Later, Prakash, Benedicta Tauro, and Reshma Alva who had sustained serious injuries were shifted to the Rajasthan Hospital at Ahmadabad so also the lifeless body of Fr. Vincent.
On 3rd February 2010, following the post-mortem, the embalmed body of Fr. Vincent, accompanied by Priya and Rajesh along with other relatives of Fr. Vincent was flown to Mumbai and from there to Mangalore by 11am. Later, the body was kept in the mortuary of Fr. Muller’s Hospital at Kankanady, Mangalore. According to a reliable report, Benedicta Tauro, Prakash and Reshma though out of danger require surgery and further treatment for recovery which may take quite some time.