By Naveen Frank
Mangalore, Jan 3: In a small independent room on the top quarters of the Jesuit Residence of Fatima Retreat House, Jeppu, Mangalore, lives a Jesuit priest who remains special. Fr Frank Mathias, well-known in the academic circles of the years gone by, holds the distinction of being the oldest surviving Jesuit priest in Mangalore. At 91, Fr Mathias is unable to move about easily, but has a sharp memory and easily recalls both past and present incidents and experiences.
After years of teaching physics at St Aloysius College in the city Fr Frank retired in 1976 and settled at the Retreat House soon after.
Fr Mathias was the younger of the two sons of John and Lily Mathias. He was born at Nasik. But unfortunately he lost his father when he was only a year old. His mother then returned to their ancestral Mathias home at Sanayasi Gudde (now Arya Samaj Road) where he grew up as a boy.
Like many young men of his days, Fr Mathias also had a burning zeal to serve the Lord in his vineyard. He was greatly influenced by the Jesuit priests of St Aloysius College. He had plans to join the Jesuit Order after his intermediate studies.
Again, the cruel hands of fate came in the way. He lost his elder brother while he was still studying, thus making him the only son to take care of his now aging mother. He was torn between the call of God and his duty towards his mother.
Help came in the form of Marthu Bai (Martha), a loyal housemaid of many years, who was now a part of the Mathias family. She told the mother that the young Frank was definitely called to be a priest and that they must not come in his way. Further, she promised that she would take care of his mother no matter what.
With that strong assurance, and after getting his mother’s final consent, he was accepted into the Society of Jesus. On July 1, 1938, on a rainy night, Fr Frank Mathias bid a tearful farewell to his mother and Marthu Bai at the local railway station. Fr Mathias joined as a novice of the Calicut province and was at Christ Hall, the Jesuit Novitiate in Calicut.
Soon after, his mother, Lily Bai, along with her trusted housemaid, Marthu Bai, opted to relocate at Chikmaglur, staying with their close relatives. But again, tragedy struck. Lily Bai developed pneumonia a few weeks after arriving at her new place of stay. Within a month of Fr Mathias leaving her, she died peacefully.
Fr Mathias was told of his mother’s death a week later. It was a painful moment for the young man. As per the strict Jesuit rules of those days, it was not allowed for a Jesuit Novice to return home even if a close family member died.
After his Novitiate training, Fr Mathias was at various Jesuit formation houses, pursuing his studies in philosophy and theology. He was ordained priest in 1951. After his MSc at St Joseph’s College, Trichy, he worked for a year as a research scholar at Pune. He then got into full time teaching physics, first at St Joseph’s College, Bangalore, and later at St Aloysius College, where he retired in 1976.
After retirement, true to the Jesuit charism of working anywhere when asked to, Fr Mathias accepted his assignment at the Fatima Retreat House, where he offered his pastoral services by preaching retreats to various religious sisters, hearing confessions, offering daily masses, and giving guidance and counselling to young boys and girls, who approached him with their specific problems.
Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, Fr Mathias had a fall in his room and is now confined to his room. He is unable to walk easily, and so is unable to keep up his pastoral ministry.
Being an ardent hockey player in his younger days, Fr Mathias still shows keen interest in sports, especially cricket. From the confines of his room, he is abreast of the performance of the Indian cricket team. He is also fully aware of the current events and the world situation. Many old students of his, as well as their families keep visiting him.
Although Fr Mathias has always been known to have a positive approach towards life, he laments on the changes that have swept over humankind and human values, especially in this region.
Too much attachment to worldly desires has driven away family values, he feels. The word of the parents was supreme in the past, but now he finds that this has been diluted. There is no family prayer and hence family life has suffered. There is no attachment towards the members of a family. Lot of marriages break up on account of these changes, says Fr Mathias.
Asked what has been the most enriching experience in his Jesuit life, Fr Frank Mathias says that his association with scores of students has kept him going. With tears in his eyes, Fr Mathias said, “I have taught them only physics and a little mathematics. But I have learnt a lot from them. I have learnt the values of dedication, respect and self-determination from them”.