Celebrating Gonz

Gonz has been a wonderful friend to me over the last eight years. He has been a huge blessing in my life, and his passing is a great loss to me and to our community. I will miss his joyful and calming presence and the priority he placed on relationships. I will miss the way he greets you with a big hug and complete attention when he has not seen you for awhile. I will also miss seeing the affection he has for his dear friends- Paul, Scottie and Alfred.

I guess I often forgot that Gonz had a PhD because he rarely talked about his degree and didn‘t have the look of a professor in his blue jeans, bright green Crocs and t-shirt. The way I will remember Gonz the most is the many encouraging words he spoke to me. This last year when we needed some extra help facilitating our newcomers table at our singles’ ministry, I called Gonz to ask him if he would help us. His energetic response put a quick smile on my face when he said -“Christl, I will do anything to help you. “ I then recall his excitement after connecting with the newcomers and having authentic conversations with them over spiritual matters. He loved all types of people, and I knew he was serving in the right place.

In closing I want to say a few words to Gonz- ”Gonz, you have been a constant friend always looking for the best in me and readily communicating affection. Thank you for the practical way you would help us in our ministry at church. Thank you for your example of living with an implicit trust in the Lord. Gonz, because you claimed Jesus as your Lord, you now are with Him and we do celebrate your reunion with our Lord even though our hearts ache to see you again and hear your voice. Gonz, pray that we, your friends here, might continue to work for the Lord with great diligence until He calls us to Heaven when we then can see you again face to face. “

Romans 8:38, 39- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christl Kirchner

Mountain View, CA

friend of Gonz

Update

7/4/2009 at 20:00 Hrs Indian time.

At This Moment the Body of our Brother Gonzaga has arrived in Goa by Air-India, the same airline that took him to the US somewhere in the early eighties.

Looks like he completed a final circle and is finally going to be rested in his village cemetry in MOIRA on Monday around 17:00 Hrs Indian time.

Jose Da Gama Pais

Condolences

Dearest Fr. Anand & my dear friend Jose,

I’m deeply shocked with no more words to express the loss of my friend Gonzaga. I just don’t know what has taken the toll on him.

As I have written and always expressed, I had a sincere wish to meet Gonzaga someday, that may revive our old memories of Brittos.

I guess that was not in our destiny. May God grant him eternal peace, I pray.

Please accept my sincere condolences and sympathies to you and all in the family, specially your parents who have to be witness to this untimely sad moment.

Reginaldo - Rico, Parra

(Anita/Roberto’s brother)

Until we meet in heaven

God placed a rare gem among us men on earth. And this precious gem could be seen among the old and young, rich and poor, family and friends, relatives and strangers, the strong and infirm, the physically needy and emotionally needy, the deserving and not so deserving , the close or distant--and they were all transformed/ touched/ healed /inspired.

Gonzi, you will never leave my heart. I am still secure with your huge bear hug before your Kenya trip. Bye, until we meet in Heaven.

Cousin Cecilia
Porvorim
Goa, India

Gonzi, my old schoolmate

I’m deeply moved by the number of write-ups in Britto Net and this memorial blog site that have poured following the death of Gonzaga. I’m shocked by his sudden demise.

Like many returnees from East Africa, I was one who often shared my views with him specially during the first difficult years in St. Brittos High School. He was one who shared the Portuguese lingo with me. If memory serves me right, we were class mates from 9th Std. Jolly good fellow, full of naughty smiles with a soul of an angel; I can still recollect his person shining at the school passing out parade of 1979. After leaving Brittos we seem to have been in different worlds, far apart from each other. Nevertheless, I had always wished to meet him in person sometime, someday in our ever-land Goa. Destiny is such and I now feel his loss. May God grant him eternal rest.

I herewith extend my sincere condolences to Fr. Anand Pais, Jose Pais, all his family members and off course all BOBs/friends/well wishers who have associated with him and share this moment of grief. Indeed we have lost an adorable friend.

All that is written in this memorial blog archive speaks for itself - Gonzaga da Gama Pais, my old schoolmate.

Reginaldo Ricardo de Sousa
St. Britto’s Goa (India) class of 1979
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Farewell Dr Gonzaga Da Gama

Yesterday at the First Friday evening mass, I listened to Fr Anand,s homily. I thought it was some anecdote or story that always fills a preacher’s sermon- but suddenly midway I got shaken up when I realized that it was the true happening of Fr Anand’s own brother, Gonzaga. After meeting Fr Anand when the mass was over, along with a crowd of parishioners trying to share his grief, I was totally shocked and saddened on hearing of Gonzi’s sudden passing away and seeing his lovely smiling happy pictures on the table. Listening to Fr Anand and reading the blogsite I seem to know Gonzi intimately (hence I take the liberty of addressing him as Gonzi), and feel that I have missed meeting a great person with so many talents and qualities, and most of all , a person who gave to others and helped others in so many ways. He had so many scholarly and technical achievements, yet finally settled in a field of sociology, touching the lives of others- a social worker in the true sense.

Fr Anand tells of his father passing away when he himself was just 10 years and I can see Gonzi shouldering the additional responsibility – he was so close to his brothers and mother and their children and striving to help the family and acting as a bonding agent throughout, visiting regularly, ringing Mother daily- a model brother and a model son. The more I read the blogsite the more I feel that I missed something and someone.

It also saddens us to see the grief of Fr Anand and his mother ( to whom the news had to be broken only a day later after conditioning her, while she was preparing Gonzi’s favourite dishes for his arrival) - heart rending.

To those who met him and shared with him, it is their good fortune. For us who did not meet him, his ideals will serve as a guide. May his soul RIP and we pray for God to give his mother and family the strength to be able to bear this great loss.

Fr Anand heads a vibrant parish here in Porvorim, Goa, and all of us parishioners are saddened by Gonzi’s sudden death and to see Fr Anand in such grief. We wish to share this grief if we can lighten his. I was once told that all of us are God’s children and He gives us to our parents and families on “Loan”. But when He wants them dearly, He takes them back. We have to be thankful for His gift of the loan of Gonzi to us for 45 years.

Fondly remembered by

John and Meena DeSilva,

Holy Family Chursh Parish,

Porvorim, Goa.