Two sons of this Goa family are bishops

In the peaceful village of Camurlim in Salcete, the Mascarenhas family is still letting the news sink in. A few days ago, Pope Francis announced that one of their very own, Fr Sebastiao Mascarenhas, 63, would be the new bishop of Baroda. The announcement made the Mascarenhas family one of the rarest of rare in the Catholic world, with two bishops in its ranks. Eight years ago, Fr Sebastiao’s younger brother Theodore, now 62, was appointed auxiliary bishop of Ranchi. The middle siblings are both priests of the Society of Missionaries of St Francis Xavier, popularly known as the Pilar fathers. While Sebastiao was born in Camurlim, Theodore was born in Bombay.Medium108405506 Their elder sister Maria Dias and younger brother Albert, both bankers, are no doubt elated, but haven’t let the news go to their heads. All the siblings attribute their call to serve God and the poor to their late mother Maria Joaquina Barreto. “She hardly shouted at us, but instilled good values,” said Maria. As children, there was no escape from daily evening prayers, rosaries, novena prayers, and Bible readings before the altar at their ancestral house. On Sundays, no dillydallying was tolerated before Mass, and the siblings were expected to be ready half an hour early. Some of them would also accompany their mother on her annual ten-hour walking pilgrimage to Old Goa for the feast of St Francis Xavier, said Albert.Medium108405508 Thus, the family was not surprised when the two middle brothers made the choice to renounce worldly pleasures and join the priesthood.Fr Sebastiao — who although announced as a bishop will be formally consecrated on February 18 — led the way. He joined the seminary as a young boy, and special permission had to be obtained for his ordination at 24.But even before his journey through the seminary, Fr Sebastiao was a bright child. He got a double promotion in primary school, and later won gold and silver medals in economics at Nagpur University.“We could have done anything with our grades, but joined the Society of Missionaries of St Francis Xavier to be missionaries and work for others, especially the poor,” said Fr Sebastiao. “We didn’t dream of becoming bishops. If there’s any pride we experience, it is only in taking education and health to the poorest of the poor in the missions where we have worked.”Medium108405510 His brother Theodore then followed him to the seminary and was ordained in 1988, at 27. The bishop worked under three Popes in his ten-year stint as the head of the department of cultures in Asia, Africa and Oceania, at the Pontifical council for culture at the Vatican. He also served as secretary general, Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), from 2016 to 2019.He, too, paid rich tributes to their mother who nurtured their faith. One day, as a child distributing milk for his uncle, Theodore picked up a plant and brought it home. His mom asked him where it came from, and when she learned he hadn’t asked the owner, sent him right back to return it. “She was extremely loving but very tough on discipline,” he said.Their father, Joaquim Mascarenhas, worked mostly in Bombay, as a cook for the Cricket Club of India. He later turned down the post of chief butler when he realised he may have to compromise on his principles.Medium108405513 “The post would have meant a fortune for our family, but when we asked him why he didn’t take it up, he told us that he would have to engage in corruption. He preferred to continue in his post with a humble salary and earn honestly, saying he’d rather die poor than dishonest,” Theodore recalled.How would their mother — who passed away just before Theodore was appointed bishop in 2014 — have reacted to her two prelate sons? “Knowing her, she would have told us, ‘Be a good bishop, otherwise don’t take up the post’,” Theodore said.The prelates’ nephew Abishai, Albert’s son, also has exciting stories to tell of his football-loving uncles, especially Sebastiao, the die-hard Arsenal fan and nature enthusiast who would round up all his nieces and nephews to explore Goa’s lesser-known waterfalls and caves during his visits home.Medium108405514 Abishai proudly displays artwork by Vamona Navelcar, who he said was close to his uncle Sebastiao. “Uncle Seby encouraged artists cutting across all faiths, especially young artists of the Goa College of Art, when he was rector at Pilar Seminary,” he said, adding that his uncles never sermonised to him when he was growing up, but led by example.Fr Sebastiao previously served as provincial superior of the Mumbai province from 2009 to 2012, superior of the Daman mission from 2013 to 2017, and superior general of the society from 2017 to 2022.When asked about the pride in having two bishops in one family, Theodore said, “There’s no pride or glamour in any post in the church, only posts of service. We just hope we will be able to serve the Lord the way he wants us to”.The bishop and bishop-elect have told their family to keep celebrations, if any, simple, in keeping with the principles of their society, that works for the poor.