Page 60 - Bishop-Roch-Jubli-Malar

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to people in such dire distress and pain." Perhaps crossing his lips in utter resignation when men and
the feeling of sympathy for the suffering man, events were grating on his nerves. Hence his oft-
expressed in my letter, struck an echo in his own repeated dictum: In patientia vestra, possidebitis

heart which was so sensitive to the suffering of animas vestras-In your patience, you shall possess
others. His compassion for the poor and all that he your souls.
did for them will provide abundant matter for a
Possessed of a delicate feeling and a tender
separate volume. The Leper asylum of Tuticorin, be
heart, for fear of inflicting hurt, the Bishop used to
erected in his own time, is a standing monument to
avoid giving abrupt answers and outright solutions.
testify to the love he cherished for the afflicted and
Convinced of the saying that time is a healer', he
the down-trodden.
might delay action and bide time; apprehensive of
This happened in 1944. After completing untoward consequences, he might counsel
the pastoral visitation of Mookayur parish, the patience. This sort of cautious approach to

Bishop was returning home. I was accompanying problems had at times made him open to the charge
him. Nearing Virudhunagar, the car had to be of dilatory tactics, whereas it was far from the truth,
refuelled. Under war-time emergency conditions, say the least, and in fact foreign to his intentions.
petrol was rationed. Coupons were being used. By
I have moved with him at close range and
an unfortunate oversight, the coupons the driver
have watched him in action in varying situations. A
had with him remained unused within the time-
christian knows that in death is life; sacrifice and
limit; the coupons were out-dated by a day! It was
self-gift are the essence of his religion. However,
already seven in the evening. We had to be
self interest and selfishness are at work at every
knocking at the doors of the car-owners of
level of human society, and the parish communities
Virudhunagar. The Bishop had to go abegging for a
are no exception. One is at times prone to wonder
few litres of petrol. At last, we got what we needed
whether god liness or worldliness is in harness in
and the journey was resumed. Misfortunes never
Christian assemblies; unholy alliances and
come single! Hardly had we covered a few miles,
unhealthy rivalries eat into the very vitals of
one of the tyres bursted. The spare tyre too was
christian sanity. Confronted with such situations,
punctured and out of use. All along the route, every
Bishop Roche could be observed to be very much
now and then the deflated tyre had to be inflated,
ill-at ease. However, as befitting a true Pastor, even
consuming time and energy. The journey was long
in the face of carping criticism, he had stood his
and tiring, arriving home very late in the night. The
ground in defence of justice and truth and his
driver obviously was unnerved and upset at having
dealings have always been above board.
caused so much inconvenience to the Bishop. The
Bishop, on his part, sensitive to the distress of the In 1955 on my return from the U. S. A.,
driver, kept his cool and would not speak a word in I went to pay him my respects at the Sacred Heart
rebuke. How often have I noticed the Bishop College, Shembaganur where he had retired. The

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