austraLasia #2650
The passing of two great men
MELBOURNE and CEBU-PUNTA PRINCESA: 28-05-10 -- We try to resist, gently, too many obituaries in these pages, because there would be a considerable number of them, but the resistance is not too strong! The lives and the deaths of our confreres are part of us and they are uplifting. Nothing could be more true of two men from our Region who have gone to their reward in recent days, Fr Jim Carroll, from the Australia Pacific Province, and Fr Anthony Gilcour from the South Philippines Province. What follows are excerpts either from news items sent in, or homilies or other notices regarding the passing of these two great men, cobbled together to give it all something of a unity.
They both loved numbers! So firstly, some biographical numbers on both of them. Fr Gilcour, who would have been 92 had he survived till May 30, was a native of Holland who became a Salesian in 1940 and was ordained on July 4 1948 in the Netherlands. He left shortly afterwards for the missions (Hong Kong) and when all foreign missionaries were expelled from China came to the Philippines 1954 (Victorias, Negros was where he landed) where he remained for the rest of his life. Fr Jim Carroll, on the other hand, would have turned 86 in a few weeks - he was born on 12 June 1924, in Australia but of Lebanese background, something of which he was fiercely proud. "He delighted in telling us that his mother had spent a number of years in Lebanon as a young girl and how his great uncles came to Australia with gold in their belts". Jim was ordained priest in Turin on 7 July 1954.
But they loved numbers - really! Fr Anthony found ways to analyze complex math equations and simplify their explanations in the classroom. In his younger years, he gave seminars to teachers to improve their teaching in Mathematics and geometry. When he slowed down, he had his wheelchair positioned in the canteen where he could still encounter the students during their break. Fr Jim on the other hand was a provincial economer for 21 years and brought an early (very!) form of computerization to that office long before the rest of us even knew it existed! (I know that I was the one who eventually consigned the antiquated machine to the rubbish tip!). Indeed, as a boy before joining the Salesians, in his final year of high school he won the State exhibition for mathematics. He could handle numbers of another kind too - dual or triple or more roles! At one point in his life he was Bursar and Farm Manger at Rupertswood, and Rector of the House of Formation and Provincial House at Oakleigh many miles away!
What they loved, more than anything, apart from their families, whom they loved deeply, was Don Bosco and the Salesians and Don Bosco's mission. Fr Gilcour, in various parts north and south in the Philippines spent hours in the confessional, available to Salesians and students alike. "Towards the end of his life he was particularly fond of being with the alumni and their families. Fr Anthony showed a great example of being able to minister the Sacrament of Reconciliation, regularly sitting in the confessional box for hours, even traveling long distances to accommodate requests for the Sacrament". Fr Carroll, when he first came into contact with the Salesians at Rupertswood (the province's motherhouse), "was immediately impressed by the Salesian warmth, and the close relationships that existed between the Salesians and the boys at ‘Rupertswood.’ He was particularly impressed by the remarkable Brothers of that era".
These two men have made unforgettable contributions to their provinces and to the Salesian mission to the young. There is much more that could be said about them and in their respective provinces has been said about them, especially in the homilies which farewelled them to eternal life. Should you want to read up on all that, we can make this material available or put you into contact with someone who can. As Fr Jim's Provincial said at the Requiem, "Don Bosco has many faces...." and each of these men was a unique face of Don Bosco. "Indeed, it will never be repeated in its uniqueness".
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
The passing of two great men
MELBOURNE and CEBU-PUNTA PRINCESA: 28-05-10 -- We try to resist, gently, too many obituaries in these pages, because there would be a considerable number of them, but the resistance is not too strong! The lives and the deaths of our confreres are part of us and they are uplifting. Nothing could be more true of two men from our Region who have gone to their reward in recent days, Fr Jim Carroll, from the Australia Pacific Province, and Fr Anthony Gilcour from the South Philippines Province. What follows are excerpts either from news items sent in, or homilies or other notices regarding the passing of these two great men, cobbled together to give it all something of a unity.
They both loved numbers! So firstly, some biographical numbers on both of them. Fr Gilcour, who would have been 92 had he survived till May 30, was a native of Holland who became a Salesian in 1940 and was ordained on July 4 1948 in the Netherlands. He left shortly afterwards for the missions (Hong Kong) and when all foreign missionaries were expelled from China came to the Philippines 1954 (Victorias, Negros was where he landed) where he remained for the rest of his life. Fr Jim Carroll, on the other hand, would have turned 86 in a few weeks - he was born on 12 June 1924, in Australia but of Lebanese background, something of which he was fiercely proud. "He delighted in telling us that his mother had spent a number of years in Lebanon as a young girl and how his great uncles came to Australia with gold in their belts". Jim was ordained priest in Turin on 7 July 1954.
But they loved numbers - really! Fr Anthony found ways to analyze complex math equations and simplify their explanations in the classroom. In his younger years, he gave seminars to teachers to improve their teaching in Mathematics and geometry. When he slowed down, he had his wheelchair positioned in the canteen where he could still encounter the students during their break. Fr Jim on the other hand was a provincial economer for 21 years and brought an early (very!) form of computerization to that office long before the rest of us even knew it existed! (I know that I was the one who eventually consigned the antiquated machine to the rubbish tip!). Indeed, as a boy before joining the Salesians, in his final year of high school he won the State exhibition for mathematics. He could handle numbers of another kind too - dual or triple or more roles! At one point in his life he was Bursar and Farm Manger at Rupertswood, and Rector of the House of Formation and Provincial House at Oakleigh many miles away!
What they loved, more than anything, apart from their families, whom they loved deeply, was Don Bosco and the Salesians and Don Bosco's mission. Fr Gilcour, in various parts north and south in the Philippines spent hours in the confessional, available to Salesians and students alike. "Towards the end of his life he was particularly fond of being with the alumni and their families. Fr Anthony showed a great example of being able to minister the Sacrament of Reconciliation, regularly sitting in the confessional box for hours, even traveling long distances to accommodate requests for the Sacrament". Fr Carroll, when he first came into contact with the Salesians at Rupertswood (the province's motherhouse), "was immediately impressed by the Salesian warmth, and the close relationships that existed between the Salesians and the boys at ‘Rupertswood.’ He was particularly impressed by the remarkable Brothers of that era".
These two men have made unforgettable contributions to their provinces and to the Salesian mission to the young. There is much more that could be said about them and in their respective provinces has been said about them, especially in the homilies which farewelled them to eternal life. Should you want to read up on all that, we can make this material available or put you into contact with someone who can. As Fr Jim's Provincial said at the Requiem, "Don Bosco has many faces...." and each of these men was a unique face of Don Bosco. "Indeed, it will never be repeated in its uniqueness".
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
