15 Mar. 1941 - 22 Sep. 2016
Veteran missionary and visionary who toiled zealously for Christ and his people:
My dear James,
You will always remain for me, not only in my memories but also in my personal life, a very special person. It is not that you were sweet and delicate with everyone you came in contact
with, thank God for that, but whenever I think of you James, I think of you as a person who was so caring and full of love and affection especially for the poor. The Lord, whose love you have tried to spread in so many ways, has been waiting for you. You are now up there with Him, where all of us are going to be sooner or later.
I just want to look back on the days and years – not very many actually - when we walked together and worked together for the young and the old. There have been others who have had the opportunity to walk the mile with you too and they will have other experiences to share.
That walk began when you joined the Society in June 1962. That was about a month before I was to take my first vows. In those days there was a strict adherence to certain rules and ‘separation of communities’ was one of them. I was a ‘Brother Novice’ and you were a ‘Scholastic Novice’. That was the big difference and so, although we belonged to the same Province we really did not come to know each other that well in Vinayalaya.
Then, while I went to St. Joseph’s, you finished your Juniorate in Vinayalaya and then went on for your studies in Philosophy, 3 years of Regency and studies in Theology before being ordained on 30th March, 1974. We did meet every now and then and so came to know each other a little better. But it was only in 1984, when I was transferred from St. Joseph’s Technical Institute in Pune to Xavier Technical Training Centre in Shrirampur, that I had my first real contact with you. I was part of the ‚Loyola Sadan Community‛ although I was staying in the XTTC Hostel just opposite. You were then the Parish Priest of Loyola Church, in Shrirampur. Here was I, a town boy, coming into real contact with life in the missions! You were there to show me how to set my sails so that the sailing could be smooth.
In those days we had the wonderful company of Fr. Huber and Br. Widmer as well. Also there with us were Fr. Zinser and Br. Engel. What I remember very much is the wonderful community spirit that we had in Loyola Sadan, thanks to you and your ‘caring’ spirit. As the Parish Priest you were very close not only to the Catholic Community in Shrirampur but also to the larger community of Catholics in the more than 60 villages which were part of the Shrirampur Parish. On a number of occasions I went out with you and experienced the warmth that you radiated. The community was always so happy to have you there listening to them as they shared with you their joys and sorrows.
One of the qualities that I cherished in you was your availability for the parishioners, the sick in the St. Luke’s Hospital and the communities in the villages around. You were truly remarkable. There were days when the asthma you were suffering from would get you out but for a very short time. You dealt with this as though there was nothing wrong and in no time you were up and about. The relationship between us and the Sisters of St. Luke’s Hospital, and the get-togethers every Sunday evening at 4 p.m. is something that I cherish to this day.
What I also remember of you is the fact that you were one with truly green fingers. Little by little you were able to give life to the fields next to Loyola Sadan. Your love for nature was so evident and nature responded generously to your love. We had abundant water in the bore well
of the community and the well in the Hostel to meet our daily needs and more. If you had wanted you could have had wonderful green fields also in summer. But, here is something that I learned from you and Br. Widmer. You knew what was more important and where water was needed more. In those days in summer the well of St. Luke’s did not have sufficient water for all its needs. Hence it was St. Luke’s that was the priority. You and Br. Widmer taught me the value of sharing. It was only a few years later that St. Luke’s got their well dug much deeper and so became independent.
Thanks to your support and guidance we went ahead to build the new complex of XTTC opposite Loyola Sadan. When the buildings for XTTC were completed, the shed that Loyola Sadan had allowed XTTC to use for the ITI Fitter section was no longer needed by them. You did not turn that shed into a store room. Your passion to give the poor and the marginalised a good education showed itself immediately. You converted this shed into a Kindergarten. That was in a way the birth of our Xavier School in Shrirampur. This passion of giving the best education for the poor showed itself again when you were transferred to Shevgaon. And, you took your green fingers all the way there and in no time the dry lands started bearing fruit.
You were back in Shrirampur when I was assigned there in 2007. As Parish Priest one of the important things that you did was to have the Church building extended. You were later assigned to Divyavani and I was staying at what was formerly known as ‘Victor Garage’. Your passion for extending educational facilities for the poor and the marginalised showed itself again. You started the Loyola Institute of Management Technology at Divyavani and soon you started the Kindergarten in Katgali. In all this you taught me one thing: Do not wait for things to happen! Once again, your green fingers could not be preserved in a deep freeze. They needed action. You decided to take on lease, for a period of 6 years, the farm of the family in Katgali. This family had contributed the land for the Chapel that was built there. It became green and full of life again. By doing what you did there you were able to show the family and the community how valuable their land was and what could be done on it.
Let me now, in the name of all of us, just say a big ‘thank you’ to you James for being the very special person you were. You were a person who made a difference. On a personal level I want to thank you for the wonderful community life that I experienced at Loyola Sadan and Divyavani, which was very much because of you.
FR. JAMES SHELKE, S.J., THE FINAL MOMENTS
Fr. James died with his boots on, alive, up and about, a man on the move, ever smiling and cheerful. And so when he passed away so suddenly on the 22nd September, the news of his death came as a shock and surprise to everyone. No one expected him to go so fast, especially when there were others in waiting at the pearly gates of heaven.
On Sunday 18th September, he offered three Masses that morning, first the usual Sunday Mass at Divyavani, next a funeral Mass at around 9.30 am and the third Feast day Mass of the Canossian Sisters at Shirasgaon. He must have been dead beat that day, tired and exhausted. Nevertheless, he came for the Community meeting and dinner with Fr. Provincial that evening at 7.00 pm. On Monday 19th September, due to his frequent travels and activities, he felt very exhausted and was burning with high fever. He was all alone that evening. Fortunately, Fr. Prakash Raut happened to visit him and admitted him to St. Luke’s Hospital.
On Tuesday 20th September, he began feeling breathless and restless, extremely exhausted with the stream of visitors, relatives and well-wishers which made matters worse for him. On Wednesday 22ndSeptember, his condition worsened. His sugar went out of control. He experienced extreme breathlessness and his blood urea went very high. His sugar became very difficult to control due to uncontrolled diabetes. By late night he took a turn for the worse.
On Thursday, around 1.00 am, he became more and more breathless and restless. The nurses and doctors put him on oxygen and soon discovered his kidneys were failing. He was unable to pass urine since the previous night and his whole body appeared puffed up and swollen. That Thursday morning after community Mass, I was having breakfast with the Sisters when suddenly there was a phone call that James was critical and that due to his fast failing kidneys he would need to be rushed to Nagar for dialysis. So at 8.00 am, Dr. Padgaonkar, CMO examined him and gave a referral for the doctors in Nagar. An ambulance with oxygen support was immediately kept ready.
Since Fr. Joe G was already on his way to Nashik, Sr. Binny, private ward in-charge and I rushed him to Anand Rishi hospital. Fr. Joe D was asked to inform the hospital of the emergency case soon to arrive. He was immediately taken in the emergency room, admission procedures were completed and by 11.30 am dialysis was started. In the ambulance he was still conscious but very uncomfortable. By 1.30 pm he had his first heart arrest. The doctors and nurses revived him by administering CPU. They felt his heart could no longer take the dialysis and so it was discontinued. They then started him on drugs through IV. Between 3.30 and 4.00 pm he had a second heart arrest. The doctors by then felt his chances of survival were very remote. His pressure started dropping very drastically and his heartbeat was very abnormal. By around 6.00 pm he had a third heart arrest. The doctors had given up all hopes. He was still on ventilator support. Realizing the end was near, the doctors asked that his immediate relative have a last glance at him and pray over him. He breathed his last at about 7.30 pm surrendering himself to the Lord. By then Fr. Joe Gaikwad arrived since I was already on my way back to Shrirampur tired and exhausted. After completing all the discharge formalities and billing it was past 10.00 pm. By 1.00 am past midnight, his body was brought back to Shrirampur. Srs. Saroj and Theresiama were waiting to bathe him and dress the body. He was placed into the coffin and the body was kept for viewing in the hall and then in the Church. All through the morning a continuous stream of visitors came to pay their last respects, parishioners, staff and students.
By 12.30 pm the body was moved to Sangamner for the funeral Mass and burial. More than 60 priests concelebrated with Bishop Lourdes Daniel and Fr. Bhausaheb as the main celebrants. The Church was overflowing and packed to capacity. The entire compound was packed with vehicles overflowing on the road. Perhaps, nobody has had such an overwhelming crowd of mourners. It was a testimony to how popular and loved James was. As Fr. Charlie D’Lima of happy memory called James, ‚the Apostle of Shrirampur‛, he was more than that, he was an apostle of the Ahmednagar and Beed Districts. James was a man always on the move, a man on a mission, always eager to do something for the betterment of his people. He established so many institutions wherever he went. He was a true son of Ignatius always eager to do more, the Magis. He had a large heart that reached out to people in need. His zeal, enthusiasm and dynamism are characteristic few can match. He made an incredible contribution to the Ahmednagar Mission. His ever cheerful face and smiling countenance endeared him to everyone. James must have had a warm welcome in heaven from all the past stalwarts of the Mission – Frs.Schubiger, Haldner, Sixt, Slapsys and the rest. We can imagine the good Lord saying to him, Come good and faithful servant, and enter into the joy of my heavenly home.
