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50 years of Franciscan journey

Interview With Friar Alphonse Moras

Friar Alphonse Moras, OFM is a missionary for 25 years in North India. He is in St. Anthony’s Friary community for his eye operation. He was generous enough to spare some of his time to share with the students of theology his ups and downs of the 50 years of Franciscan journey. 

1.Father, could you please tell us about yourself and your family?

I was born on 6th June, 1950 to my parents in Siddakatte, Mangalore. It was a large family of 10 children and I was the third in the line. My younger brother Fr. Henry Moras is a Carmelite priest working in Bellary Diocese, Karnataka. My younger sister, late Sr. Maria Angele was living in Apostolic Carmel Generalate, Jayanagar, Bangalore. Many friars knew her well. My other brothers and sisters are well settled in life. When I was young I lost my mother. My father used to work as a timber sewer in Chickmagaloru, friar Prashanth fernades’ district. So he kept us in our mother’s place under the care of our grandparents. It was large joint family full of uncles and aunts. It was decisive and providential decision by my dady and maternal grandparents. Here we had the school and the Church close by within one kilometer. My uncle was the sacristan in the Church. I used to go for Mass every day. I finished my primary and middle school happily. I was the S.P.L (Scholl Pupil Leader) in the school. In my dady’s place the Church and the school were far away about two hours of walk. That’s why none of my cousins were educated, they grew up as farmers. We got good education and got a good chance to study and go to Church every day. How true it is: God writes on crocked line. He has a plan for our well-being even in our misery. 

2.Could you please share with us your vocation story?

There was nothing extraordinary, because in my place it was a custom that from every family there would be one or two joining the religious orders. However, I consider my vocation to be a God’s intervention in my life. When I was studying in the 10th friar Valentine Crasta came to our parish to preach a retreat. I observed him closely. I liked his Franciscan habit, preaching and his melodic voice. I was thrilled with the stories about St. Francis of Assisi. He invited our parish youngsters to join the Franciscans. I gave my name happily. After 10th exams I was getting ready to go to Palamaner. Suddenly, in the last week of June in the evening some guests came to our house. My grandfather told  me to catch ten cocks. I did it happily. Then he told me to pluck a dried coconut. I rushed to climb a coconut tree which was about thirty feet high. With one hand I was catching the coconut branch and on the other hand I was trying to pluck the coconut. In the night I didn’t even realize I was holding the dried leaf. Suddenly from thirty feet high I fell down. The stem of the coconut leaf fell on my feet. I was unconscious. After about an hour my uncle came to search for me. He found me lying unconscious. He quickly brought some more people and carried me home. Next day they took me to the government hospital. After seeing my X-ray, the doctor exclaimed thum father be nahi baneghe kadar be nahi banegha. Your feet is broken. You will not become a father or a muslim mullah. Yes, my feet is broken but not my dream neither my desire to become a priest. I was in plaster for about a month. It was already the end of July. I was late to go to Palmaner. Friar Valentine wrote to me not to give up. He told me to do PUC, and come next year. I pestered my uncle to get me admitted in PUC. When we went to the college the admissions in commerce section were over. I was forced to take admission in PCM (Physic Chemistry and Maths). PCM was really hard. I had to walk four hours every day- 8 am to 10 am in the morning and 4 pm to 6 pm in the evening with my wounded leg every day. All my studies I did on the way. I learnt stories and poems, theories by-heart on the way. In the final exams the maths paper was really difficult. I could answer nothing from what I had studied. Somehow I finished the exam. From that day onwards every day I went for mass and prayed to God. I said God our Father I want to become a priest. But I had done very badly in maths paper. Please help me to pass. On 31st May I couldn’t sleep the whole night. On June 1st I went for mass.  And after that I rushed to the paper shop. To my surprise I saw my number. I was happy to see my number. I ran to tell everybody: I have passed and I am going to become a priest. It was indeed proclaiming the good news. 

3.Why did you choose to become a Franciscan?

When friar Valantine visited our parish, I was inspired by his way of life and simplicity in dealing with the people, his habit and his voice. There was something different in him. Unlike the many diocesan priests of that time, he was very approachable. Thus, I wanted to be a Franciscan.

4. How were your formation years?

`My Life in Palmaneru: Frog out of the well: in the month on June----Fr. Valentine came to my house to prepare to get me ready to go to Palamaneru. He himself bought many things needed for my stay in palamaneru. He even bought bus ticket to Bangalore. That time the bus fair from Mangalore to Bangalore was ten rupees and now it is 1000 rupees. In Palmaneru I felt like a frog out of the well. Earlier I thought only in Mangalore there were Christians and they speak Konkanim, the rest of the people were hindus and muslims. In Palmaneru i realized that there are Christians out side Mangalore. There are Andra Christians, tamil christians, telugu christins and Bombay Christians. They all speak their own languages. Konkanim is spoken only in Mangalore. My world became brighter and wider. In Palmaneru Fr. Christopher was my rector. He selected me as his office boy. I had to arrange his table and look after the post. I had to post all of his letters and materials for Together magazine in Bangalore. He told me to send a better copy of the typed articles. I had never seen a type writer or typed materials before. I sent the corbon copy to Bangalore Together office. Next weak Fr. Christopher shouted at me: have you gone mad. You should have sent the original copies. But i told him that you had told me to send the better copies. Carben copy looked better. You should have explained to me clearly. The very next day i wanted to leave Palmaneru but some how i managed to gather some more courage and marched farward. 

My Life in Bangalore: In Bangalore during philosophy and theology Fr. Fidelis  was my magister. Beside studies we were also encouraged to do pastoral involvement. I got involved in the parish. For one year with Fr. Nicholas we build up the Kanada Choir. After that Fr. Nicholas was ordained and was trasfored to Murdeshwar. After that i got fully involved in Kanada choir and pastrol work with Konkani and Kanada families. I also took keen interest in hospital visit. Fr. Fedelis would analise the Verbatim report of my pastoral visits and hospital visits. That’s why even now my priority is pastroal visiting- visiting the families’ especially in grief and suffering. 

5.What are the various capacities have you served in the order?

On March 3rd 1978 I was ordained a priest. Friars Bala Sunder, Simon Pinto, Davis K, James Victor were my companions. James Victor and Bala Sunder have gone for their eternal reward. May their soul rest in peace. We three of us are still active. Strong Simon Pinto is in Ponda and dynamic Davis in Munar, Kerala and   i am in Bangalore. 

My First Major Appointment- Parish Priest of Monki: After the untimely death of Fr. Leonard, Fr. Cornelius was needed in Ponda. The community was in the refectory. Fr. Bernard Disouza. Our then delegate provincial told me straight away “Alphones we need a parish priest in monkey. You will have to go to Monki’. I straight away said ‘yes’. He took an England letter and quickly wrote to the bishop of Karwar, appointing me as a new parish priest of Monki. There was no sounding, no consultation, and no time given to think and accept the appointment. I accepted it as God given challenge and invitation. 

I landed up in Monki with my bags on Saturday evening. Sunday during the mass Fr. Cornelius handed over the charge to me and on Monday morning he left for Ponda. I felt like a fish out of water; a child thrown out of the cosy mother’s womb. It is nice and warm to be in a large community. When you are thrown out to be on your own feet, life becomes difficult and challenging. In a big community like Bangalore you have to simply follow the crowd. When you are thrown in the parish, the crowd follows you. All studies of philosophy, theology, and pastoral years are put to the test. Now I have to be the master of all departments; kitchen, home maintenance, accounts, pastoral ministry- ministry to the children youth, parents and sick people and elderly. Slowly i tried to become the jack of all trades and learner of all departments. 

In Monki, I was in charge of two places: Monkie and Madi. Both are costal parishes. Now Madi is an independent parish. The distance between these two parishes is just two kilometers. But those years there was no road and electricity. I used to do all my ministries walking. It was difficult to cycle on the sea shore due to high tides. 

Madi village consists of forty families. The people of these villages were really poor. Many were stone cutters and masons. They work hard whole day and in the evening bring down earned money. They also drink to drive away their tiredness. The poor women folk work as daily wagers in the Muslim houses washing cloths and cleaning their vessels. In 1987 floods came and destroyed many of their houses. That year the bishop of Karwar gave me funds to build twenty houses. I managed to add some more money and constructed forty houses. There was no electricity in Madi. I contacted the electricity office. I might have gone to the office more than 60 times. Finally I managed to get seventeen electric poles and electrified all the houses. As a gift to the executive engineer I offered him a bottle of mass wine, removing the label. He was thrilled with the gift and after that he was ready to do anything for me. My next target was to get a road to the parish. I remember bringing my elder sister and her children to Monkie. My eldest niece got so much angry with me for making her to walk and walk on the hot sun. She took stones to hit me (you mad uncle you are cheating me). In 1989 the then minister Yahan Khan came to Manki for election campagen. Every year he used to visit me during Christmas season. That year was the election year. I told him publicly every year you promise road for us. If we don’t get road this year we won’t vote for you. The very next week the trucks started dumping mud and stones. We soon got a good road but unfortunately he lost the elections. 

The Cemetery Project: Madi people didn’t have cemetery. They used to bring the dead bodies for burial to Monki. It was a very dangerous journey to carry the dead body to Manki especially during high tide in the raining season. Once I remember the dead almost got drowned due to high rainy tide. That’s why I was determined to have cemetery in Madi.  I managed to get our people  encroach five acres of land , fenced it and planted caju nut saplings and prepared a caju plantation in the raining season and built a grotto in the center of the plot and leveled a small side portion for the cemetery. Now we have a beautiful cemetery and grotto in the encroached land. Every year they auction the caju nut crop, they get about 5000 rupees every year. Now it has become a small tourist place too. 

Coconut Plantation Project: In Manki we have about seventeen acres of land. It was given to the tenants. I managed to contact the bishop and with his permission gave some land to the tenants. And for the rest of the land I built a strong compound wall and planted two hundred coconut saplings. Now these saplings have grown and are yielding coconuts. They have become big source of income. The successor parish priest thanked and appreciated me for this great vision I had. They really enjoyed the fruits of my work. We had five places in north Kanara; Butcal, Thermaki, Murdeshwar, Shiralli, Bailur and Manki. The bishop asked us to choose any one place. I suggested Manki because we had seventeen acres of land and two hundred and fifty coconut trees for our support we could have built a resting place for the senior friars and a house for the students. But Fr. Fediles the then provincial chose Butcal since it had small residence and little land.  All for the greater glory of God. 

6. What are the various capacities in which you have served the order?

After finishing my mission in Monki in the diocese of Karwar, Fr. Bernard D’Souza, then delegate provincial, transferred me to Basen. On the day pope John Paul II had arrived in Mangalore, I departed to Basen, North India Mission. There in Basen I spent seven years. From there I was asked to look out for a place in Jharkand. The cardinal, Telespore Toppo gave me a list of 13 probable places from which I could select one. Nanasera was the last one in the list. The diocesan priest and religious avoided taking this mission because it had a very dangerous history. We chose to work in Nanasera and, even there I spent seven years. Then I was called back to be sent to the Bannur mission, in the diocese of Mangalore. After the Bannur mission I was sent to Pakdilpur in the Jhansy diocese for one year. It was a small parish with twelve families. We have a large land of a hundred acres. There I got involved in the pastoral work and social work. I also gave tuitions to seven school drop outs (7th failed, 9th failed) in order to help them pass the SSC. Friar Fabianus was the parish priest and guardian. Both of us worked for this mission for one year. Later, for one term, that is three years, I worked in Bhatkal in the diocese of Karwar. Most of my time was given to pastoral ministry, weekly SSC meetings, and regular meetings for the youths, women, and high school students, catechesis and singing, and liturgy. My last ten years were spent in Malom Noatoli. I involved myself in pastoral works and I also worked as farm in charge. 

7. How was your North Mission experience?

After receiving the appointment, I departed to Basen, North India Mission. After two days of tedious and tiring long train journey I landed up in Raigarh at 9 pm. Since it was night and I was alone with my language I didn’t want to travel in the night and take the risk. I booked a cycle rickshaw and with my bags went to the Raigarh parish. The Father there gave me food and showed me my room. The next day in the morning at 6 they arranged for a rickshaw to take me to the bus station. I boarded the bus with my luggage and after half an hour of a drive the bus broke down. The driver and the conductor informed the bus depot after which they took their seats and slept. After two hours the mechanic came and repaired the bus and we started again. Within 15 minutes the bus had a tire puncture. After repairing the puncture we hardly travelled another 10 kilometres when the bus broke down the third time. I took a bus back to the Raigarh parish and rested for the rest of the day. The next day in the morning the Raigarh Fathers brought me to the private bus stand and put me in a bus to Kansabell. At Kansabell I waited for an hour. Finally a jam-packed bus to Basen came. I somehow managed to get into the crowded bus and travelled to Basen standing all the way. The friars in Basen welcomed me and it was Ash Wednesday. I really had a first hand taste and experience of the life in North India on the first day itself.

I began my life in Basen on Ash Wednesday. I knew very little of Hindi which I learnt in school. From the very next day in Basen, I started meeting the people and visiting the school children to learn Hindi. On Easter Sunday I preached my first Hindi sermon. After three months I started preaching in Urav, the local language. I had a passion for learning languages like my vocation promoter Fr. Valentine Crasta of happy memory. 

After gaining a little mastery over Hindi and Urav, I started moving out to the villages. Each day I used to take one new village for my pastoral visiting which included house visiting, communion to the sick, catechism and singing, youth meeting, and finally the Eucharist and common meeting with the people. Every day I spent 5 to 8 pm for village pastoral ministry. Together with the youth and the elders, we built grottos in every village. Through my benefactors I collected some money and built gobar gas projects in every village. With the light generated by the gobar gas, I conducted study classes. Through MZF funds I helped to build five village chapels. I supplied the materials and paid the masons though all the work was done by the villagers and they really felt these were their chapels.

Like in Basen, in all the other places also, I built chapels, toilets, and grottos for the people and kept 5 to 8 pm free for the village ministry. Every day I would visit one village and finish my pastoral ministry and conclude it with the Eucharist. After the Eucharist the people took their turns to give me food and reach me to the parish. During the day I would visit our five schools and teach them English and reach back for lunch. Much of my visits I did cycling. From the offerings during the Mass I happily managed to take care of my expenses and the maintenance of the parish. 

8. Is there any incident or event that is unforgettable? 

Yes, very many but one incident in particular is unforgettable where I experienced the protective hand of God in my life. On one evening after the youth meeting in Ghogar, Basen, I was returning to the friary. When I was about to cross the river I encountered a bhalu (Bear) in front of me. It was on the other side of the river coming to drink water with two of its little ones. The same bhalu had attacked a hosteller on the previous day and killed a lady a week earlier when she came to the river. I was before the same bhalu. I stopped my TVS bike, uttered a prayer: Lord I am your priest, I want to work for your kingdom. Please save me from this bhalu. I said this prayer and started the bike, flashed the big lights on and shouted Jai Yeshu. The bhalu passed on the other side and I rushed to the friary.  I had my heart in my mouth! That day I really experienced the mighty protection of God. 

9. What is your word of advice to the younger generations of the Order?

One is ordained not to rule over the people entrusted to us but to accompany them as wounded healers of the time. A priest is by the people, of the people and for the people. So, there is need to be with the people at every step of our life journey i.e., from the cradle to the grave. Secondly, there is a creeping tendency to confine ourselves to our rooms. There is need to break that tendency of staying within our four walls. One should go out instead and be a blessing to the people carrying the good news to them.

11. Father, one final question. Today when you look back at your journey as a friar priest for forty years how do you feel?

I am a friar priest for forty years. Fifteen years I spent for the province and twenty five years in the north: seven years in Basen, seven years Nanasera, one year in Pakdilpur and ten years in Malom Noatoli. These precious forty years are the most fruitful and memorable years of my Franciscan life. Fr. Peter Tirkey, the dean of the Chainpur denary asked me publicly during the cultural function after the blessing of St. Ann’s Church Jaipur, Jarkhand. “Fr. Alphonse, I hear that you have constructed thirteen chapels including one costing fifty five lakh in South India. How did you manage to build so many chapels?” We adivasi priests find it difficult to build even one church-There were one thousand five hundred people for the inaugural function including the Provincial and the Custos- I answered simply “Fr. Peter, both of us are priests. You are a local tribal priest and I am from Karnataka, south India. Being a local priest, it should be easier for you to build chapels for them. The reason why I have built so many chapels is that I love these people and the people love me. I have built these chapels along with the people. The people are with us but the question is ‘Are we with the people?’ Friars call me the friar who built the most number of churches but frankly speaking I have no such passion or madness for building Churches. My passion is to build the people of God by building chapels for them with their own involvement and cooperation. Every week I take care of about three hundred children. I teach them catechism and, for more than five hundred people, every week I celebrate the Eucharist with them.  My main motto is: “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” (1Cor 9:16) Ultimately I am happy and satisfied as a Friar Minor. Above all, I am grateful to God almighty for using me as His instrument in His mission. All for the greater Glory of God!

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