“Who’s that ‘3-minutes priest’ in your community?” was a question often asked of me. Over the years there existed a fan-following of this preacher who broke the word of God, challengingly and effectively, literally in Three Minutes!
This 3-minutes priest, Fr Edmund Carrasco SJ, is Bombay-born, Jesuit educated. Born on January 14th, in 1943, he returned to the Lord on November 16th, 2021, after a long sickness.
Very few Jesuit educationists could claim to have served as Principal of all the then five city Jesuit educational institutions. Edmund is one of them.
Edmund was a born Educator with vision and heart: a ‘dev manus’ as one school’s staff termed him!
Edmund was a born teacher, drawing out the best of his staff; they, in turn brought out the best in their students.
Edmund was meticulous to a ‘T’. Today’s soft-ware companies could have learnt a thing or two from him in simplifying coding skills! He offered his skills and expertise in taking up the reins of Socius to the Provincial. In his personal spiritual life, this meticulousness was reflected in his preparation for celebration of the Eucharist… and more especially in his preaching!!
Edmund’s Teacher-centred approaches resulted in student-centred ways of teaching. Long before his time, he understood and used the IPP – Ignatian Pedagogy – in the twenty years that he was Principal.
What then interrupted his educational dreams? His otherwise healthy looking body began to give way in these last 15 or so years. As Principal, he was a fighter facing challenges which some Principals would shun. Not Edmund! He emerged like the Phoenix when he figuratively and actually “fell down”.
Then, “Eddie-boy” as he was fondly called, would bid us a smiling, emotional “God Bless”!
Lawrie Ferrao, SJ
