Fr. Ronald Menezes, SJ, was born on 10th March 1972 in Mangalore. He joined the Society of Jesus on 20th June 1994, and took his first vows on 21st June 1996. He was ordained a priest on 28th December 2008 and pronounced his final vows on 18th October 2015. He was a teacher at St. Aloysius High school, Mangalore, and St. Joseph’s High School, Hassan, until he sought refuge in the Lord’s bosom on 14th January 2021.
Fr. Ronald revealed in his person a culture of care (cura personalis) as he practiced his profession as a teacher. He cared for every one of his students. His care for the environment was seen in his love for gardening. He has left behind a legacy of green culture, especially during these pandemic days. Fr. Ronald was a man of wit and humour which would surface all of a sudden at table or at a meeting. Such humour kept everyone alert and cheerful.
Fr. Ronald was a man of God, a man of the Church and a man of commitment. He used to get up early and direct his steps to the chapel as a daily routine. He was simple, spiritual and systematic in his lifestyle. He was a voracious reader.
Fr. Ronald was a man of conscience, perhaps of a delicate conscience, which made him suffer in his life of commitment. In a world full of falsehood and deception, Fr. Ronald tried to live with an awakened conscience – a great ideal yes, but one which made him more sensitive, more scrupulous and more disturbed within. He was honest, transparent, and above all – a man of truth. Fr Ronald has left behind for us a legacy of an awakened conscience.
- Henry Saldanha, SJ
