Fr Rosario Rocha appointed Jesuit Provincial of Goa
PANJIM: Jesuit Superior General Fr Adolfo Nicolás has appointed Fr
Rosario Rocha, 59, as the new Superior of Goa Province comprising Goa
and districts of Belgaum, South Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. He succeeds Fr
Anthony da Silva who completes his 6 year term in October.
Only child of his parents, Fr Rocha was born in Benaulim, in 1952 and
brought up by his widowed mother Anjelina. He did his secondary studies
at Loyola High School, Margao, and joined the Society of Jesus in 1970
at Desur ( Belgaum). Besides the regular priestly studies at Jnana Deep
Vidhyapeeth ( JDV), Pune, he did his BA in Sanskrit/ Sociology and MA in
Sanskrit/ Pali respectively, at Baroda and Pune Universities.
After his ordination in 1985, he did his MPhil and PhD at Delhi
University with focus on Buddhist studies.
In 1991 Fr Rocha taught at Jnana Deep Vidhyapeeth ( Pune). The following
year he was sent to USA for Post Doctoral Research in Theology of
Religion at Boston’s Theological Institute’s Harvard Divinity School.
Thereafter he was Dean of Theology for three years.
Beside his academic work, as animator of Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth Konkan
Sabha ( JDVKS), he has also tried to promote appreciation for the
Konkani language and culture among its lovers and admirers while in Pune.
Jesuits have been in Goa since 1542, when St Francis Xavier set foot
here till they were suppressed in 18th century before returning to Goa
in 1896.
They run two flagship schools -- St Britto’s High School in Mapusa, and
Loyola High School in Margao, besides research institutes such as Thomas
Stephens Konkani Kendra and Xavier Centre of Historical Research and the
Bom Jesus Basilica, Old Goa.
http://www.epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=1386&boxid=41658140&uid=&dat=9/28/2011
