My dear Hilda, Although I did not get around to calling you to condole, all of you - and especially cousin Rita were constantly in my thoughts and prayers. We were so shocked and dismayed when we got the sad news that she was so I'll, so I can only imagine how hard it must have been for all her siblings.
I got Rita's phone number from Yvette and Charmaine but they both told me she was too weak to talk. I didn't want to speak to her, but just wanted her to know that we were praying for her. Then Charmaine told me to send Tony a Whatsapp message. I did send him a few messages but got no response. I realize that he, too, must have been really busy while there. Charmaine told me much later that there was a Whatsapp group formed. Unfortunately, Not being part of the group, I was completely out of the loop wrt what was happening with Rita. Anyway, I just want you to know that all of you continue to be in our heart as you try to accept this great and sudden loss. Much love from us all, Patsy Hilda Carneiro <[email protected]> wrote: ><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: >12pt; font-family:Calibri } --> > >Dear Goanet Readers and members of the Saligao net, > > >I have been meaning to respond to all the nice things a lot of you have said >about my sister Sr. Mary Jane Pinto S.F.N. May her soul R.I.P. > > >We had just got news of the diagnosis of Sr. Jane's illness and it came to us >as a shock. While we were still praying and trying to accept this sad news I >was surprised one day when as I opened my ipad I found this article by Nelson >Lopez which I forwarded to our Goan community here to ask for prayers. From >then on things happened so fast, my attention was drawn to more and more >articles on her and her ministry. I myself learned a lot from what you all >wrote about her. To all of you and in particular to Nelson Lopez, Fr >Nascimento, Gerard Delaney, Lisa Monteiro, Frederick Noronha please accept my >sincere gratitude for the nice tributes you paid to her. Kevin Saldanha has >been kind and generous with his time in offering to setup a memorial website >where you can leave testimonies of your experiences and encounters with her. >This will be a treasure of memories the family will always cherish. Betsy >Pinto you made sure that we were well informed about a lot of things that were >going on after she passed. Thank you > > >Once again to all the members of Goanet and people of Saligao who attended the >funeral to give her such a grand send-off my sincere thank you. Please >consider this as a personal message to you all. It will be impossible to fit >in all the names if I start. > > >May God Bless you and your families for all the love and support you gave, it >meant a lot to us. > > >Hilda Carneiro and family. > >Manoel Pinto, Anthony Pinto and Families. > > > > > > >> Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2016 01:14:54 +0530 >> Subject: [SALIGAONET] Fwd: Remembering Goa's angel of the prisoners.... Sr >> Mary Jane Pinto, a tribute >> From: [email protected] >> To: [email protected] >> >> Remembering Goa's angel of the prisoners.... >> Sr. Mary Jane Pinto -- a tribute >> >> Sr. Mary Jane Pinto SFN passed away on April 20, >> 2016 morning after a brief illness. Her >> contribution to help the social rehabilitation of >> prisoners, through counselling and vocational >> awareness, has been widely appreciated (including >> by the Goa chief minister, in a condolence note). >> She was noted for her work in the Prison Ministry, >> and was awarded in 2014. A close associate, >> educationist Gerard Delaney, pays tribute to the >> nun he worked with. >> >> Gerard Delaney >> [email protected] >> >> Hailing from the same village as me, Sr. Mary Jan was known >> to me for a long, long time, but only as a nun, not as a >> person. Four years back, when I retired from service, I >> joined the Prison Ministry when another fellow villager David >> Fernandes invited me to do so. That's when I began coming >> into close contact with her. >> >> Sr. Jane would set out of her convent in Sancoale at 6 a.m. >> and walk to the road a half kilometer away with a prayer on >> her lips, asking the Lord for a lift. She would accept >> whatever He provided her at that early hour when there was >> hardly any sign of traffic on the road. One lift after >> another, and maybe yet another, and she would reach her >> locked house in Saligao to tidy up a bit or to water her >> beloved plants. >> >> It was from there that I and sometimes another volunteer had >> the privilege to pick her up and take her to the Aguada >> Central Jail in the comfort of a car. But often, it would be >> a two wheeler on which she travelled, even in her advanced >> age. It must be noted to her great credit that years earlier, >> she would take lifts right up to Sinquerim and then walk all >> the way uphill to the jail in Aguada. An hour later, she >> would walk back there and take buses to go home to Sancoale. >> >> I was very fortunate to have served as an 'apprentice' under >> her, because I got to learn from her what the real spirit of >> a volunteer in this work must consist of. >> >> The moment we entered the jail premises, the >> convicts would be running up to her, and she would >> greet each one by name, making personal inquiries. >> She would ask one how he was faring with his bout >> of piles, another about his swollen leg, yet >> another about his diet, and so on. She would >> jokingly smack one on the head for being >> disobedient to her or pinch another on his arm for >> some other reason and it didn't take me long to >> discover that the former Mother Superior of her >> religious order (the Congregation of the Holy >> Family of Nazareth) was a real mother to the 120 >> odd convicts over there! They loved her for what >> she did for them, and for what she meant to them. >> >> It was so impressive to see the way she would be so concerned >> about each one who came to meet her for one reason or the >> other. She genuinely took a deep interest in their welfare >> and would extend a helping hand in whatever way she could. >> >> I recall the time when the jail authorities brought to her >> notice the sad plight of a prisoner M----. He was serving a >> life sentence and had already spent 10 years behind bars, but >> had never come out on parole because he had no one to stand >> surety for him. As per rule, unless a lifer comes out on >> parole and proves that he can successfully go back to >> society, he cannot be released prematurely after the >> mandatory lockup of 14 years. >> >> Time was running out for M---- and at this rate he would >> remain behind bars all his life. That's when Sr. Jane >> informed Fr. Maverick the Director of Caritas, who stood >> surety for him and took him to Old Goa to stay at their >> Centre there. This was the start of a parade of convicts who >> got the opportunity to come out on parole at regular >> intervals and to stay in Old Goa. >> >> Likewise, another lifer, K---- was taken to Old Goa after >> being locked for 10 years, even though he had his home in >> Mayem with his wife and three children. Inquiries revealed >> that his wife was estranged with him. Sr. Jane asked me to >> take her there and we found his house with some difficulty. >> >> Fortunately his younger daughter aged 12 years was at home >> because it was a holiday for her school. Sr. Jane asked her >> if she remembered her father, which of course, she did not. >> She then asked her if she'd like to meet him and the little >> girl jumped with joy! After exchanging phone numbers and >> giving her some advice, we left. >> >> Two days later there was a very emotional and tearful reunion >> at Old Goa of the father with his family, thanks to Sister. >> >> I remember the incident of another lifer who had his wife in >> Bicholim, who never came to visit him. Even when Fr. Maverick >> had brought this guy to Old Goa on parole, she would not come >> there. That's when Sr. Jane and I visited her and found her >> struggling to eke out a living in the market. Unfortunately, >> no amount of imploring or beseeching would make her budge as >> we realized that the wife had severed all ties with her >> husband. >> >> I have heard of several other accounts of Sr. Jane going out >> of her way to patch up differences between a convict and his >> family, of times when she has come to the rescue of the >> children who were as good as orphaned, or even financially >> helping the grown up children of the convict to finish their >> studies, or repair their home. >> >> She was truly an angel in disguise. >> >> Sr. Jane never let past an opportunity to knock some sense >> into the heads of the prisoners. Every time when there was a >> function in the jail and all the prisoners were gathered in >> the hall, she would give them a good encouraging sermon on >> love, forgiveness and acceptance. >> >> Under her guidance and leadership, so many reforms were >> introduced in the jail, about which articles have been >> written in the newspapers, and for which she has been rightly >> honored by the state and national authorities. >> >> Thanks to her, the convicts got to sell their handiworks to >> the public and were able to earn and save up. The last image >> which I remember of Sr. Jane is that of her invariably >> carrying a parcel to the jail with little knick knacks for >> the convicts -- prayer books, story books, rosaries, bibles, etc. >> >> Undoubtedly, Sr. Mary Jane brought a bright touch >> of compassion, love and sense of purpose in the >> inmates' lives. She has been a love bomb which >> exploded not to kill, but to heal broken lives! >> Thanks to her and her team of volunteers, the >> prisoners have hope to live for, their dignity >> restored and balm applied to their depression, >> violence, hatred and anger. Adieus Sr. Jane, mother >> to the convicts and healer of their souls. No doubt >> but Jesus must have said to you: "Well done thou >> good and faithful servant, now enter into the >> kingdom specially prepared for you." >> >> -- >> Sr. Mary Jane (75), née Rita Pinto, was twice Mother General >> of Holy Family of Nazareth Congregation of Sancoale. She was >> born in Arusha, Kenya, Africa, on May 7, 1941. Headmistress >> of Perpetual Succour Convent High School-Navelim in 1969 and >> remained in that post till 1984. Here she did yeoman service >> in education. She was then elected Superior General from May >> 1984 and held the office till 1996, that is, for two terms. >> Besides overseeing the opening of about 14 houses in Goa and >> beyond during her tenure as Mother General (Haryana, Dadra >> and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Miraj, Korgao in Pernem and >> Kholapur Wattangi among others), she sent her nuns to >> undertake social work at the red light area of Baina (Vasco) >> and amidst the slums of Birla. She founded a clinic at the >> slum/red light region of Khareband, Margao. Journalist Paul >> Fernandes once wrote: "Sister Mary Jane Pinto has a deep >> fascination for the poor and the oppressed. Even as a child >> of five in Africa, she followed a beggar without limbs in a >> wheelchair. It was a bad experience then as she got lost. But >> in later years she was to realise that she had an instinctive >> affinity for the needy and the unfortunate. It was , and >> still is, a driving force to wipe their tears that propelled >> her at the age of 15 to become a nun." She is the aunt of >> Goanet founder and chair Dr Herman Carneiro. >> >> See profiles of her: >> >> By Fr Nascimento Mascarenhas on Saligao-Net >> https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/saligaonet/conversations/messages/1332 >> http://saligaoserenade.com/2011/06/spreading-cheer/ >> >> By Nelson Lopes >> https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg04213.html >> >> By Lisa Monteiro: Sr Mary Jane, the prisoners' crusader >> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Sister-Mary-Jane-The-prisoners-crusader/articleshow/46488898.cms >> >> -- >> -- >> Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> To unsubscribe email [email protected] >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Saligao-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > >-- >-- >Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net >To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >To unsubscribe email [email protected] > >--- >You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >"Saligao-Net" group. >To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >email to [email protected]. >For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Saligao-Net is at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe email [email protected] --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. 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