By Major General (ret’d) Joseph G Singh
The following is the eulogy delivered at the funeral service for Fr Malcolm Anthony Rodrigues on Monday, December 12th, 2022, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Brickdam, Georgetown.
I am honoured to have been asked by the Jesuit Superior, Fr Paul Martin SJ, to deliver the Eulogy for Fr Malcolm, my friend and confidante for forty years. I am most grateful for the support I received from the Jesuit Superior and friends and colleagues who provided me with their insights.
Father Malcolm Rodrigues was a Jesuit, a member of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Order founded in 1540 by a Spanish officer in the rank of Captain, Ignatius of Loyola, who, while recovering from war injuries, turned mystic and worked to find God in all things.
Among the Jesuit priorities are:
• To show the way to God through a process of discernment, using both the head and the heart and taking time to make decisions through rationality and feelings, and applying the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola;
• to walk with the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity had been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice;
• to accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future; and,
• to collaborate in the care of our common home, Planet Earth.
The training of Jesuits therefore prepares them spiritually, academically, and practically for the ministries they would be called upon to offer the Church and the World.
Father Malcolm was a Jesuit, who through his life’s works, honoured the priorities of his Calling. Today, as we in turn pay honour to his life and his contributions, we can say without any hesitation that his life was inspirational. To quote Fr Paul Martin: “Fr Malcolm was in many ways the embodiment of that ideal to which we Jesuits aspire. A man of deep personal faith which found expression in a life totally given to the service of others in the struggle for the creation of a just society.”
It was in 2016 while in the North West District that the first signs of Alzheimer’s began to appear, and it became necessary for him to return to Georgetown in 2019. His condition deteriorated to the stage where he needed 24-hour care. On Saturday, 19th November 2022, he was admitted to the St Joseph Mercy Hospital’s ICU with a serious chest infection. At first, he showed signs of responding to treatment but sadly, breathed his last on the evening of Sunday, 4th December, 2022.
His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali paid Tribute to this patriotic Guyanese, who was the recipient of the National Award, the Cacique Crown of Honour, as follows: “The Roman Catholic Church has lost a true champion. His life was punctuated with humility, simplicity, justice, and a strong sense of commitment to a free and democratic society.”
Malcolm Anthony Rodrigues was born on 23rd February 1941 in British Guiana, County of Demerara. He was the son of Catholic parents Feliciano Aloysius Rodrigues and Maria (nee Marks). His father was a clerk at Bookers Stores and Malcolm was one of eleven children. Only one of the siblings survives – his sister Monica, resident in the UK and recovering from recent surgery. He was baptized on 17th March 1941 at the Sacred Heart Church in the Diocese of Georgetown. He started his schooling at St Mary’s, where he spent six years. Malcolm then moved to Sacred Heart where he joined the scholarship class and subsequently won a scholarship to St Stanislaus College. Saints schoolmates Albert Rodrigues, Bud Mangal and Malcolm were lifelong friends. Albert says: “Malcolm had a good ear and shared his wisdom willingly. Always kind to those in need, he never failed to call on you whenever he felt you could help. In doing so he made you feel worthwhile to him. For my wife Joan and I, and no doubt many others, Malcolm will always have a special place.”
Malcolm spent eight years at St Stanislaus College. His contemporary and lifelong friend, Jesuit, and former Ambassador P I Gomes, CCH, recalled: “I was privileged and honoured to share schooldays at Saints with Malcolm (Milky as he was fondly known) both in the classroom and in the working-class areas of Charlestown and Wortmanville in search of children whose parents could not afford at times, clothes, shoes, or books for their children to attend school. We reported to the St Stanislaus College Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society, which would provide modest assistance. The experience of those years confronting ghetto poverty may no doubt have contributed to Malcolm’s life-long commitment to eradicating poverty.”
Malcolm was successful at the GCE O and A level examinations. Immediately after St Stanislaus College he entered the Society at Roehampton, London and in his short personal statement, written by each Jesuit during his first two years in the Society before taking First Vows, he wrote: “I came here immediately after St Stanislaus. I thought of entering religion about two years ago and about entering the Society of Jesus about a year ago. I am interested in the people of my own mission country, British Guiana. I am interested in Physics. I think my health is quite good and I have a retentive memory.”
He was received into the Society on 7th September 1960 at Roehampton. He did the Novitiate and then his First Vows on 8th September 1962. He studied Philosophy at Heythrop College, Oxford between 1962 and 1965 and then Physics between 1965 and 1969 at Campion Hall, Oxford, graduating with a BA and then an MA in Physics. Malcolm returned to Guyana in 1969 for Regency. He was assigned to teaching as Head of the Physics Department at Corentyne High School in Berbice.
He then left on 1st August 1970 for Rio Hondo, Mexico, for studies in Theology and there he developed his interest in (and love for) all things Latin American. He was ordained in 1973 and returned to Guyana and was assigned as Senior Science Master at his Alma Mater, St Stanislaus College. He then left to assist in the establishment of the Physics Department at the University of Guyana, where he was appointed on 15th October 1975 as a Temporary Lecturer in the Department of Physics. In September 1976 he was appointed Lecturer 1, Department of Physics and promoted Lecturer II two years later. He did his Tertianship between 1983 and 1984 in Denver, Colorado, after which, in September 1985, he was appointed Regional Superior, the first Guyanese to hold the office in 1986. He concurrently was the Senior Lecturer and Head, Department of Physics at the University of Guyana. He was re-appointed Regional Superior for another 3 years which was an uncommon practice in the Society. Balancing his religious obligations with his academic responsibilities, between September 1989 and August 1991, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and on 1st September 1991, was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, an appointment he held until 31st August 1993.
As Director of the Environmental Studies Unit (ESU) at the University, on 20th February, 1995, he was heavily involved in environmental matters, including a series of research projects and the inquiry into the 1995 Omai Cyanide spill. Fr Malcolm’s other contributions to UG during the 23 years he spent there were the Inter-Faith Services to mark UG’s 25th Anniversary in 1998, ensuring that staff and students could participate on Campus in the religious observance of Ash Wednesday, and he was instrumental in beginning the Nine Lessons of Carols at Christmas. He played a seminal role in the establishment of the Centre of Biological Diversity at the University.
The Government of Guyana appointed him a Founding Board Member of the world renowned Iwokrama. The first Director General (DG) of The Iwokrama International Centre, Australian Dr David Cassells shared from his memory that Malcolm was on the Board in his capacity as the Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Guyana. The Interim Board morphed into the Centre’s Board at its first meeting in early 1997 and Fr Malcolm helped the DG select some of the most important assets at the Centre for the Professional Development Fellows Programme. Dr Cassells assessed Fr Malcolm as “a tower of strength on the Iwokrama Board of Trustees. A man committed to truth and justice. A life well lived.”
In 2001, he was missioned to Karasabai and the people of Karasabai remember him with particular affection as he was the first priest to live in the community. Sadly, ill health – malaria and TB – forced him to a more temperate climate and he was appointed a Parish Priest of St Teresa’s in Trinidad, where I paid him a visit in 2004. He returned to Guyana in 2007 and was appointed Superior of the Brickdam community. He was instrumental in the transformation of the old CCY Buildings into the present Arrupe House and facilitated the movement of the Georgetown community into these new premises. Among the Jesuits, he was a respected leader whose judgements were sound. He generously shared his wealth of wisdom and experience with those who came after him in the office of Regional Superior.
Malcolm was an environmentalist and a keen gardener, and he was especially enamored of the many-splendored hibiscus varieties that abound in Guyana. He and Elaine Radzik, known for her own gardening skills, took ‘hibiscus cuttings’ from any sources they could, sometimes even with a bit of smuggling of these floral gems from mutual acquaintances in Barbados.
Fr Malcolm relished his pastoral assignments in the hinterland – in the North West District (NWD), the Rupununi and in the Pakaraimas. In 2014, he was assigned to Bartica, where he was instrumental in building a new Church. In 2016, he joined Fr Marlon Innis and Fr Amar Bage to re-establish a Jesuit community in Hosororo in the NWD. Here he became well known for his faithful ministry to the sick and shut-ins, working closely with the Missionary of Charity Sisters.
The retired HM of Hosororo Primary in Region 1, who is also a Parish Lay Person, sent me this Tribute on behalf of the people of her community: “He served faithfully the Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Hosororo for many years and because of his love for God, the people of Hosororo and the surrounding Catholic Communities were blessed under his leadership and received the golden opportunity of receiving Mass.”
Monsignor Terrence Montrose, CCH, communicated to me Fr Malcolm’s passion for justice and rights not only in the public sphere but also in the Church. He related: “A group tried to push out a youngster from a meeting because of his ethnicity and he stood up for the lad in a very vocal way. When, at one of our children’s parties we didn’t have enough children to eat the food and carry away the gifts, Fr Malcolm went into Broad St and the hall was quickly filled. As a young Diocesan Priest, I was left alone in the Cathedral and Malcolm greatly supported me for which I was grateful. Being his friend led to me being thrown in jail for being seen speaking with Malcolm.”
Fr Malcolm was inspired by the Liberation Theology movement led by priests working in small, disadvantaged Latin American communities who were themselves, like Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Savador, targets of authoritarian regimes. Fr Malcolm walked the talk himself and gave it praxis in Guyana, opting and requesting to serve in remote hinterland communities. Both Malcolm and Fr Paul Martin were keen advocates and firm supporters of traditional knowledge, culture of the use and value of Indigenous languages.
He supported fellow Jesuit P I Gomes as a Diocesan priest both on the East Bank and early years at the Guyana Institute for Social Research & Action (GISRA) with his founding fellow-Jesuit Fr Michael Campbell-Johnston.
Sister Julie Matthews A.A. RSM, testifies that Fr Malcolm showed the compassionate face of God to the world. He was very kind and generous especially to those who were poor and marginalised. She said that for many years Fr Malcolm went to the St John Bosco Orphanage at Plaisance once a week to look at movies with the boys. When the Church decided that the priest need not go to go to the cemetery, he insisted on going to the ground when he celebrated the life of the deceased. He always said that the family needed to feel the presence of God and the Church community in those difficult moments.
Sr Julie feels that one of the qualities that drew persons to Malcolm was his ability to be accepting, non-threatening and non-judgmental in his interaction with people. “When you were in his presence, you felt that you were the most important person in that moment. This quality allowed him to communicate with persons from all walks of life, different religious beliefs, and ethnicities.”
One significant aspect of Fr Malcolm’s tenure at the University was his membership of the University of Guyana’s Ratoon Group. In the Verbatim Report (Amended) of The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry of Thursday, 31st July 2014, Father Malcolm explained that the Ratoon Group, which he joined in 1976, aimed at getting to the real issues that were affecting the country. He said the Ratoon Group decided: “we will offer our services, and a group of us to go around to Industry, the Sugar and Bauxite particularly, and speak to them about trade unionism and their rights as workers and then try to make sure that they understood that all workers faced difficulties at that time and therefore they should learn to work together and support each other”.
“We developed,” he testified, “the concept of solidarity. Solidarity means action not words. We were trying to get them to have a sense that it is distance that separated them, it is time, and maybe ethnicity, but that should not block them from thinking about their own worth as workers. That they were all suffering from various positions – underpaid and so forth.”
In 1977, Malcolm stood with sugar workers and called for the Sugar Levy to be removed. The Unions remember his outspokenness and his contributions to the struggles of the working class.
Malcolm, at the Rodney Inquiry, also touched on his involvement with the protests on the University Campus and elsewhere, at the rejection by the University Council of the employment of Dr Walter Rodney, and the many protests associated with the Arnold Rampersaud Trial in 1974. He was also targeted by the police and on one occasion was charged for not having a right rear indicator on his car.
Jocelyn Dow posits that Fr Malcolm was not at all dogmatic about his faith. He worked over the years with the WPA during the civil rebellion. He worked with the Electoral Assistance Bureau to improve governance and rights for electors, and he taught his much-loved physics with equal passion.
For Vanda Radzik A.A., Malcolm was a very progressive human being with an unerring belief in human rights and women’s leadership. He was a leading figure in the struggles for free and fair elections along with Bishops Randolph George and Benedict Singh, and with Fr Andrew Morrison – editor of the Catholic Standard that carried the banner of fearless truth. He was a staunch supporter of Walter Rodney and his call for the multi-racial unity of the working people of Guyana.
At a more intimate private level Vanda shares the poignant memory that: “Fr Malcolm was a beacon of stability and a safe haven for the Rodney family in the aftermath of Walter’s assassination on Friday 13th June 1980. Fr Malcolm collected them from a fund-raising film show at the Ursuline Convent when the news came. He took them home and stayed with them the night at their home. He was a source of comfort, love, and practical assistance.”
There is an iconic photograph of Fr Malcolm at age 39, dressed in his white shirt-jac, his religious accoutrements draped over his right forearm, the Holy Book gripped firmly in the palm of his right hand, and wearing a red headband, walking purposefully and defiantly, alongside Mrs Pat Rodney on their way to the cemetery.
Fr Malcolm was indeed a compassionate man and had a real gift for optimism and cheerfulness – when everything seemed to be falling apart, Malcolm was able to put a positive spin on things.
At this time when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, and we speak of Peace and Goodwill toward all humankind, and as we say thanks to God for the life and works of this remarkable scholar, teacher, priest, advocate for truth and justice, fearless leader in the fight for democracy and human rights, liberation theologist, confidante and friend, Father Malcolm Anthony Rodrigues, SJ, CCH, how can we ensure his legacy as a beacon of stability endures in this our Native Land. I am reminded of the remarkable call to the people of Grenada for reconciliation by Nadia Bishop, daughter of murdered Prime Minister of Grenada Maurice Bishop and I am certain that her words will have resonance with Fr Malcolm if he were to give his charge to us in Guyana:
“Pain does not justify staying in pain. I don’t mean to imply that our individual stories are invalid, or we should diminish our personal experience, but we must let them go if we are to truly embrace reconciliation. Let us from this day forward tell a new story about our people. Let us tell a story of forgiveness, reconciliation, of renewed purpose, of renewed faith. We are too small a nation to continue this way. I suggest it is time we see the need to reach out to each other. Let us be examples of peace in the world. If we can’t find common ground with our brothers and sisters here in our own country, why do we expect peace to exist anywhere else in the world? Let us individually BE the change that we want to see in the world.”
“…for when at length I come to die
I want no gilded tomb
Just let me rest within thy breast
Where sweet hibiscus flowers bloom”
(Adapted from M A Cossou’s ‘My Native Land’)
