Sad Demise of Father Naikamparambil Jose SDB at Najafgarh, New Delhi
New Delhi, Najafgarh, May 1, 2018: The Salesian Province of New Delhi is saddened by the sudden death of Fr. Naikamparambil sdb who passed away on 1st May 2018 at 8.30 p.m. due to a massive heart attack.
The funeral Mass was held at Don Bosco Technical Institute Chapel at 5.00 on 3rd May 2018. The Holy Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Maria Arokiam, the Regional and con-celebrated by Fr. Jose Mathew, the Provincial and other priests. There were several priests, sisters and lay faithful especially from the parish of Najafgarh who came to say adieu to Lt. Jose Naikam. His mortal body was laid to rest at Don Bosco cemetery, Okhla.
This is what Fr. Jose Mathew, the Provincial said during Mass:
“Dear Fr. Jose Naikam,
With deep sentiments of sorrow and sadness in our hearts we gather as your relatives, brother priests, brothers and sisters who are indebted to you through the witness of your life and ministry. We gather today to pay our tribute and our respect to you Fr. Jose Naikam – a man of God, our brother. Despite our hope of resurrection, death remains for us painful and mysterious. We are here today trusting that God will minister to our hearts and give us strength as we continue to walk with him.
The news of your sudden death was a real shock to each one of us. We know that words are woefully inadequate to express the pain and sorrow we have in our hearts. Your death makes us reflect as to how precious and yet fragile our lives are.
Dear Fr. Jose, your life has been cut short, you parted from us so suddenly but it is a tragedy that has allowed us to see the remarkable impact you have made on our lives and the numerous others who have come in contact with you during these 71 years of your life’s journey.
Dear Fr. Jose you have given all you had, the numerous talents of nature and grace that you possessed at the service of your Master, Jesus. You were truly lucky that the Lord had bestowed on you so many natural talents and gifts which you have wisely used at the service of the young particularly the poor and the down trodden- this has endeared you so much to us.
We say in our human terminology that you have departed, but, God says that you have arrived. The miraculous scapular you always wore, the rosary beads that you always carried with you and the special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St Joseph, Our Blessed mother and the Salesian saints that you always inculcated capture the elements of faith instilled in you by your parents. I believe that is the reason that you chose to meet your Master on the Feast of St. Joesph the worker, your patron. You have moved ahead during the jubilee year of your profession to make the total offering of your life complete by being with HIM fully.
You were a multi-talented and multi-faceted personality. You had such a wonderful connect with people- people of all walks of life. You had a special knack in getting the help of lay people from all walks of life to support you in your ministry. You have among your close circle, Bishops, doctors, engineers, priests and a multitude of other lay people and religious.
You truly were a man of initiatives – well connected particularly with the down trodden – some of the works that you were engaged in speaks volumes of this dimension of your life- You were certainly a champion of the poor which is manifested in your numerous initiative on behalf of the poor . You have been long associated with the leper colony at Dhurwa, Ranchi. You adopted this village and was fully engaged in taking care, particularly of the education and health of these deprived section of humanity. Many from these peripheries of society are today well placed and their lives are an eloquent witness of your self-sacrifice and dedication.
You underwent many a challenges and even at the cost of being deprived of ordinary legitimate comforts of life during those years that you spent in the remote and deprived areas of Jokbahla, Kereng etc. to serve and empower those to whom you were sent. You were deeply rooted in the culture and customs of the local people. Among the many initiatives you took, some that shine out most are your association for the Rickshaw pullers of Ranchi. You organized funds and provided several hundreds of Rickshaws for them and animated this group in their self-reliance process. You even organized sports, picnics and other entertainments to bring in some elements of joy and optimism into their lives.
Your concern for the social causes and social transformation took you to take up several bold drives to eradicate the evil effects of liquor and its ugly influence on women and families even at the cost of risking your life and popularity.
You were a true lover of nature and mother earth. You did much wherever you were sent to plant thousands of trees along with the help of well-wishers and the students of your school. You were very fond of the flag ship programme of our Prime Minister ‘Swach Bharath’. Your cleanliness drive initiatives with your students, parishners and others are really noteworthy. You did not hesitate to involve people of influence and politicians in your ventures.
You were a great writer and a one man army, spear heading the value upheld by our father and founder St, John Bosco of spreading good literature through Booklets and books, pamphlets etc…for people of all age groups: You have to your credit over 15 books and a dozen devotional songs productions and a host of other booklets in Hindi spreading popular devotion (novena on St. John Bosco, Mary Help of Christians), to animate every group in society.
- Ghar ho to aisa: (on family)
- Bhai ho to aisa: (on Salesian brothers inspired by Ven. Simon Srugi)
- Yuva Sudharak evam jagat guru: For youth
- Maa ho to aisi: For mothers
- Haath pakad lo saat saat chalei: For parents to guide their children
- Most wanted Life of Jesus for people of all faiths
- Kacchi kali: Life of Laura Vicuna etc.
These are but a few of the concrete expressions of your fertile imagination and the urge to make this world a better place to live in. To spread the devotion to Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother, Don Bosco and the Salesian saints you produced several cassettes and devotional songs which are still of great value.
You had a very special devotion to the Sacred Heart and ensured that the Sacred Heart is venerated in as many homes and institutes as possible. You organized and animated the groups of Salesian co -operator’s movement wherever you went- The co-operators units of Hatia, Kokar and Najafgargh bears ample testimony to this.
You were totally down to earth and unassuming- your simple special steel plate for meals ,your dress materials , warm clothes and footwear bought from the ordinary places were your way of sharing the pain and depravities of the common people you served.
You were always proud to be a Salesian Priest. As a convinced Salesian you were ever available to minister to the sacramental needs of the faithful. You would spend hours at the confessional. Amidst the darkness of what has happened and some aspect of your life that we have reflected, the funeral service today is a challenge for all of us to rise above our grief – to bring the vision of God into focus. We are truly indebted to you for these and much more. You were truly a valuable son of Don Bosco. Art. 54 of our constitution that you professed and lived by states, that “when a Salesian dies working for souls, the congregation has won a great triumph”.
We are triumphant today as you enter the Joy of the master. You never allowed the discomfort and uneasiness of your body to drown the desire to do good even when it really hurt you. You never allowed yourself to fade into eternity, but, have walked bravely to His eternal Home to rejoice with Your Master and Lord forever. “For we know Lord, that for your faithful people, life is changed not ended”
Dear Fr. Jose, today we come to bury your body but not your spirit. We come to bury your mind but not your dreams. We come to bury your voice but not your message. We come to bury your hands but not your good work. We come to bury your heart but not your love. We thank God for the privilege of having known you and been enriched by your life.
Today we offer to the Lord, the weight of our grief, the sacrifice of our tears. We surrender to the Almighty even your mortal remains with the firm belief that you are in the company of God the giver of life who is ever merciful and forgiving. May Your Soul through the loving mercy of God rest in peace. AMEN.”
Fr. Jose Mathew SDB
Provincial- New Delhi