Clergy & Religious Share Loving Lessons from Dad

Sr Juliet Rajah CHF

“I learnt from my father, Davy Rajah, that God comes first in life, that service to the faith community is important. He was an active member of St Martin de Porres RC Church in Gonzales, and the St Vincent de Paul Society.

He served in many ways from doing manual jobs around the church, assisting the older folks in the community who could not manage by themselves, taking ministry minutes at meetings, treasurer, and being the alarm clock for many of the priests by giving them a wake-up call on Sunday mornings.

I learnt that he cared for me and my siblings in the way he found ways to celebrate life, birthdays, First Communion, passing a test etc. Also, all the DIY (Do It Yourself) skills I possess, fixing broken things around the community, sawing, hammering basic plumbing etc.”

Fr Peter Aduaka

“My dad [Samuel Chukwukelu Aduaka] was a quiet person and he has always been my hero. As a little child, I would have encountered a lot of problems, and he has always been there.

When I had an accident where mistakenly someone poured [on] me hot oil, he was right there. I remember my dad carrying me with his two hands rushing to the hospital. I remember that very day and when we came back in the middle of the night, he woke up again and rushed me to the hospital.

I and my brother, we don’t want to go to school, and my mother is trying to ask us to go to school, we trying to dodge. My dad will physically pick up a cane to make sure we go to school.

He has always been part of my life and made me to realise the man you have to be there in the family. You have to be there visibly present because the presence of my dad helped a lot.

In the family, we were all boys…imagine everybody from different direction… I learned from my dad to be patient. Whatever it is, my dad is a patient man, and he is a man who will be there for his family, for his children, making sure he is there in their life, joining with them.

Just for a while now, he has been sick, he can’t do much again but because of the role he played in our lives everybody tries to rally around to see how we can help.

That is why each time I go back to Nigeria, I will tell my mother to rest. I will take turns bathing him and wash him. Each time I do that he reminds me of the role he played in my life….

I learned patience whatever it is, whatever struggle it is you have to be patient because my mom is not the quiet type, he put up with her and remains with her to this day.

Secondly, he has always been there when that trouble comes, he is always there to play his role as a dad. Celebrating Father’s Day is something I always look forward to, it reminds me of the role fathers will play.”

Abbott John Pereira OSB

“My dear Pop [Albert Valentine Pereira], after many hard days’ work, used to go to Dheins Bay at Carenage to take ‘ozone’. He would often invite me to come with him. I did not know exactly what my father meant by ozone, however, I used to enjoy these visits to Dheins Bay.

Oh, how I miss my dad and our several trips to Dheins Bay. His close friends used to call him AV for short.