Sr. Mary Jane -- Remembering the messiah of prisoners at Aguada jail

By Gerard Delaney

 delaney.gerard@gmail.com

Sr. Mary Jane

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.

 Hailing from the same village as me, Sr. Mary Jan was known t 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

inited 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."

 Brief profile

 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.