Celebrating Fr Stan’s Life and Humanitarian Work
‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’
2 Timothy 4:7
Two years have gone by since Fr Stan Swamy’s passing, but the ideals he stood for, the principles he represented and the grave injustice meted out to him are still fresh in the minds and hearts of all those who emulate his fight against injustice and empathize with the last, the lost and the least.
Fr Stan Swamy SJ was a Jesuit Priest, a human rights activist but not a ‘silent spectator.’ The morning assembly on 4th July 2023, was a tribute to the man who refused to be chained, who was not deterred by falsehood and who refuted tyranny in all forms.
On 5th July 2023, SJBHS management, staff, students, and well-wishers, came together to celebrate the life of a saintly priest - his mission, and his fearless demeanor in the face of every opposition. Two years have passed since his death but his memory, his fight and his selflessness are remembered as his legacy goes down in history as ‘Fr Stan Swamy Day.’
Fr Maxim Dias SJ celebrated Fr Swamy’s second death anniversary Mass in the school Chapel along with Fr Michael John SJ and Fr Sunil Fernandes SJ. The theme was based on Peace, Reconciliation and Justice. The prayers offered were for the underprivileged, the downtrodden and the lost, lonely, and neglected that they may get respite from injustice and unfairness, that they may be heard and that they might be able to live in some form of dignity. These were the ideals that Fr Stan lived and died for.
A collage of pictures silently played in the background. The silent photographs conveyed the struggles of Fr Stan, his battle with the challenges of the times, his unsurmountable faith in the Jesuit way of life and his courage in the face of adversary – a true apostle of social justice.