A tribute to Fr.K.Raj - Fr.Anthony Pichai

CONDOLENCE MESSAGE

I was shocked to hear the sad and untimely demise of Fr.Maria Arul Kulandai Raj, SJ, Director of Xavier Institute of Computer Applicatiion (XICA), St.Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad. I know him since the days when my daughter was a student of St.Xavier’s College till graduation in the year 2005. I had occasions to meet him. He was really a servant of God with simplicity and principles.

His ‘departure’ is a great loss to all of us. We may console ourselves that it may be the Will of God that he was to be promoted to Glory at this young age and that death is not an end but a beginning of life in Heaven. Please convey my heartfelt condolences to his grieved family members and relatives. I know that my words are nowhere to console them, but I pray that Almighty God may give them all strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss. May God fill the hearts of everybody who are in grief with His divine peace which surpasses all understanding. We as the children of God have a hope that he is resting eternally in the bossom of God and one day we will see him face to face.

May his soul rest in peace.

With grief,

V.V.Mathew

PS to H.E. the Governor of Gujarat.

Biography of Fr.K.Raj

Fr.Maria Arul Kulandairaj, popularly known as Fr.Raj succumbed to a heart attack in his sleep in the early hours of the morning of 31^st August, 2010. Fr.Raj dedicated his life for the service of the people of Gujarat and joined the Gujarat province of the Jesuit order on the 25^th July, 1982. Earlier that year, he had completed his B.Sc. (Maths) at St.Xavier’s college, where he was later appointed as a Lecturer in the computer science Department. He headed the department of the computer science and later went on to serve as Vice-Principal of St.Xavier’s college, from 2004 to 2009. In June 20098, honoring the wishes of the Xavier’s management he resigned his post at St.Xavier’s college and assumed office as the director of the Xavier Institute of Computer Applications, The BCA college of Xavier’s. Fr.Raj earned his MCA Degree at St.Joseph’s Trichy, and had a reputation for his prowess in Electronic equipment and computer technology. He received his ‘Diksha’ as a priest on 25^th November, 1995 and as a Jesuit Sadhu on 1^st January, 2003. The Xavier’s Parivar mourns the early demise of a faithful member of the family who never hesitated to give of himself unstintingly in the service of the students, staff and alumni of Xavier’s. The Funeral services were held on Wednesday, 1^st September in the Xavier’s Church.