FR. CORNELIUS EKKA S.J

Obituary (20.10.2017)

Dear Archibishop Ani J.T. Couto, Fr. George Pattery, Provincial of South Asia, Fr. Michael Thanaraj, Rector of Vidyajyoti, Fathers, brothers, sisters, my dear faithful and the little children.

Fr. Cornelius Ekka is no more. His mischievous smile and hearty laughter will not be heard any longer, and the institute is without a Church Historian and Ecclesiologist. But we bow to the will of the Almighty, and accept his death, as we accept life, as coming from the hands of our loving Father in heaven.

Yesterday, 19th October 2017, in the evening he went to St. Xavier’s ground to play foot ball. Earlier in the day, we have witnessed how beautifully he organized ecumenical day seminar and chaired the session. A few minutes into the game he complained of chest pain. The brothers asked him to rest a while. But he chose to continue with the game. A few minutes later he found he could no longer play. He stopped playing and started to walk out. While walking out he collapsed. Immediately he was rushed to Sant Paramananda Hospital and there he was declared dead at 6.16 p.m. The passing away of Father Cornelius Ekka (affectionately called Corne) is a heavy loss to the innumerable friends, colleagues, former and present students of Vidyajyoti, in Delhi, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.

In our human reckoning, his death was untimely; all of us are deeply saddened. Corne is known among his colleagues and students for his short devotion to duty and availability to all. He was full of affection and concern. He often said, “First Class” – “Everything is good”. If he had lived for a few more years we would have seen his contribution to Church History and Ecclesiogy. He was a friendly and companionable person; it was very pleasant to be in his company. I am reminded of the words of Hamlet: “He was a man, take him for all in all: we shall not look upon his like again”.

Fr Corne was born to Mr. Barnabas Ekka and Mrs. Christina Ekka on 18th May 1969, in Benjora Village situated in Jashpur Civil District. He was the youngest in the family. He has left behind his elder brother and elder sister. He completed his primary and middle school at Ambakona and the Higher Secondary at Kunkuri in Jashpur, Chattisgarh. In 1993 he went to Bhopal for his graduation in B.Sc, Mathematics which he completed in 1996.

He joined the Jesuit Pre-Novitiate in 1989 at Boirdader, Raigarh and was schooled in the Ignatian Exercises at Khrist Milan Ashram, Ambikapur from 1989-90. Then he was sent for Juniorate at XTTI, Patna. He did his philosophy studies from JDV, Pune in the years 1996-98. He was sent for regency at Loyola Higher Secondary School, Kunkuri, Jashpur. He was promoted to pursue his theological studies at Vidyajyoti, College of Theology and was ordained a priest on the 7th May 2004 at Ambakona, Jashpur. He did his Masters in Theology at Vidyajyoti from 2006 to 2008. He worked as a tutor in theology from 2008-10 and was appointed as lecturer in 2010. As a tutor and lecturer, he taught different courses: General Church History, Tribal Messianic Movements, Trinity and Tribal Theology. He has written a few articles and book reviews. Notable among these is: “Contribution of the Laity for the Spread of Christian Faith in Jashpur-Raigarh-Ambikapur: in ICHR. Vol. 52 (2009).

Fr. Cornelius was a very bright student. This is seen all through his studies, both secular and religious. He was a hard working and very intelligent person. He was always serene, calm and cool – a well-integrated person. He showed keen interest in theology. He was very good in his dealings with others, mixing well with all, adivasis and others equally. He had a wide range of knowledge, gained from life and studies, which he brought into his theological- pastoral reflections. He was very insightful, directed and focussed. To those who knew him, he came across as a person who was inwardly free and docile. The staff of Vidyajyoti were unanimous in promoting him for higher studies in theology and to be on the staff of Vidyajyoti College of Theology. In 2011 he was sent to do his doctoral studies at Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria. In 2016, Fr. Cornelius Ekka completed his doctorate in church history. The title of his dissertation is “The German Swiss Jesuits in India (1914-1962) - A Historico-Missiological Study”. He returned to India and joined the Vidyajyoti staff in July 2017.

Fr. Cornelius perhaps did not achieve much that is visible. But I am sure he has achieved much unseen, in the hearts of the faithful of different parishes of the Archdiocese of Delhi: Rosary Church, St. Mary’s Church, Kapashera and in the hearts of the domestic working girls from Jharkhand. He organized beautifully the Karam festival this year. As the fieldwork director he was planning for Vidyajyoti Annual Bal Mela. He visited the ministry places where our students go and had a special love for the poor and slum children. On 15th of this month when the children of Majnu ka Tilla slum came to VJ he showed special love for these children.

“Mrtyorma Amruthangamaya”. His baptism, in which he was buried with Christ, has its full effect now in his death; for it unites him to the Risen Christ. Therefore, while we mourn his death, because our Christian hope based on the resurrection of Christ, our hearts must also experience joy and peace. The Christian hope tells us that he has gone to the Lord’s house to dwell there for even and ever.

I would like to say a special word of thanks to Fr. George Pattery, the Provincial of South Asia and Fr. Kalyanus Minj, the Provincial of Madhya Pradesh Province, who had given him to Vidyajyoti, College of Theology.

While his death will mean a big gap and while we mourn his loss with sorrow, we remember also the prayer of the liturgy which reminds us: “Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended”.

We offer our condolences to his parents, his brothers and sisters and pray the Lord to grant them the strength to bear this separation with resignation and courage so that they and we can say in the words of Job: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1”21). Let us pray in the words of office of the Mother Church:

“Grant O Lord, to Fr. Cornelius your Servant and

Priest now that his short life is past the glorious evening that shall last;

that by a holy death attained.

Eternal glory may be gained”. Amen

(To be added - Karl Rahner’s prayer o the last things to come - eschatology)

P. R. John sj

P. Cornelius Ekka SJ ist am Abend des 19. Okt. 2017 an der Theol. Fakultät in Neu Delhi einem Herzinfarkt erlegen! Der HERR vergelte ihm alles durch Seine Gnade! RIP

Antwortpsalm
Ps 130 (129), 1-2.3-4.5-6b (R: 7bc)
R Beim Herrn ist die Huld,
(GL neu 639, 3)
bei ihm ist Erlösung in Fülle. - R
1 Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir:
II. Ton
2 Herr, höre meine Stimme!
Wende dein Ohr mir zu,
achte auf mein lautes Flehen! - (R)
3 Würdest du, Herr, unsere Sünden beachten,
Herr, wer könnte bestehen?
4 Doch bei dir ist Vergebung,
damit man in Ehrfurcht dir dient. - (R)
5 Ich hoffe auf den Herrn, es hofft meine Seele,
ich warte voll Vertrauen auf sein Wort.
6ab Meine Seele wartet auf den Herrn
mehr als die Wächter auf den Morgen. - R

Die Not der Priester

denzinger-katholik.blogspot.co.at
Der Priester kommt sich vor wie bei der babylonischen Sprachenverwirrung: Alle redeten dieselbe Sprache, aber keiner verstand mehr den anderen. Was heißt „Gott"? Was heißt „Sohn Gottes"? Was heißt „Eucharistiefeier"? Was heißt „Glaube"? Was heißt „Priester"?
Und das Schlimmste: Wer redet offen mit dem anderen? Wer enthüllt seinen innersten Glauben und seine Zweifel? Der Priester findet kaum jemanden; der Priester steht wie vor Masken. Und er selber wird daher auch eine Maske: wenn er auf der Kanzel predigt, als wäre noch alles beim alten; wenn er die alten Frauen und Männer und die Kinder bei ihrem Glauben läßt. Der Priester möchte in seinem Innersten der große Wahrheitssucher sein, Wahrheitskünder sein, Zeuge der Wahrheit sein, Anstoß zur Wahrheit; und nun wird er zur Quelle der Dunkelheit und Zweideutigkeit. Qual des Priesters, Not des Priesters, Zweifel des Priesters. Und wenn er sich diesen Zustand selber eingesteht, so zerbricht er daran. Und deswegen verdrängt er das Wissen um diesen Zustand. Aber was wird dann daraus?
Wenn man alles, was man heute hört, zusammenzählt, dann kommt man zu dem Ergebnis:
Wir haben Dogmen, aber sie gelten nicht,
wir haben ein Lehramt, aber es lehrt nicht,
wir haben eine eucharistische Gegenwart, aber er ist nicht gegenwärtig,
wir haben ein Gottheit Christi, aber er ist nicht Gott,
wir haben ein Gebet, aber es erreicht niemanden,
wir haben ein Credo, aber es ist nur eine Sprachregelung,
wir haben eine Auferstehung, aber er blieb im Grab,
wir haben Wunder, aber es ereignete sich nichts,
wir haben eine Bibel, aber sie ist nur ein Bilderbuch,
wir haben Selbstaussagen Christi, aber er hat es nie gesagt,
man tut, als ob man daran glaubte, aber man glaubt nicht daran,
man bleibt in der Kirche, aber man ist nicht überzeugt.
Der Priester denkt nach und ist in Not.
Herbert Madinger, Glaubensnot der Priester, Theologisches Nr. 10 (Februar 1971), S. 150f