Br Cyril Christopher
2018-03-29
Cyril will be remembered for the pranks he would play on the young monks during the December tertianship in Asansol. I loved those three weeks or so that we spent every year in Asansol; between the retreat, jubilee celebrations, first and final profession celebrations, and Christmas festivities — it was magical.
You might also be aware that Cyril looked after a lot of homeless people,and lepers and rickshaw drivers in St Columba's. Then when he was transferred to the Bow, he did the same there. Whenever I hear the gospel from St Matthew about the Last Judgement, “Come you who are blessed by my Father, for I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me …” I think of Cyril. He had already earned his heavenly reward here on earth!
On Holy Thursday, 29th March, 2018. We lost a most unique and outstanding Christian Brother. At about 8 A.M. Br. Philip Cyril Christopher passed away after 2 years of intense physical suffering.
How did I see Cyril? What was so unique about Cyril?
He was absolutely fearless. He was not afraid to face any situation however dangerous and risky it may seem to others. He had been bitten at least once by a snake, attacked by ferocious dogs and trekked on expeditions that would put the chills into many of us.
The principal reason for his fearlessness was his absolute faith in his “Queen” whom he was confident would look after him. And she did protect him right through his life. Cyril suffered a great deal towards the end. But he never uttered a word of complaint as he believed that the Queen would see him through.
Cyril was able to do a huge amount for the poor because of his fearless attitude and his faith in the Queen. He won the admiration of all when he brought the poor and homeless to spend the cold wintery nights in St. Columba’s School. He continued to shelter the homeless when he was transferred to Calcutta.
Cyril loved praying pranks. Many a Brother found his blankets and sheets wet in the dormitories of St. Vincent’s after returning home from a movie at St. Patrick’s. All in good fun and he was quite prepared for the consequences of his actions.
I knew Philip as a boy in Mount Carmel. He was full of life, passionate about sport and nature. I can still see him diving backwards to catch a cricket ball destined for the boundary, and banging his head against the retaining wall in Goethals Memorial School. He was totally focussed and personal peril was not considered. The boy is father to the man. He was to bring the same intensity to all he believed in.
He gave his all as a successful science teacher. His pupils testify to his imbuing them with a love for flora and fauna. He loved people and acquired many friends and admirers. Every place he went he made a deep impression.. In Mount Abu he transformed the whole campus, putting up new buildings and sports facilities. He had a gift for raising necessary funds. His production of "Joseph" in St Vincent's was ground breaking and formed the basis of many a Brothers' sing-song for years - along with his party piece of Jake the Peg! Many Brothers came under his baton as he prepared choirs for various religious services.
He will probably be best remembered for his service of the poor. Homeless people were sheltered in the basement of the ER hall in St Columba's. He provided for the lepers and initiated health programmes for the slum dwellers relocated to Bawana. His zeal was no less in Kolkata. The poor and deprived were his priority. He was quite a trickster and enjoyed playing pranks. One of the street children asked him to mind some money when Cyril brought a group for swims. He was to discover that the boy had stolen the money from his pocket! Cyril enjoyed the incident and there were no recriminations. He had many a tale to tell of his experiences with young drug addicts.
Cyril was a great family man. He visited his family members whenever he could. Our sympathies go to his sisters Maureen and Barbara, his brother Cyril and his in-laws Angelo and Anne and their children.
Br Christopher served as Deputy Provincial — a man of many talents. This little cameo doesn't do him justice. I think he would like me to mention his tender love for Mary his Immaculate Queen. I'm sure she has welcomed him home to be united eternally with his beloved parents, Joy and Maurice.
We miss you Cyril but we rejoice that you have stayed the course. Your sufferings are over, your reward great.
Sameer our Vocation Director, was chatting with me recently, expressing how difficult it is to get across to young people not only in village schools where they have never seen a Christian Brother but also to a slightly lesser extent even in our city schools, where Christian Brothers are visible, from a distance, like the stars!!
This is what prompted me answer the question on Sameer's neat Vocation cards that carry on their face-page, the question "What is a Brother?"
Philip Cyril Christopher provides me with the best, not definition, but description that not only answers that question, but provides a colourful, attractive, simple profound and relevant picture that our young people will relate to but be attracted when one shares with them the myriad stories that make up Cyril's action packed life and often hidden life with the poor.
"What is a Brother?" through the lens of Philip Cyril Christopher, at a glimpse, could be described as (and substantiated by relevant stories): a Jesus-person, a man of steel, with a heart of gold; a tough footballer, a mountaineer, one who was a prankster, who would sometimes be a trickster, playing cards. He was most at home on rooftops, in shorts and a singlet, cutting kites and collecting cut-kites!
More "pictures" of what a Brother is like, still through the lens of Brother Philip Cyril Christopher (26 May, 1950 - 29 March, 2018)
- As a school Principal in Mt, Abu, Rajasthan: in shorts, bare foot playing marbles with the "smallies" in his school outside his office.
- Making a 6-day retreat just sitting with the birds, the trees, the ants, the squirrels and, at night, the stars!
- As close as two feet from a tiger in the jungle camouflaged by the leaves. He sometimes used that photo as his screen-saver.
- Often caught eating, in public, Indian junk food, like "pani-puri"
- Among Brother's friends were juvenile boy and girl pick-pockets and glue sniffers whom he "bribed" to come for afternoon school, in New Delhi, by promising them a daily dip and swimming lessons in the school swimming pool on the basis of daily attendance in school. Result: 100% school attendance!!
A Brother is called to be a Jesus person who comes to show us who God is and what God is like and to have God's vision for a new way of relating, as men women and children — with respect, playfulness, justice, equality, dignity and compassion. Brother Cyril did this in so many ways, often like Jesus, risking criticism, opposition and even rejection. Like Jesus he suffered grievously — in his case for two years and like Jesus and Mary who were his Way, he did so passively, silently, in solidarity with those suffering on the streets of Kolkata and elsewhere. It is symbolic that he went to his God on Maundy Thursday which kept in memory the heavenly meal that was meant to be celebrated on earth attended, by the poor, the last, the least, the beaten and broken, the old and aged street-grandmothers, who were his friends on earth, who were his brothers and sisters, many from the lanes of Kolkata around his school for the poor, St. George's.
Each morning Brother gathered around the daily Word of God, Brother would pray Morning Prayer with the words: "Jesus, help me to be brother in whatever way you want, today." Then he would proceed with his community of brothers to daily Eucharist, not to celebrate it ritualistally like a priest, but realistically, as a brother. In the evenings at evening prayer, he and his community of brothers would share with wonder their experience of having been brother, like Jesus that particular day. Brother Cyril was no great orator or preacher. He was just a beautiful human being with a brother's heart, like Jesus.
I first met Br Christopher in my final year in Abu (81). He taught us year 10's Biology. I got to know him better on the playing field when we started up "Hockey on roller skates" on the basketball courts. He was a skilled and determined player and it was prudent to move out of the way when Br C was charging at the ball ;-)
And then I left school and didn't meet up again till 2004 or 2005 once in Delhi at (Lord) Byron Pereira's (1984) place for a meet and getogether of a few Abuites and soon after when he visited Melbourne and we got a dozen Abu Babus over and yakked away into the night. Br C then told us about the marvelous work he was doing in Calcutta with the not-so fortunates and I took up his offer and visited him in Cal a few years later.
Then there was his trip to Melbourne in 2014/5 where we joined in with his family to raise money for the wonderful work in Calcutta where about 15 Abuites including families attended a gala dinner.
At all these times while Br C had aged he was well and living a passionate life. So it was disbelief when we found out about his ailments and dropping health in 2017.
I got one last chance to see Br C. This time I took my now adult "kids". Josh played guitar and Br Arthur joined in as we sang a few songs that he would know including a couple from Joseph the musical that set the bar for all musicals in Abu (81).
I knew then this was farewell as by this time Br C was a shell of the strapping man we all knew him to be.
I didn't realise it then but over the last few years I've been thinking a lot about my Abu days. It was from these young and not so young brothers — Gale, Christopher, Ward, Deasy, Kelly, Vieyra, Keane — that we boys learnt to be men. They were our role models and in some way they continue to be so even today.
I remember Br C for his gentleness (though others have seen his tough side) his passion for what he was doing — he didn't do things by halves. I am a better man for knowing him.