Fr Rufus Pereira - A Clarification

Fr Rufus Pereira - A Clarification

Sir, Your issue of May 12 carried an Obituary in which it was reported that "Fr Pereira was also Director of the Catholic Charismatic Bible Institute that was recently integrated into the ICCRS, Rome, as responsible for the global ministry of healing and deliverance." Since the same report has been published elsewhere too, may we clarify the several things that are garbled, for there never was, nor is, such a thing as the Catholic Charismatic Bible "Institute," nor is the Catholic Bible Institute connected with the ICCRS in Rome or the deliverance ministry. When started in 1979 in the Jesuit Villa, Versova, Bombay, by the Chairman, Fr Fio Mascarenhas SJ and his colleagues in the National Service Team(NST), it was called the Catholic Charismatic Bible College. After Fr Fio was transferred to Rome in 1981 (to become Director and eventually Chairman of ICCRS), Fr Rufus became its Director and Mr Terence Fonn its Asst. Director. This "College" was closed down in 1986 by the NST. When on Fr. Fio's return to India, he again became the NST Chairman in 1993, he restarted it in the Jesuit premises of Campion School, Mumbai, and appointed Fr. Rufus again as Director, and Dr Renu Silvano as Asst. Director.

With the encouragement of Cardinal Ivan Dias; a Public Trust called the Catholic Bible Institute was formed in the Archdiocese of Bombay in 1998, with the word "Charismatic" dropped to emphasize that its services were for the universal Church and not just for a Movement, and the word "College" was changed to "Institute" to signify that its focus was the biblical pastoral needs of the Church rather than just academic study. Dr. Renu Silvano, STD, OCV became its Director, and Fr. Rufus and the NST eventually withdrew from any responsibility over it. (Fr. Rufus of course continued to be its great friend, recommending it to his contacts!). This "Catholic Bible Institute" acquired its own premises in Bandra, Mumbai, and has no connection with ICCRS, nor is it invovled in any ministry of deliverance, its sole objective is to help disciples "love, study, and interpret the Bible in a Catholic way." Besides an annual month - long course for students from all over the world, it conducts various evening classes and weekend biblical retreats for the people of Mumbai, and publishes the free, full-colour magazine BIBLE AGLOW amd other useful publications on biblical spirituality.

--Bro Inacin Fernandes, Secretary of the Trust
-from the Letters to the Examiner