In Memory

Fr. Maurice Dullard, S. J.

Fr Maurice Dullard (8/5/1929 - 26/6/2013)

Fr. Maurice Dullard passed away in the early morning of June 26th at St. Stanislaus college, Sitagarha. He was the second Principal of the school. His funeral was held at Sitagarha  on Thursday (27/6/2013) and was attended by a large number of Jesuits and HOXANs. 

Pics from the Funeral service at Sitagarha. (Photo courtesy, Bulu Imam'59)

Fr. Maurice Dullard, affectionately called  “Maurie”, by those close to him was born in Echuca, Victoria, Australia, on 8 May 1929.  He is survived by two brothers and two sisters. 

Maurie had his primary education in the State School in nearby Panoo, and for his secondary studies he was in Assumption College, Kilmore, under the Marist Brothers. A good student, he excelled in football and athletics, representing his school in the combined Catholic secondary athletics competition.

He passed his matriculation in 1947 and joined the Society of Jesus in February 1948 in Melbourne. After a successful degree course at the University of Melbourne he was appointed to Hazaribag in January 1956, immediately joining the staff of St Xavier’s Hazaribag where he joined other young Jesuits including  Frs. Ken McNamara, Michael Doyle, Ambrose Byrne, James Collins and Peter Nolan. He was the Prefect of Studies under Fr. John Moore, a post he held for three and half years. Here his talent for administration became apparent. The boys found him an exacting disciplinarian and a good teacher, qualities which came into full play on his being appointed to succeed Fr Moore as Principal and Rector in  June 1965. He was to remain in the post of Rector and Principal for just three years but during this time, as remarked by his successor, ‘he showed an extraordinary capacity for work, a high sense of duty, and an extreme sense of charity and respect for others’. He was able to steer the school through a time of crises in education when criticisms were often leveled at the type of school St Xavier’s had become. He spoke eloquently in his annual reports on the state of the school defending its record. He even envisaged a time when a Hindi stream might develop along with the Senior Cambridge system, a vision which ten years later was realised with the development of a sister institution, the Hindi medium St Robert’s High School, which was housed for some years in the same campus as St Xavier’s.

Fr. Dullard while at SXS

Maurie had studied theology in Kurseong and had been ordained  on 25 March 1963. After three years as Principal  he was appointed to be the Superior of  the Jesuit Region of Hazaribag and Palamau. He served the Society of Jesus as Tertian Instructor for twelve years from 1975 to 1986, interrupted by a year’s break for work in the parishes of Bishrampur and Nayakhar in Palamau. In 2003 he was again Tertian Instructor, this time at  the XTTI, Patna.

At six different times he gave courses on Ignatian spirituality and Ignatian history in such diverse places as Rome, Philippines, Thailand Korea, Malaysia and Australia. In January 1987 he was sent by Fr General Kolvenbach to Korea on a special mission to guide the Korean Jesuits through a difficult period of their development. Fr. General had observed that the Ignatian charism was present in Maurie in a very special way.

After the transfer of Bishop George Saupin in 1988 he was appointed Administrator of the diocese of Daltonganj, while at the same time Superior of the Vivek Sadan community. He remained on for two  more years with Bishop Charles Soreng as his Secretary.

At the age of 68, Fr Dullard was transferred back to St Stanislaus College, this time as assistant to the Novice master where he remained for the next six years.There followed another two years as Superior of Vivek Sadan and in 2004 he was back in St Xavier’s, Hazaribag, as Superior of the community. In all these years  Maurie was in constant demand as a retreat director and as confessor to religious communities.

For most of his career he retained a deep interest in the welfare of the school and kept in touch with former students through HOXA as “Patron”.

Fr Dullard at the Jan 2012 HOXA Reunion, with one of his students Gautam Mukherjee on the Rt (Photo by Gautam Mukherjee)

By 2008-9, Maurie’s age was beginning to show; however he was always reluctant to surrender to advancing age and he bent himself to his new surroundings. He gave in to years of persuasion and set  about writing on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. His book, Hearts Burning Within Us is a unique compendium of Ignatian texts and Scripture arranged for retreat directors for any form of the Spiritual Exercises.

His end came quickly. On the 25th evening he was unable to eat and was clearly very weak and disorientated. His companions remained with him throughout the night.  Fortified with the Sacrament of the sick he breathed his last at 3.15 a.m. on 26 June 2013. 

Info provided by Fr. PJ James, SJ, current SXS Principal, and Fr. Bill Dwyer, SJ

At SXS, school was  cancelled for Thursday and a  prayer meeting was held at 8.45 AM to honor Fr. Dullard's memory. 


 Fr Dullard's speech at the 2012 HOXA Reunion

click on the play button once to view . Video clip is programmed to automatically begin and end with Fr. Dullard's speech. To replay speech refresh page by pressing F5 and then press play button again (This is to avoid viewing the longer clip of which Fr. Dullard's speech is a portion of)

 Use Full screen icon at bottom right if needed (after clip has started playing)


Message from Fr. Dullard's niece, Catherine Dullard Fraser

Greetings friends of Fr Maurice Dullard. My name is Catherine Dullard and I am Maurice's niece from Australia. I visited Maurice in 1981. I clearly remember his pride in the students, teachers and friends of St Xavier's in Hazaribagh. Maurice took my cousin Carmel and me to the cemetery in Sitagarha and explained that he wanted to be buried there when his time came -'under the Indian sun'. Whilst he loved his adopted country India, he was a wonderful scribe and kept close contact with his three brothers and three sisters in Australia. He also followed with great interest the lives of all his nieces and nephews. We thank you for your love and care of Maurice during his beautiful life. My father Frank, Maurice's brother, and my mother Mary are feeling the loneliness of their brother's death but they are reassured by the wonderful tributes to Maurice from those who have been nurtured and guided by this saintly man. God bless you all.

Message#2

We have loved reading all the tributes to Fr Maurice and as my father Frank (Maurie's older brother) is now 85 I am doing as much as possible to show him the love and respect that was shown towards Maurice.

I hope we are not over stepping the mark by posting messages on the St Xavier's site but that was Maurice's life and we have all been in awe of him over the years.  We treasured the trips that he had home and I especially felt close to him as I had visited him in 1981 before I married. My husband and I were hoping to visit next year and tried to put the trip forward when we heard that he was so unwell. Alas it didn't happen. Maybe we will come over and meet some of you wonderful people who were a part of his life and visit his final resting place.

Kind Regards,
Catherine Fraser


Message from Fr. Dullard's niece, Monica Dullard

Hello everyone at St Xavier's Hazaribag. I am Fr. Maurice's niece from Melbourne, Australia, and on behalf of all his nieces and nephews and big family here in Australia we would like to send our sincere sympathies to you all in India on the news of Maurice's death today. We will be thinking of you all tomorrow at Maurice's funeral, as we know how much he was loved in India and how highly he was thought of as a Jesuit priest, an educator, and for his kindness and humour. He was much loved by his family and we were all very proud of who he was. Kindest regards and love to you all, for your loss. Monica Dullard. on behalf of all Maurice's family and especially from my father, Jim (Maurice's brother) and my mother Marie of Pine Grove, Victoria, where Maurice spent his childhood.


 



 
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28/06/13 11:49 AM #22    

Indranil Gupta (1982)

He was one of the last surviving great priests and reverends, associated with the name and glory of SXSH...selfless souls who gave away a major part of their own lifetimes for the cause of quality education and social upliftment. He will always be remembered and missed by each and everybody who came in close contact with him or even knew him during his SXSH days…sad that we don’t make or have too many noble people like them associated with SXSH anymore. May his Soul Rest in Peace...Amen!


28/06/13 05:18 PM #23    

Monish Mondal (1966)

fr maurtice dullard, sj

thank you for teaching us to think for ourselves and not to rely on "bazar notes".

r.i.p.

monish kumar mondal (1966)

 

 


28/06/13 10:09 PM #24    

Ashok Pathak (1966)

Dear Father James

It was with great sadness that I learned of Father Dullard's passing last week.  Unfortunately I was away in Scotland and hence I was unable to write earlier.  I had the pleasure of meeting him after several years at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.  Although he looked frail physically the warmth and affectio he shoed us during that visit is memorable/.  He was my principle towards the latter part of my career and besides being an excellent teacher he was a great human being, a very caring person and even at that young age we felt he was very considerate and kind. 

I remember personally that his recommendation letter very probably secured me a place in medical school and I owe much to him as he was instrumental in helping me carve my medical career. 

He will be sadly missed by all of us and me personally as I have very fond memories of my school days of which he was the Principal at the time.

 

Regards

Ashok Pathak


29/06/13 05:46 AM #25    

Hoxa Website Admin

Some of the condolence messages received by email

 

  • I fondly remember Father Dullard as our teacher and Dorm supervisor.  He was a true gentleman and an intellectual.  He had a keen sense of humor.  I used to sometimes go over to his office during study hours and have discussions with him on various topics.  I remember his favorite quotation, "Father Dullard is no Dullard."  

    Father Moore, Father Dullard, and Father Doyle were the three people of St. Xavier's who had the greatest impact on me.  Father Dullard's passing away is a great personal loss to me.

    Dr. T. K. Bhattacharya, Class of 1960

 

  • I found in Father Dullard a perfect gentleman. I still remember the time when there was a  pile of donkey dung in his room when some of our friends had tied up the dhobi's donkey in the room. All that Father Dullard said was.."Amal take your brother (or maybe it was ..friend) away". There was no anger and no attempt to chastise.

     I remember him for his smile that rarely, if ever, left his face. He was otherwise serious about his teaching and I always enjoyed his classes that he conducted meticulously. There was always a very strong feeling of love in him that was apparent whenever I would speak to him.

    Though he had aged when I saw him the last time a couple of years ago his smile and affection were still a part of him. In his passing I have lost a part of my childhood.

    RIP Father Dullard.

    Bhaktimay Ray Choudhury, Class of 1960

 

  • A sad news that hit hard : the passing away of Fr. Dullard, S.J.  His Eng Lang classes honed our appetite for appreciating good writing & speech.  But the two years of Geography (an optional subject; creating an undying love of it) & our Balmoral(top floor) hostel in-charge during the final  years of the 1959 batch, made us know the man that was Fr. Dullard.  As Subir Banerjee('59) of Ranchi said, on hearing the news, that "He was the Best of the Lot" .  A deeply religious man , he wore his cassock lightly : always approachable , with a dry sense of humour .Often his first greeting of the day was  "How are you prognosticating ?". After a round of banter, he would come out with " You galla !" ( hope I have got the word right ; some sort of a mischievous Australian bird , I think : perhaps someone reading this can confirm).

     I remember , a cycle trip to the Sitagarah farm (educational cum picnic) of our Geography class ; I remember the huge , pink  sow mucking about in the mud of her sty ; and during all those later years of growing up , whenever a P.G. Wodehouse book had " The Empress of Blanding Castle", my mind used to go back to that distant, balmy afternoon at the Sitagarah farm : the large, fat pink sow, & the kind hearted man , who understood gawky, growing-up kids -- Fr. Dullard S.J.    

    RIP ; you will live amongst us for ever.

             Subrata Banerjee (1959). 

 

  • I am deeply sorry that Fr Maurice Dullard is no more.

    Amongst all the Jesuits  during  my time at school , I knew Maurice Dullard and Michael Doyle very closely.

    Maurice  was  friendly , supportive , a  great  Geography teacher - and with an even greater  sense of  wit and  humour .

    I shall miss Fr Maurice Dullard.

    He'll be  in my  prayers .

    A sad moment  for all of  us - yet these are also moments   to  salute  the tremendous sacrifice  the Jesuits  made , and  continue  to make , in the service  of  Education .

    Rahul Dey, class of 1960

 

  • It was in October 2012 , I and my wife visited St. Xavier's and also Sitagarha where we met Fr. Dullard. He offered us lunch and then took us to the cemetery , telling us to meet our old friends who were no more. We paid our respects to Fr. Moore; Fr. Grogan, Fr. Thwaits, Fr. Cronin, Fr. Laschal Fr. Doherty, Fr.Mulhearn and other Fathers whose names I am not able to recall. It was really wonderful meeting Fr. Dullard so many years after leaving school. Can never forget his English classes.        

             Dr. Charles Kujur, Class of 1968

 

  • We are deeply in grief at the news of the demise of Fr. Maurice Dullard, S.J our Mentor, Guardian and Guide in all our life and work. "Purified through suffering And stronger for each loss" He found the road to Heaven In the shadow of the Cross" Sincerely his obedient pupil

             George John (1969 SXS batch) & family


29/06/13 09:12 AM #26    

Surojit Neogi (1965)

Father Maurice Dullard a "strict" yet a jolly pater in the period 1958 to 1965 that I had the good fortune to be "groomed" under his eye. Father Grogan, Rev Moore (our then rector), mmsj (Mike Mulhearn), Thwaites, Slack, Blic, Byrnes etc were a group of cassocked individuals amongst others whose name after decades have faded, who shepherded the energetic youngsters of SXS and rallied them through either studies or in the field of sports. Fr Dullard was a football player and I recall the egg shaped rugby ball that would be brought out for "contact" sport atleast once a week had the smiling Dullard speedily move across the field. In fact in my stay at SXS I never saw Dullard with a grim face or being angry. He always managed to keep his wonderful smile.

May his soul rest in peace and the undersigned Indian Navy veteran salutes Father Dullard and extends heartfelt gratitude for all the qualities of a human being that he instilled in me, though I moved to a different walk of life to serve our nation

May the lord give his brothers, sisters and near and dear ones the strength and perseverance to overcome this tragic event of 26 Jun and the hope they kindly accept this soldier's gratitude for being afforded the opportunity to be taught and interacted with a MAN. May god bless his soul

Neogi

 


29/06/13 11:18 AM #27    

Prasenjit Banerjee (1969)

At 8:15 AM on 26-June-2013 having received the news of the demise of Rev Fr Maurice Dullard SJ I sent out an email to my circle of HOXA contacts: 

"All Hazaribagh Xavarians please note that Fr. Maurice Dullard SJ left for the Heavenly Abode this morning at 3.30AM at St Stanislaus, Sitagarha, Hazaribag RIP.

Fr Dullard was the Second Rector of St Xavier's Hazaribag immeditely after Fr john Moore SJ, Founder.The last Rites are due on Thursday, 27th June, 2013 at Sitagarha Cemetry 
Let us all pray for the immediate members of his family placed all over the World and the Everlasting Solace of His soul."
 
At the suggestion of Sanjib Mukherjee '68, I am sharing some of the responses I received. 

Jayanta Sirkar '68 wrote                                   

To a bloc of Xaverian's, the early birds, Father Moore, as the founder Rector meant everything.

Stepping into such a man's shoes was never going to be easy. But what a silent difference Fr. Dullard made to the school is visible for posterity to see.
 
Years  after leaving School, I was back at SXS as  Chief Guest during the Annual Sports Day, and Fr. Dullard and I spent the greater part of the day sitting next to each other witnessing the sports being played out on Balmoral fields. 

Then after an afternoon siesta Fr. Dullard, took me over to the Balmoral Bungalow,  made me sit and brought a log of wood, put it in the fireplace and then lit it and said "this is to keep you warm". 
I was floored with the warmth and care he showered on me during my brief stay. 
I doff my hat as a gesture of my deep respect for the man. 
May his soul now rest in peace.
Jayanta Sircar
1968

 
Jayanta, so very well remembered . I appreciate your talent in putting it all in so precisely beautiful words, that we find hardly more words to express our appreciation of all the good  we also enjoyed of Fr. Dullard.

 When someone like you point  out all the goodness in our Rectors and Fathers, and the benefits  we enjoyed of their governance and the square education we received from them, we realise our luck and good fortune and appreciate them in such times and remember to show our respects and  condolences with all humility.
 Thank you Jayanta.
Our sincere condolences to the family of Father Dullard and pray for his soul to R.I.P.
PKBT
( on behalf of '69 Batch)
 

Parthasarathi Bhattacharjee, MD (1974)   27-June-2013

It is strange that, in 1970 Fr Dullard met me at Mount Carmel , Bokaro Thermal, Maraphari, which was the only coed English medium school in that region n asked me whether I wud like to come to St. Xaviers, which I agreed to. He drove me in a jeep to H'Bag n showed me around, It was the winter vacation and some seniors were their in Hostel, who also took me around and made me feel, I belonged there. Rest is all history..... My prayers for that very decent soul... the way these fathers handpicked their student boarders was extraordinary, becoz each HOXAn I come across, impresses me even today.
Parthasarathi Bhattacharjee, MD (1974)

 


01/07/13 10:14 AM #28    

Ajit Ojha (1966)

Am deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing on of Fr. Dullard at Sitagarh.  He was Principal during my last years at SXH.  Soft of voice, firm on principles, decent human being - he leaves behind great and fond memories of my interactive years with him at school .  I missed being there at 2012 Reunion. I would have loved to meet some of those fine souls greatly responsible  for what we are today.  Fr. Dullard, without doubt, was one of them. 

May his Soul Rest In Peace.

Ajit Ojha, 1966


04/07/13 01:58 AM #29    

Arun Mathur (1969)

Fr Dullard was the Rector when I joined school in Jan 1966, the day our Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastriji died. Not a good start on a cold day.

I don't know how he could remember names of so many of us. As a 'new' boarder it was difficult adjusting to life in a hostel and he knew it. I will remember him for making me understand Shakespeare "Macbeth". I actually enjoyed Literature - unbelievable!

He was also our dorm incharge in 1967 and 1968. Father Dullard was an excellent administrator and the school, with so many of us boarders, ran like clockwork. Definitely he and Fr Doyle, Fr Mulhearn, Fr Grogan, and so many others made life so good at school. I guess once you left SXS you realized what a brilliant place it was. 

Fr Dullard's passing away came as a big shock. I just wish that I could have visited Hazaribagh and met with him. Not only was he a great teacher he was simply GREAT. Rest in peace Father.

Arun 1969.


04/07/13 11:33 PM #30    

Avijit Mookerjee (1962)

The news of Fr.Maurice Dullard's passing came heavy with sorrow and yet at the sametime with waves of joyous nostalgia for the days I spent at St.Xaviers under his watchful eye.

I knew him from the late fifties when he came to St.Xaviers at Hazaribagh. His quiet manner and his stern ascetic mien could barely hide his sense of humor and the wonderous joy for all that he was doing at Hazaribagh.

Those of us who had the privilege of knowing him will forever remember his kindness and quiet spirituality.

May he rest in peace.

Avijit Mookerjee MD

USA ( Senior Cambridge 1962)


02/02/14 09:13 PM #31    

Sudipto Kumar Choudhury(ISC) (1974)

I had joined SXH in January 1966 when Fr. Dullard was the Rector. Left school in December 1974 with Fr. Cronin at the helm.

Met Fr. Dullard in 2004 and again Jan 2012. Hold sweet memories of Fr. Dullard.

He had once shown me a belt which he would have used to beat me with , when I had left school to visit my local guardians without permission and stayed on overnight. Fr. Dullard never used the belt --- that was in  1966 / 1967--- 

May his Soul Rest in Peace

Sudipto Kumar Choudhury ( ISC 1974 )

 


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