- Tell us something about yourself.
I am sixty-eight years young. I was born and educated in Mumbai, but for most of the last forty-seven years I have lived and worked in Goa. I studied at St Mary’s High School (ISC), Mazagaon, and after my B.Com became a professional Cost and Management Accountant. I have worked in both public and private companies in managerial positions in the Finance Departments and in the Information Technology Departments.
I have also worked full-time as Project Coordinator for an NGO dealing with HIV affected persons and with an NGO dealing with school dropouts. I have had the opportunity to work in an orphanage and visiting a jail on a regular basis. I am presently working for CCR TV.
- Tell us about your Catholic TV channel, CCRTV—the inspiration behind it, the challenges faced, the good achieved.
After one of my ‘many’’ retirements, I spearheaded the setting up of CCR TV. I am the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of this channel. It s run entirely by lay persons, and the programmes we telecast reflect this. The channel has catholic content. Anything that is wholesome has a place on our channel.
CCR TV is a cable Channel but we have a strong presence on Youtube, where we have over 15 million views and 65000 subscribers. We have religious programmes, like the Daily Mass, Rosary, spiritual talks… and programmes on politics, football, learning Konkani, music, concerts, environment, legal issues, career guidance, interviews of writers in Konkani and English, etc. The channel runs primarily on donations. We will be celebrating our fifth anniversary at the end of 2022.
We are not a diocesan body, but, as lay people committed to the Church, we support the activities of the diocese. The Archbishop of Goa has consistently appreciated the channel and the work that we do.
- You belong to a secular institute. What made you opt for a secular institute rather than become a priest or religious?
Yes, I belong to Christ the King Secular Institute—a dedicated organization for men. I felt the call to be a layman and a call to consecrate my life to God. I am probably the first man in India to belong to a secular Institute, and hence I took a fairly long time to commit myself to this way of life. My brother is a priest, but I have not felt the call to be one. I am not an official representative of the Church and I value the flexibility that this vocation affords me.
We do not have any common work or even a common life. Each person follows their own profession. This is what I find challenging—to live an authentic Christian life in the midst of the world, without the support of institutions. We do not get any special recognition. People we work with are often not aware of our consecration. We do not have any special dress or title. We seek to be like—present and giving taste, but not seen.
I live alone in my apartment in Goa. Members of the Secular Institute engage in any work which they are competent. We do not specifically seek to work in church institutions. We do not have our own schools or hospitals. We do not have a common activity. In India we have a doctor, a school teacher, accountants, clerks, a political activist, etc. I cherish my management skills as a gift from God and have enjoyed using them to make the world a better place to live in and to promote the kingdom of God.
- What work do the members of the secular institute do, particularly in Africa, with which you are familiar?
I have visited Africa and other continents a number of times, only to help in the formation of local aspirants. Each person follows his own profession. We are not there to do charity work or social service.
- You must have been exposed to many people of all faiths. Did your faith enable you to witness to people from all walks of life?
Yes, we work alongside people of different faiths, as well as no faith. We encounter people at our place of stay, in our offices, in society. We ‘witness’ to our faith every moment of the day in environments that can be quite hostile to our value system. The manner of life we live is our main way of witnessing. Of course, we use opportunities that come our way to directly share our relationship with Jesus.
- You are involved in the Charismatic Renewal, and helping with the magazine, Charisindia. How has this deepened your faith and helped you to reach out to others?
I came in touch with the Charismatic Renewal when I was twenty-three years old and have been a part of the movement ever since. Belonging to a prayer group has been very helpful to me. The Baptism in the Spirit, which Pope Francis actively promotes, is something that was life-changing. For me, the Charismatic Renewal is about having a personal relationship with God. Once this is in place, everything else follows. We now have a focus on how we are called to build God’s Kingdom in the world and how we work to build a Christian community. I used to be actively involved in the promotion of Charisindia. At present I am a member of the National Service of Communion.
- How do you see your role as a layman in the current situation in India?
I use the opportunities that I have in heading a media channel to promote Catholic values, Christian social teaching, wholesome entertainment, as well as educating people about democratic and secular (inclusive) values. We have programmes on the Constitution, religious programmes, etc.
- How do you combine and balance your professional life and your being the member of a secular institute? What role do you see for secular institutes today?
My professional life and my life as a member of a secular Institute are just two aspects of a single life. A secular Institute helps me to safeguard the gift of consecration and work for the coming of God’s kingdom, using the gifts and talents that God has given me.
ROBIN D’SOUZA
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