Fr. Paul Fernandes SJ: Founder and First Vice-Chancellor of the Xavier University, Bhubaneswar


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By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

01 May 2014: In a world of tough competition where quality is the hallmark of any enterprise or institution especially in the field of education that too in business management, the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) has been recognized as one of the top Business Schools in India. In the B School Ranking for the year 2013-14, India’s most comprehensive and ’toughest’ MBA rankings, with participation from 11 IIMs and virtually every top 100 B-schools, XIMB has been ranked as 13.  With practically 100 percent placement to its students in some of the topmost companies, the XIMB has been one of the most sought after management institutes in India.

 

Incidentally, the Director of XIMB, Fr. Paul Fernandes SJ hails from Moodubelle. Having realized the great potential of Fr. Paul Fernandes as an educationist and administrator, the superiors of the Society of Jesus which runs the XIMB have given him an additional task of establishing the first ever Jesuit University in India at Bhubaneswar which will start functioning from the academic year 2014-15. Thus, from his humble beginning in Moodubelle, Fr. Paul Fernandes has risen in the field of education, planning and administration as the architect of the first Jesuit University in India.

 

On the eve of the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of his priesthood on 1 May 2014, Fr. Paul Fernandes, in spite of his busy and hectic schedule took some time off  to speak to Bellevision.com about his humble beginning, vocation to priesthood, education, mission and the dream project of the first Jesuit University in India.

 

 

Childhood and Vocation:

Born on 8 February 1956 to late Victor and Celestine Fernandes, residents of Katingeri-Moodubelle as the fifth among six children, five sons and one daughter, Fr.  Paul had his primary education in Belle Church Aided Higher Primary School and secondary education in St. Lawrence High School, Moodubelle completing SSLC in 1972.

 

Having a strong desire to join the priesthood in the Society of Jesus, Paul continued PUC Science education in St. Aloysius College, Mangalore while staying at the Loyola Hostel where those students who wanted to join the Society of Jesus after their PUC studies were put up.

 

When asked about the circumstances that prompted him to join the Society of Jesus, Fr. Paul smilingly said that it was during his Confirmation when Msgr. Mascarenhas put a question to the candidates as who among them would like to be a priest in future, Paul instantly raised his hand. Thereafter, he never looked back and nurtured his vocation with devotion and support from his family. Fr. Paul also fondly remembers the role played by the then parish priest, late Fr. V.G.F. Rego and late Fr. Louis Fernandes SJ, who suggested that he should join the newly formed Jesuit Province of Jamshedpur and wrote to the Provincial of Jamshedpur to accept Paul in his fold.

 

After completing PUC studies in 1974, Paul Fernandes proceeded to Newman Hall, Ahmadabad to join the novitiate, where Fr. George Fernandes, also from Moodueblle and presently the Provincial of Jamshedpur was his senior. After two years of novitiate Br. Paul was sent to Patna in Bihar for juniorate where he was given lessons to improve his communication skills in English and Hindi.

 

Training for priesthood and academic advancement were the intermittent stages in the Society of Jesus. Br. Paul continued his college education for three years at St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi with Mathematics as honours subject and acquired BSc degree in 1980.

 

The next stage in the priestly training was the study of Philosophy which he did in De Nobilee College, Pune followed by two years of Regency in De Nobilee School at Dhanabad, presently in Jharkhand State.

 

After completing two years of Management studies (PGD BM) at the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur, Br. Paul underwent the final phase of training for priesthood by studying Theology at Dnyanadeep Vidyapeeth at Pune for three years.

 

XLRI, Jamshedpur

Having completed the mandatory training for priesthood and academic advancement, Fr. Paul Fernandes was ordained a priest on 8 May 1989 at St. Lawrence Church, Moodubelle. He vividly remembers the day he was ordained 25 years ago in the presence of his parents, family members, relatives, friends and parishioners. He especially mentioned about Most Rev. Dr. Alphonse D’Souza SJ, Bishop of Raiganj also from Moodubelle who ordained him along with Fr. Peter (OFM Cap) from Kanajar. Fr. Paul expressed his gratitude to Most Rev. Dr. Alphonse D’Souza SJ for having ordained him.

 

Pastoral Experience in Kandhamal:

After his ordination, Fr. Paul Fernandes was sent to the remote tribal area of Kandhamal in Orissa (Odisha) for pastoral experience and to learn the Oriya language. He was the first Jesuit priest to be sent to that area. It was the same place where violence against the Christians was unleashed in 2008. Fr. Paul said that when he went there for pastoral experience in 1989, there was no animosity between Christians and non-Christians and everyone in tribal villages lived in peace and harmony. It was only in later years the fundamentalists started spreading communalism with anti-Christian propaganda.

 

Assignment at XIMB:

After nearly four months of pastoral experience at Kandhamal, Fr. Paul was sent to Xavier Institute of Management at Bhubaneswar(XIMB) in October 1989 where he was required to do administrative work along with teaching assignments. The XIMB was established two years earlier in 1987. Fr. Paul had to work hard and take up the responsibility of administering, teaching and building the institute and also ministering the Jesuit community there.

 

XIMB, Bhubaneswar

Fr. Paul narrated his experience of being in Cambodian Refugee Camp on the borders of Cambodia and Thailand in 1991 for nearly two and half months under the Jesuit refugee Service under the Diocesan Social Service of Thailand. In one refugee camp there were around two lakh refugees covering an area of nearly four to five kilometers. Along with others, he was assigned the task of training refugee camp administrators and equip them with basic management skills. He had to communicate with these personnel with the help of translators.

 

After three years and ten months at XIMB, Fr. Paul Fernandes went to Hazaribagh in 1993 for tertianship which he completed in nine months and thereafter spent some time in giving retreats to religious congregations.

 

Higher Studies in Belgium and Germany:

With a view to enhance his academic caliber, in 1994  Fr. Paul Fernandes proceeded to the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium for higher studies  in Economics and Moral Theology where he acquired M. Sc. in Economics and M. A. Licentiate in Applied Ethics. During 1997-98 he served as teaching and research assistant and also started working on his doctoral Ph.D. thesis in Economics and Ethics from KU, WWF Ingolstadt, Germany. The title of his thesis is “Moral Perspective of the Golden Rule” (as given in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter VII, Verse 12).

 

While he himself was studying abroad, Fr. Paul made it a point to teach at XLRI, Jamshedpur  at least for six months completing four courses each year which he continued till 2003. From January 2003 till November 2004, Fr. Paul concentrated on his Ph.D. thesis. Meanwhile, he also served as Pastoral Assistant at Muensten Parish Church at Ingolstadt near Munich in Germany.

 

Appointment as the Director of XIMB:

After acquiring Ph.D. degree, Fr. Paul Fernandes returned to XLRI, Jamshedpur and continued teaching in the institute. From 2009 to 2012, Fr. Paul also taught at Dnyanadeep Vidyapeeth, Pune and also at the Papal Seminary.

 

Being  an accomplished student and proving  himself to be a great educationist and administrator. Fr. Paul Fernandes was appointed as the Director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) from  4 December 2012.

 

XIMB is a business school in India, located in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. The school is on a 20-acre campus in Bhubaneswar’s institutional area, with classrooms, hostels, studio apartments, gym, a sports club and a multi-purpose auditorium. It is managed by a board of governors, consisting of representatives of the governments of India and Odisha, the Society of Jesus, industrialists and educationists.

 

The school was founded in 1987 under a social contract between the Government of Odisha and the Odisha Jesuit Society.

 

Establishment of the First Jesuit University:

Presently, Fr. Paul Fernandes is working hard on the mega project of establishing the first Jesuit University in India known as the Xavier University at Bhubaneswar of which he has been designated as the First Vice-Chancellor.   The new campus of the proposed Xavier University, spread over an area of 35 acres, is located at Kurki, 12 km from the Bhubaneswar Airport. 

 

In the second, third and fourth phases, one or two schools will be added to Xavier University.  According to Fr. Paul Fernandes, the university may have science and humanities schools because of the need to strengthen arts, science, cultural and media education in the state.

 

 

Jesuits, who introduced modern education in India in the 16th century, manage several prestigious colleges in the country, but they all function under government-run universities. Some have received autonomous status.

 

The idea of a Jesuit university was mooted some four years ago. It got the final nod from the Odisha state legislative assembly when it passed the Xavier University Bill 2013 on April 5. The Odisha assembly reportedly passed the bill after a marathon debate. It got Governor’s assent on 9 May 2013. Subsequently, setting up of the university was expedited.

 

Fr. Paul Fernandes said that the university along with the Business Management Course, will offer programmes at the graduate and post-graduate levels relating to several disciplines. He further said that with 50 per cent reservation for Odisha, the university is expected to put the State firmly on the map of specialised higher education.  He clarified the stand by saying that this was done because of the commitment given to the state. Fr. Paul Fernandes optimistic about the Jesuits expanding the university to other places.

 

Century International Quality Era (CQE) Award 2014:

On behalf of XIMB, Fr. Paul Fernandes had the unique privilege of receiving the Century International Quality Era (CQE) Award 2014 in the Gold Category, recognized for Strong Commitment to Quality, Leadership, Technology and Innovation. This was organized by BID GROUP ONE at Geneva, Switzerland on 9 March 2014. 

 

Geneva hosted this year’s BID Century International Quality ERA Convention, where professionals and business leaders from around the world gathered to recognize excellence and success. In particular, the convention celebrated quality in business and operations. Award winners demonstrated commitment to the criteria of the QC100 TQM Model, which helps bolster customer satisfaction and cost efficiency across all areas of operation.

 

From left to right: Jose E. Prieto, President and CEO of BID Group One, Fr. Paul Fernandes, Director of Xavier Institute of Management and Craig Miller, President of the QC10

Among this year’s winners, Fr. Paul Fernandes of XIMB received the Century International Quality ERA Award in the Gold Category at the BID Quality Convention in Geneva. The organization has made huge strides this year as a leader not only within its sector, but also in India. The Award came as an ideal way to celebrate this past year’s successes while looking forward to putting quality first in the year to come.

 

Fr. Paul Fernandes stood before the gathering of international leaders, sharing the company’s achievements to date as well as its future ambitions and goals. Despite the difficult current global economic climate, Xavier Institute of Management strives to excel in quality each day, creating a competitive advantage in its industry. For this reason, Xavier Institute of Management won the 2014 BID Century International Quality ERA Award in Geneva. The Award was presented by BID to those companies and organizations from around the world that best adhere to excellence and innovation in their practices, putting quality first at all levels of organization.

 

Other Achievements:

Fr. Paul Fernandes has been a versatile personality. He has been holding a number of prominent positions in various institutions and organizations. The prestigious being that he is the Founder and First Vice-Chancellor of the newly formed Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Other important positions held by Fr. Paul Fernandes include: Director XIMB, Bhubanwswar; Vice-chairman, XIM Society; Member of the Board of Governors, XLRI Jamshedpur; Member of the High Powered Committee of the Odisha State Planning for RFD; Member of the Board of Institute of Fashion Technology, Govt of Odisha; Governor’s Representative on the Board of Red Cross, Odisha; Governor’s Representative on the Board of Ravenshaw University; Member of the Advisory group for Century Era International Quality Awards, BID Group One.

 

Besides being an educationist and administrator, Fr. Paul Fernandes has been an accomplished researcher and writer. His books include:  Economic Ethics and the Moral Perspective of the Golden Rule;  Business Ethics and Corporate Governance (4 books of 2 units each) and  Corporate Governance. He has also co-authored other books including:  Ethics of Marketing Research, in the Marketing Research (for M. Com. Text book);  Ethics of Supply Chain Management – empirical research on Indian Supply Chains;  International Ethics  (a unit written for IGNOU programme on MA in Philosophy).

 

 

With his vast experience in education and administration, Fr. Paul Fernandes has been a much sought after resource person in many conferences. When the new Diocese of Udupi was formed, Bishop Most Rev. Dr. Gerald Isaac Lobo had invited Fr. Paul Fernandes as resource person to guide the diocesan clergy in drafting the Diocesan Pastoral Plan.

 

When his Alma Mater, Belle Church Aided Higher Primary School, Moodubelle completed 100 years of its existence, Fr. Paul Fernandes had the privilege of participating in the Centenary Celebration on 29 December 2013 as the Chief Guest.

 

 

During my interaction with Fr. Paul Fernandes, in spite of his great achievements and capabilities,  i found him to be quite simple, unassuming and down to earth. Looking back at his childhood and school days, Fr. Paul said that being from an agricultural family, before going to school in the morning and after returning from school in the evening, along with his elder brothers he had to do the ’home work’, adding with a smile, ’not of the school’, but the necessary work related to home.

 

As we came to the end of the interview for Bellevision.com, Fr. Paul Fernandes who is celebrating the Silver Jubilee of his priesthood on 1 May 2014 said that in his journey as a priest in the Society of Jesus and in the mission of education and administration he has been guided and helped by many for whom he would remain grateful. He expressed his gratitude to Rev. Fr. Joswey Fernandes, parish priest of Belle and other priests of the parish and all the parishioners for their support and prayers. He had a special mention of Belleans in Dubai(Bellevision-UAE) whom he had good rapport when he had visited them in Dubai.

 


Bellevision.com congratulates Fr. Paul Fernandes SJ on completion of 25 years of priesthood and salutes him on being the Founder and First Vice-Chancellor of the First Jesuit University (Xavier University) at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

 

 

Comments on this Article
Alwyn Martis, nalkubeedi Tue, June-17-2014, 5:34
Congrats, Wish you all the good luck.
Isabella Lobo, Kattingeri/Italy Mon, May-19-2014, 2:30

Congratulations!!! We are proud of you.

SR.KIRAN(ELIZE FER), MOODUBELLE. Tue, May-13-2014, 1:59
Congratulations.Fr.Paul on your brilliant achievement. Wish you all the good luck.
Monthi, Germany Fri, May-2-2014, 10:07

Congratulations Fr. Paul. May God bless you and may all your dreams come true. Wish you good health peace joy and happiness always.

Norbert, Mangalore/kattingeri Thu, May-1-2014, 7:26
Congratulations Fr Paul. Thnak you Dr Eugene for the very informative article.A timely felicitation to Fr Paul on the occasion of his sacerdortal silver Jubiliee. Fr Paul is namma uruda, namma nirekareda, namma neerada nama matha gauravishuna malla vyakthi. All the best
Matilda Fernandes, Bangalore Wed, April-30-2014, 10:35
Wonderful article!Congrats Dr Eugene for creating awareness about Fr Paul SJ,who desrves all honor and praise for his contributions as a great administrator and educationist and for his achievements. Kudos! Fr Paul SJ From Matilda Fernandes Family Bangalore
Benedict Noronha, Udupi / India Wed, April-30-2014, 10:17
A great day and a great event, the Silver Jubilee of Fr Paul Fernandes. It is very proud event for all those From Belle High school to rejoice and give thanks to god for this unique event. may God Bless Fr Paul and let him be Paul of our times. Praise the Lord.
Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle Wed, April-30-2014, 9:02
Thank you Chitta Baral for your quick response and pointing out the error in the location of the Xavier University. The mistake has been rectified...
Chitta Baral, Bhubaneswar Wed, April-30-2014, 8:14
See https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xavier University/@20.156842,85.763655,9z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x25e3da53afa42630?hl=en-US for the exact location of Xavier University. See also https://sites.google.com/a/xub.edu.in/xavier-university/about-1/roadmap
Chitta Baral, Bhubaneswar Wed, April-30-2014, 8:11
Although the Xavier University campus is probably in Puri district, it is on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, and not near Puri, as you mention in this article. Besides that small mistake, this is a very nice article about a very accomplished and nice person.
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