Sr. Hilda Theresa D’Sa: Journey from a dedicated teacher to a social activist

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 22 August 2010: Being the last among ten children she was the darling of the family. However, after completing her education and teacher’s training course and even teaching for few years, she chose to join religious congregation, pursued teaching career as a nun, took a momentous decision to work among the villagers, poor and destitute and gradually came to be recognised as a social activist. This is the story of the journey of Sr. Hilda Theresa D’Sa of Moodubelle from a dedicated teacher to a social activist through which she tried to reconcile her religious calling with social responsibility.

Sr. Hilda Theresa D’Sa

Hilda Theresa D’Sa, born on 11 June 1941 is the last among ten children, eight sons and two daughters of late Cajetan and Remedia D’Sa. After completing her higher primary education up to eighth standard in Moodubelle, Hilda proceeded to Kundapur where she studied up to eleventh standard in St. Joseph’s Convent High School and passed the SSLC examination in 1958. As a student, Hilda was involved in church activities. She was a member of the Marian Sodality and also the parish choir. While studying in Kundapur, she was an active participant in the Seva Dal.

As she was keen to become a teacher, after SSLC Hilda underwent two years teachers training course (TCH) at Rosa Mystica Basic Training School at Gurpur and immediately joined teaching profession like her elder brothers, late Louis D’Sa, late Edward D’Sa and William D’Sa and taught for two years in the Church Aided Higher Primary School, Moodubelle from 1960-63.

Responding to the divine call, Hilda joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) in 1963. When asked about what inspired her to join the religious order, Sr. Hilda said that since childhood she was a keen reader of the lives of different saints. It was her father who had instilled in her the love for books, especially those on the lives of the saints. Gradually, she developed a desire to serve the poor and downtrodden. She said that her mother was very much concerned about the poor whom she used to help quietly.

Speaking further about the circumstances that prompted her to join the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Sr. Hilda said that originally she was interested in joining the Cloistered Congregation of the Carmelites. However, Fr. Abundius D’Souza, the then parish priest of Moodubelle advised her that the cloistered life would not be suitable to her and suggested that she could join any other religious congregation of her choice. After a lot of thinking and deliberation, finally Hilda decided to join the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

Within two months of undergoing the English course at Kotagiri prior to joining the novitiate training, Hilda had to return home as her mother and brother William were seriously ill. As the eldest daughter had passed away when she was just fifteen years old, the parents and brothers were reluctant to send Hilda away from them. However, Hilda was determined to continue her religious life and went back to Kotagiri and completed her English course.

Having completed novitiate at Poona and taking the first vows in 1966, Sr. Hilda was appointed as a teacher at Kollegal in the Roman Catholic Mission Higher Primary School where she taught for two years. From Kollegal she was sent as a teacher in Don Bsco School at Shirva while residing in the convent at Pernal. Later she taught for two years in the Fatima School at Pernal.

After studying Theology in Bangalore for one year and spending six months in preparation, Sr. Hilda took her final profession in 1972 at Shirva following which she was transferred to Kollegal with the responsibility as the Superior of Our Lady of Assumption Convent and Headmistress of the Roman Catholic Mission Higher Primary School where she brilliantly handled both responsibilities till 1980. Coming back to Pernal in 1980 she continued as a teacher in the Fatima School till 1985. Later she went to Our Lady of Providence Convent, the Provincial House in Bangalore where she served till 1991 and then came back to Shirva.

As she was feeling stagnated in the teaching profession and wanted to work among the poor and downtrodden, Sr. Hilda availed three months leave and went to Ugginakeri village in Mundagudu Taluk of North Kanara where she worked among the Siddis which has been considered as a backward community. She tried to bring some positive changes in the community by teaching them how to read and write, giving them lessons in health awareness and promoting adult literacy.

As Sr. Hilda was not keeping good health, she took voluntary retirement from the teaching profession at the age of 55 and went back to Bangalore. She was keen to study Homeopathy and also take treatment for her ailment. For this reason she went to Bellary to meet Dr. Ajit Pai, a diocesan priest hailing from Madanthyar and an expert on Homeopathy who was working in Harappanahalli of the Bellary diocese.

While at Harappanahalli for studying Homeopathy and having treatment from Dr. Ajit Pai, Sr. Hilda gradually developed an interest in the lives of the people of the village. With her newfound experience about the conditions of the people living in backward villages, Sr. Hilda decided to devote her service to the betterment of the less fortunate people.

After returning from Bellary, Sr. Hilda went to Besagarahalli in the Mandya District for three months. Staying in the convent, she visited the village with few sisters. In this work, Sr. Hilda was greatly inspired by Fr. Jerome D’Souza, a native of Moodubelle who was working in mission centres in the Karnataka Jesuit Province. In Besagarahalli, Sr. Hilda arranged meetings of the women and began to organise them. She made them aware of the use of herbal medicine and taught them some basic trades and crafts so that they could supplement the family income. The sisters working in the village had to face the opposition from the fundamentalists. However, Sr. Hilda succeeded in convincing the local people that she was only interested in improving the social and economic conditions of the villagers and not in converting them.

After three months of work in Besagarahalli, Sr. Hilda moved back to Kollegal in 1997 and took up prison ministry for which she underwent ten days training in the Dharmaram College at Bangalore in legal aid given by a Jesuit priest who practices law at the Supreme Court of India.

While doing the prison ministry, Sr. Hilda came to know the working of the prison system. She also came to know judges, lawyers and police officers. Sr. Hilda says that she cannot tolerate any kind of injustice. Whenever she felt that there was injustice to any prisoner she did not hesitate to bring it to the notice of the prison authorities, lawyers and even the police officers. She would counsel the prisoners and their family members and even visit the houses of the accused.

Besides prison ministry, Sr. Hilda is also involved in providing counseling to young and married people who have been on the verge of separation or divorce and prevented a number of couples from breaking their marriages through counseling. Sr. Hilda has been helping the sick and destitute. There have been instances when she personally had to help out the sick and helpless people some of whom were mentally challenged from the street, sometimes with the help of police officers and take them to asylums. She had been helping poor people to get treatment in hospitals and even get employment.

Sr. Hilda had helped a number of young people, some of them even strangers to get jobs and shelter. In September 1996, one young man named Puttaraju, born and brought up at Bastipura village in Kollegal Taluk of Chamarajanagar district, after completing Pre-university course without any help of guidance landed at the Our Lady of Providence Convent with Sr. Hilda’s address given to him by someone. In a letter he writes, “I went and met my Angel Sr. Hilda. She did not ask me who are you? She asked me did you have your lunch? I felt real humanity there. She had neither seen nor met me earlier. I told yes. She told me why do you lie? She went inside and came back with food. She asked me to take food and take rest and again at 3.45 pm she came with a cup of tea and snacks. She sat with me and enquired about me. I explained to her my difficulties and the need for a job. She asked me to come next day. Next day she accompanied me to St. John’s Medical College and introduced me to social worker-Mrs. Eliza Pereira who asked me to apply for the job of a nursing aid and thus, I got the job as casual labour...”

Puttaraju

Putaraju gradually came to know about the laboratory technology course and applied for the same (DMLT). When he had no money to pay the fees, he was helped by kind hearted people. Puttaraju further writes, “ Sister Hilda has given shape to my life and I have never seen such wonderful helping person in my life.” Puttaraju after completing DMLT joined as a regular employee of St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore. Simultaneously he joined BScMLT at the Manipal University with financial aid from Fr. Ronnie Prabhu S.J., Rector of St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore. Puttaraju proudly claims that today he is a graduate because of Sr. Hilda, Fr. Ronnie Prabhu and Mrs. Eliza Pereira. In his letter Puttaraju writes further, “Because of Sr. Hilda I reached to this level. I will be grateful to all who contributed towards my life, especially Sr. Hilda, Fr. Ronnie and Mrs. Eliza Pereira. I am so happy for the same. It all happened because of Sr. Hilda. She has shown me the way...I am one example. Sr. Hilda has helped many. She is still doing her service to mankind. My sincere prayers to her.”

Puttaraju will be marrying M. Bhanumati, BCom., LL.B. on 2 September 2010 and in the invitation card he has gratefully mentioned the names of Fr. Ronnie Prabhu, Sr. Hilda D’Sa and Mrs. Eliza Pereira.

Other humanitarian activities of Sr. Hilda include spreading AIDS awareness, campaign against alcoholism and evil effects of smoking, promoting self-help groups and work for the betterment of local amenities including roads for which she even meets Municipal authorities. Sr. Hilda has also developed an interest in alternate medicines such as Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Reiki, pranic healing, acupressure and magnet therapy which she recommends to needy people.

Though Sr. Hilda is not in the best of her health, her social activism or service to the poor and needy has not slowed down. She makes herself available to anyone who is in need and seeks her advice or help. Getting up early in the morning and finishing her prayers and other spiritual exercises, Sr. Hilda remains in the convent till 10 am. Thereafter she proceeds to the prison where she normally remains up to 1.30 pm meeting the prisoners and listening to their grievances. If need be she makes it a point to meet the lawyers, police and even judges whenever she feels that the accused are falsely implicated in some cooked up cases.

Sr. Hilda’s determination to work for the poor, unfortunate and marginalised people keeps her going. She says that it is the love of God and concern for the destitute that inspires her to continue her mission.