By BISMumbai Correspondent

At 15:00 hours on Easter Sunday 12 April 2020, MumbaiSalesians' Br. Michael Condillac was called by the Lord, unto Himself. Admitted to the ICU at Karuna Hospital, Borivali-Mumbai, on 05 April, after his condition worsened end-March, Br. Condillac left us, aged 78, having lived as a Salesian for 38 years.

After his 1st profession as a Salesian on 24 May 1982 at the age of 40, and final profession in 1989, Br. Condillac had served at St Joseph's, Kurla-Mumbai as Principal, ITI; Don Bosco, Fatorda-Goa as Principal, ITI; Bosco Udyogshala, Pinguli as Principal. He also served as Administrator at Don Bosco, Nashik and did his Diploma in Theology at the Sacred Heart Theological College, Shillong. Upon his return he served as Assistant Administrator at Our Lady of Fatima, Jaitala. From 2015 till the time of his demise, Br. Condillac was under medical rest at St Dominic Savio Boys' Home, Andheri [02 years] and at Bosco Boys' Home, Borivali respectively.

Bidding 'adieu' to Br. Condillac, MumbaiSalesians' Provincial Father Savio Silveira , in his circular dated 01 May 2020 [SS/C-9/2020/05] had written: "Although he joined the congregation at a rather late age, he never sought any concessions or exemptions during his years of initial formation, but made every effort to cheerfully embrace the demands of normal Salesian life. Br Condillac was noted for his simplicity, gentleness, and caring nature. He was very meticulous in all that he did; perfection was another of his hallmarks. He was also a man of deep faith, a person who spent much time in prayer." Alluding to his meeting with Br. Condillac during the canonical visitation in January 2020, Father Silveira had mentioned, "he told me that since now he was unable to engage in any active service in the province, he spent most of his time praying for the province and its intentions. I am sure that in Br Condillac we now have a powerful intercessor in heaven. Due to the present circumstances, it was not possible to have a normal funeral for Br Condillac and to give him a solemn farewell."

Father Corlis Gonsalves-Rector Bosco Boys' Home Borivali, has penned an 'obituary' for Br. Michael Condillac to celebrate his fond memory. [PDF attached]. He reminisces, "As I look back at his life, I feel privileged to have been his Rector for the last two years of his life. Whenever I saw Br Condillac, I felt that the saying “Show me love, and I will give you my heart” came true in his ministry with the youngsters." He further writes, "I can vouch for his simplicity and poverty –something that was demonstrated even after his death when it took us only fifteen minutes to clear his belongings, all of which could fit into one small suitcase. The same can be said about his serenity and prayerfulness, as I could see that most of his time was spent in the chapel praying the rosary or sitting in silence, in conversation with the Lord." The obituary contains testimonial-recollections from various MumbaiSalesians' who had lived with, worked with and experienced Br Condillac's affection and love.