Jesuit Professes Final Vows At Historical Jesuit Site

Jesuit takes vow on St Paul’s Hill By PERCY D’CRUZ.
MALACCA: For 46-year-old Jesuit Fr Paul Dass, the profession of his final priesthood vows in the Society of Jesus was a ceremony steeped in Malacca’s rich history. This was because the solemn occasion was carried out in the ruins of the former 16th-century Portuguese church on St Paul’s Hill recently.

The ruin on the hill's peak was known as De Nossa Senyora De Oiteru (Our Lady of the Hill) and holds much significance. It was here that the famous Saint of the East, St Francis Xavier, of the Society of Jesus with St Ignatius of Loyola, lived more than five hundred years ago.

As the leading prayer house for Catholics in the 16th century, the church functioned as St Francis’ missionary headquarters. It was within the walls of this church that he walked, preached, prayed and wrote several important documents during his five visits to Malacca from 1545.

Following the saint’s death on Sanchian Island off mainland China on Dec 3, 1552, his body was temporarily laid on St Paul’s Hill from March to December 1553. It was then shipped to Goa, India, where his incorrupt body still lies at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

Said Fr Dass: “As a member of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as Jesuits, I am blessed to profess my perpetual vows in the hallowed grounds of St Francis Xavier. “Perhaps, the significance of the saint’s history is not only in the church's preservation on the hill, but in its continuance as well.” “Most of all, it is here to tell us that the beginnings of the Society of Jesus in the person of St Francis, the first companion of St Ignatius, took roots here at St Paul’s Hill,” he said.

Close to three hundred people, including religious members and priests of the Malacca-Johor Diocese and other dioceses, family members and relatives of Fr Dass were at hand to witness the hour-long Eucharistic Celebration.

Halfway through the service, Fr Dass professed his vows in front Fr Larry Tan, the regional Superior of the Society of Jesus for Malaysia and Singapore.

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