In 2022, we featured the following article in our Mission Highlights Newsletter. We thought that it was such a nice piece that we should reprint it here. Thank you to Eric & Edith DeSouza and their family for sharing their story.
They were inspired by their families to carry on the tradition of helping in their communities throughout their lives. Both Eric and Edith DeSouza are of Goan Christian decent. In the 1930s there was a large Goan population in both Uganda and Kenya. As fate would have it, Eric’s family moved from Goa in India to Jinja, Uganda where Eric was born. Edith’s family would experience a similar story as they moved from Goa to Nairobi, Kenya where Edith was born. Fortunately, these were locations that had large Catholic populations and they had the ability to attend Catholic churches and schools. Their families were strong Catholics and the ability to practice their faith was of the utmost importance.
Edith, who has been working on their family history, was eager to share her family’s past. She said, “When we were young, we were told to do to others as you would have others do to you. As Jesus proclaimed in his Sermon on the Mount, “In truth, I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” This stuck with them. Their parents and grandparents were always helping people less fortunate. They’d find jobs for those who wanted work, donate money and help build schools and churches. One of these churches in Nairobi was named after the great missionary, St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa.
Eric and Edith first met when they were 10 and 9 years old respectively. Eric’s family was travelling by train from Uganda to the coast. The train stopped in Nairobi for about 2 hours, so Edith’s family came to visit in the railway compartment. Eric said that there was nothing special about the visit except for one thing. Eric’s mother offered Edith and her sister, Doris, a treat of English toffee. On top of the candy were 4 small packs of Wrigley’s chewing gum, which was the kids’ favourite. Doris and Edith each picked 2 packs. Eric didn’t say a word, but as soon as Edith’s family left, he protested and let his mother know how upset he was that all of his gum had been taken. Eric hasn’t forgotten this incident, but Edith doesn’t even remember visiting the railway station.
They would meet again 10 years later. With the whole Wrigley’s incident forgotten, they would fall in love and marry 4 years later in Uganda. With that came their 3 children: Jennifer, Lino and Lorraine. Edith taught school for 4 years in Kenya and 2 years in Uganda, until the birth of Lino in 1963.
The DeSouzas would eventually make their way to Canada, with a few stops along the way. In 1965, the family moved to Leeds, UK, where Eric completed his professional accounting qualifications. They returned to Uganda for 5 years before returning to England in 1973. Eric didn’t like life in London, so the family emigrated in 1974 to Perth, Australia where Edith resumed teaching for 1 year. Unfortunately, Lino had health issues, so the family immigrated to Canada in 1976, where they remained. The temperature in Perth was 43C on the day they left and on arrival in Toronto, it was -20C. Eric says it was like “moving from the frying pan into the freezer.” Eric and Edith say that for them, Canada is the best country in which they’ve lived. They feel blessed.
The DeSouzas are devout parishioners at St. Clement’s church in Toronto. Eric has participated in the Eucharistic Ministry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and was a lector. Edith participated in the CWL and was instrumental in helping to develop and support St. Clement’s Perpetual Adoration ministry.
I asked Eric and Edith why they support CMIC, and in particular, why they chose to create an Endowment Fund. Eric’s response was to the point, “It’s simply a question of good stewardship. We were always taught to be charitable. We were taught to always help others, whenever possible. It is common in our families and we wanted to give back.” He said that the family became regular donors at first but later chose to create their Endowment Fund.
Eric went on to say that they feel that CMIC does work in Canada similar to what St. Francis Xavier did in Goa. He would serve the locals by bringing them to the Church and providing ministry.
Through the establishment of a CMIC Endowment, private wealth is given for a charitable purpose. In the case of CMIC, the principal amount is preserved and invested in perpetuity in the Endowment Fund. The wonderful thing about an Endowment Fund with CMIC is that other family members can contribute to it, as is the case with the DeSouzas. Family members can continue to contribute long after the founders of a particular fund have passed on. In some cases, donors who establish Endowment Funds continue to contribute to them by becoming Faithful Stewards. A Faithful Steward commits to contributing a set amount to CMIC on a monthly basis. We can arrange automatic withdrawals from your bank account or charge your credit card monthly to fund donations.
Investment income is withdrawn annually and 100% is used for the seminary training of mission priests. Restricted to using only the investment revenue, the principal is a legacy gift that is playfully dubbed ‘the gift that gives forever’. The significance of our Endowment Fund is that it provides a predictable income over time which ensures help to missions, thus allowing us to make allotment decisions, and bishops to plan budgets.
The CMIC Endowment Fund continues to grow, but it’s not large enough yet to fully meet the bursaries required by our bishops. The income from CMIC’s Endowments can only fund the formation and training of seminarians, not operational or capital costs.
Keeping faith alive is critical to the purpose of CMIC. Having missionary priests to lead, celebrate Sacraments and offer pastoral care in remote parts of Canada is crucial to the continuation of the Catholic faith. The spiritual and theological formation of future priests is one of the most important investments we can make in the life of our Church. Preparing seminarians studying for the priesthood and answering God’s call to give the rest of their lives in service is an expensive endeavour, costing $30,000 to $40,000 per year per student.
In order to establish an Endowment with CMIC, a minimum of $5,000 is required. This can be spread over 5 years. You or your organization will receive a donation receipt for the full amount of your gift and a certificate with the name of the endowment. A named endowment preserves your philanthropic legacy and can be established in the name of your family, a loved one, an organization, etc. It will serve as a lasting memorial to the Gospel’s priority for the poor. You’ll have the joy of knowing you’re fulfilling the Lord’s command “to go forth and Baptize the nations.” In this way, your good will continues to strengthen the mission of the Apostles and the work of the Church in Canada.
We thank the DeSouza family and our other Endowment benefactors for all that they’ve done for CMIC. We hope that your example will help others to consider an Endowment with CMIC.