The present Rector of the Jesuit House (Belgaum) and the Manager of St. Paul’s is Fr. Simon Fernandes SJ. He was warmly welcomed and felicitated on June 2nd, 2023, by the Management, Staff, Parent-Teacher Association, and Students of St. Paul’s Institutions.
Fr. Simon, born on September 24, 1970, in Madhyal, Kolhapur District, Maharashtra, has had an impressive educational journey. He attended Samitra Vidhyalaya, Madhyal in 1974 and obtained an MSW degree from the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, affiliated with Mumbai University, in 2006. Fr. Simon furthered his studies in Philosophy and Theology at De Nobili College, Pune, and was ordained as a Catholic Priest for the Goa Jesuit Province on December 29, 2002, at Fatima Cathedral, Belgaum.
As a Jesuit, Fr. Simon has consistently shown a passionate commitment to social work. Since 2004, he has actively contributed to a Social Centre in Ahmednagar, successfully implementing the Water Supply and Sanitation Project of the Government of Maharashtra in ten villages. In 2007, he established SWADES (Social Welfare Action through Democratic Empowerment of Society) and introduced the “Child Focused Community Development Programme” in two panchayats of the Sattari taluka in North Goa. Fr. Simon has also been actively involved in mass movements in Goa, advocating for civic and social causes. Notably, he achieved a significant legal victory against the promoters of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as part of SEZ Virodhi Manch (SVM). SWADES also played a role in the people’s collective on HIV/AIDS.
Additionally, Fr. Simon served as a visiting lecturer at Don Bosco College of Social Work, Panaji. In 2012, he joined the Governance of Natural and Mineral Resources (GNMR), a network of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN), now known as the Justice in Mining Network.
Apart from his professional pursuits, Fr. Simon has diverse interests and hobbies, including reading, acting, playing cricket and soccer, swimming, and engaging with people. He possesses excellent oratory skills and has a strong command over the English language.
We are fortunate to have Fr. Simon as our Rector and Manager – as he embodies a perfect blend of education, spirituality, and counselling, that we wholeheartedly require.
Click here to see the previous Rectors of the Jesuit House (Belgaum).