Hundreds of people from various religions attended the funeral of a Belgian Jesuit missioner, who worked among poor tribal youths in Jharkhand.

Father Victor Van Bortel, founder of Kishore Nagar (boys’ town), was suffering from a viral disease for the past six months. A week ago, he was admitted to Mandar’s Holy Family Hospital. He died on Jan. 18 at the age of 84. He was buried a day later.

Father Isaac Tete, Father Bortel’s former assistant who now works in the Ranchi provincial house, said Jesuits wanted to bury the missioner at the Agricultural Training Centre, Namkum, after funeral services at Ranchi’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.

However, the residents of the boys’ town at Bargawan near Namkum said they wanted “their father” to be with them and threatened to revolt if his body was not brought there. “Their love won, and we changed our plan. Their father will be always with them,” he said.

Jesuit Father Jose De Cuyper, another Belgian missioner, in his homily described his deceased confrere as a “stubborn holy man” who “became poor to make his poor boys rich.”

Father Bortel joined the Society of Jesus in 1946 and came to Ranchi. He was ordained a priest in 1959.

After 10 years, he started working among orphans and street children and started a center at Samlong, outskirts of Ranchi.

He started with 80 boys in a single-room center. Later, he bought a 10-acre plot at Bargawan, 25 kilometer east of Ranchi, to set up the boy’s town.

The town now has a primary, middle and high school. “We have only eight regular teachers, but many formers students voluntarily teach,” Jesuit Father Chonhas Lakra, assistant director of town, told UCA News.

He said Father Bortel never discriminated people on the basis of religion. Majority of students are from Jharkhand, but there are some from other states.

Bandhu Tirkey, a member of legislative assembly from Mandar and a former student, said the Jesuit’s death has left the students orphans.

Lucas Prakash Minj, who was in the first batch, said he could become teacher because of Father Bortel’s dedicated service to the poor orphans. “Father Bortel did a great work but always avoided publicity,” he added.

Sawna Lakra, the local MLA, described Father Bortel as a “messiah of the poor” and the boys’ town “a gift of God.” Father Bortel, he said, produced several engineers, teachers and some Catholic priests during his 41 years of work in the town.

Related posts:

1. Pioneering Belgian Jesuit remembered
2. Hundreds attend Inner Healing Retreat
3. Jesuit arrested in scarf controversy
4. Kolkata Jesuit college honors Hindu teacher
5. Jesuit economists vow to guide development