Fr Malcolm Rodrigues SJ

Fr Malcolm Rodrigues died on 4 December 2022 in the Mercy Hospital in Georgetown, Guyana. He was 81 years old, in the 63rd year of religious life.

Malcolm was born in Georgetown, in what was then British Guiana, on 23 February 1941. He was educated at St Stanislaus College in Georgetown, and joined the novitiate at Roehampton in 1960. After taking first vows there he went to Heythrop in Oxfordshire for philosophy, then in 1965 moved on to Campion Hall where he took a Master’s degree in physics.

In 1969, he returned to Guyana for regency, teaching at Corentyne High School in Port Mourant, then moved to Mexico for theology studies. He was ordained deacon in Mexico City, but returned to the UK for his priestly ordination on 7 July 1973. After a fourth year of theology, he taught physics at St Stanislaus College in Georgetown for two years, moving to teach at the University of Guyana in 1976.

In 1983, he made his tertianship in Denver, Colorado under Vince O’Flaherty. He then returned to the University of Guyana and became Dean of the faculty in 1989, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 1990. Meanwhile he had been appointed as regional superior in 1986, and after completing his term in 1992 became parish priest in Plaisance. A sabbatical followed with time spent in St Louis, Missouri, and in Campion Hall, after which he returned to Guyana University as director of an Environmental Studies Unit. From 1998, he again became regional superior, this time for three years, after which he was assigned to the Sacred Heart church in Georgetown, and took charge of formation in the region. In 2003, he moved into the interior as parish priest of the Pakaraimas and the Rupununi, and co-ordinator of Amerindian apostolates, but the following year transferred to Port of Spain in Trinidad as parish priest of St Theresa’s.

After two years he returned to Guyana, to carry out pastoral ministry on the coast and later in the north-west district until 2018. He was at different times a regional consultor, member of the formation commission, vocations’ director, and took part in three province congregations in the UK. In 2018 he retired to Arrupe House in Georgetown to pray for the Church and the Society, and remained there until his death.