P. Paulus Sugino

Padre Paulus Sugino nació el 15 de septiembre de 1954 y tenía 67 años. Hizo sus primeros votos el 30 de enero de 1979 y fue ordenado sacerdote el 7 de julio de 1982.

Actualmente vivía en Antananarivo (Madagascar). Pertenecía a la Región MAD.

El Señor es mi pastor, nada me falta (Sl 23,1)

Dear confreres,

Many of us know Fr. Paulus Sugino SCJ. This morning, we received sad information from the Region of Madagascar that Fr. Paulus Sugino passed away at around 02:00 local time. He has born on September 15, 1954 in Indonesia. He became Dehonian by professing the first vows on January 30, 1979 and he was ordained on July 7, 1982. From August 1, 1995 to July 15, 1998 he was assigned as Rector of Scholasticate in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He became the Provincial Superior of Indonesian Province from 1998 to 2004. On the XXII General Chapter he was elected as General Councilor from 2009 to 2015 and on the XXIII General Chapter he was elected again as General Councilor from 2015 to 2018.

He has lived out the life of self-offering (oblation) as Dehonian until the end of his life in the mission in Madagascar. Some of us remember very well the way he welcomed everybody with his cordiality. His sincere smile brought everybody feel at home having conversation with him. His simplicity gave us deep impression on his interior richness and profound spiritual life. Most of Indonesian SCJ remember him as formator and the Provincial Superior who accompanied his confreres patiently, listened attentively and journey together toward vocational and spiritual maturity in the spirit of discernment.

During his service as General Councilor, he regularly visited the Entities that he accompanied, mostly in Asia and some in Europe. His presence on the special or ordinary events showed his availability and faithfulness to his service and willingness to experience the dynamic of the Entities with all up and down. After his service in the General Government, surprisingly at his age of more than 60th, he offered his life to be a missionary in Madagascar. He showed his commitment to be a missionary by learning new language, French, with enthusiasm and joy. He arrived in Madagascar on February 23, 2019 and ended his life journey there peacefully.

The sudden death of Fr. Paulus Sugino brings us a deep grief and shock. And we believe that Fr. Sugino would want us to celebrate his life instead of mourning his death. We are so grateful to him for his humble example and generous service to the Congregation and to the Church. According to what is established in DG 69.4, we invite each priest to celebrate a Holy Mass in his memory and all members of the Congregation to participate in prayer, so Fr. Sugino may experience the eternal joy and life with our Father in Heaven. We thank and pray for his family that allowed Fr. Sugino to be part of us. We thank Indonesian Province for offering and supporting its dedicated member to serve the Congregation. And may the grace of humility, generosity, faithfulness, and simplicity that Fr. Sugino received from God, flow and encourage us and our community as well.

Fraternally, in Corde Iesu,

Fr. Carlos Luis Suárez Codorniú SCJ, Superior General

Fr. Vincentius Sri Herimanto SCJ, General Councilor

Hildesheim, December 31, 2021

Dear Father General Carlos Luis Suárez,
Dear Members of the General Council,
Dear Father Superior Mathieu Yvon,
Dear Confreres in Madagascar,
Dear Father Provincial Andreas Suparman,
Dear Confreres in Indonesia,

I am deeply saddened to hear that Father Paulus Sugino SCJ has died in Madagascar. I want to share your sorrow and pray for a beloved confrere and friend.

During my studies in Rome I met Father Sugino for the first time. At that time, I always admired his dedication to the community, his deep Dehonian spirituality and his eagerness to study the psychology of Rulla.

His wonderful sense of humour, his love for our Congregation and his passion for the mission became a leitmotiv in his life. His strong faith and his way to trust in God’s guidance touched me.

When we started to work together on the new General Council in the summer of 2015, Father Sugino was very important for me and for the new brothers on the Council to bridge with the work and vision of the former General Council of Father General José Ornelas Carvalho.

Sugino gave us an insight in the art of how to work together for the Congregation and how to build a community at the same time. He was a very caring personality. He always was one of the first to visit someone who had fallen ill. He was able to lift you up, to lighten your burden.

He was a very prayerful man. When he counselled someone, he did it out of a deep sense of belonging to God’s family, to God’s love for everyone, especially for those with a wounded heart.

His fine sense of humour was unbeatable as well as his way to play ping-pong. Unforgettable the boyish grin on his lips and his piercing eyes when he won a match. And he loved hot spices and gardening!

May Father Sugino rest in peace. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus embrace him and lead him to God’s eternal garden, to his paradise.

May God bless you all and may Mother Mary comfort you.

In the Heart of Christ

+  Heiner Wilmer SCJ