He was born in Colombia. We familiarly called him "Chucho" but his name was José Jesús (Joseph Jesus). He was a Consolata Missionary. We met for the first time in 1982. I had just arrived in Bucaramanga (Colombia) to start the year of "novitiate". He was at the end of his. The two groups had a one week retreat together. We thought we would see each other again soon. He had been appointed to continue his studies in London and it had been whispered to us (three seminarians from Argentina) we too would be going there. Little could we see that few months' later there would be a war that would change the plans and we would remain in Bogotá for our theological studies.
We met, though, a few times here and there in the following years.
In 1994 I arrived in South Africa and in 1999 I became what we call "delegate superior" (acting in the name of the Superior General in Rome). One day I received a call from Rome: "Chucho would like to go back to South Africa but he wonders what the rest of the group would say".
South Africa had been Fr Chucho's first missionary appointment after his ordination in 1987. He did not last. After a few months he was back in Colombia. Sixteen years' later he was ready for a second chance.
Asking the "old" missionaries about his request it became clear that no one could really remember him and, in any case, they were more than happy to have another missionary joining our group. He was then given the go ahead to start the visa process.
The waiting period became the joke of the group. Michael Pascal Rowland OFM, the bishop of Dundee who did remember him kept on asking me: "When is Jesus coming back?" to which I could only say: "We do know he is coming, we just do not know when".
In February 2003 he landed back in Johannesburg and was appointed to Madadeni (KZN) to learn Zulu and... to get used to drive a car again. Both things were a challenge. It is not easy to learn Zulu when you are in your 40s and he had given up driving cars after an accident. He only drove motorbikes (something you hardly see in South Africa). He accepted both without complain. One hour at the driving school and three hours of Zulu every morning. I still remember him in his room with his pipe and papers all over the walls with words and expressions he had learnt.
"Jesus' second coming" (as we love to call it) is something I always treasure. Though preachers of mercy we risk thinking it applies to others. We risk thinking it is to others to show mercy and to receive mercy. Fr Jesus gave us a chance to experience both and we will always be grateful for that.
After 10 years in South Africa he was transferred to Italy. The Lord called him home a few days' ago.
