Rev. Fr. Rudolf Schoch SJ

 Rev. Fr. Rudolf Schoch S.J., educator par excellence 

Rev. Fr. Schoch S.J.

The very best teach from the heart and not from books. Ever grateful for the life lessons you taught all of us dearest Fr. Schoch. You truly cared and in doing so you inspired us to be our best at all times.

Authors note: This is my homage to Fr. Rudolf Schoch S.J., who was my principal at St Vincent's High School from 1973 to 1977 besides teaching Civics. He was a larger-than-life figure who inspired thousands of students with his administrative acumen, sense of social justice, empathy for the disadvantaged and tireless pursuit of excellence. A. M. D. G. (Ad Majorem Dei Glorium, For the greater glory of God).

Education

Born in Basel, Switzerland on September 27, 1913, Rudolf Robert Schoch completed his schooling in the medieval town of Feldkirch in Austria bordering Switzerland and Liechtenstein. One can only imagine the buzz on campus with students from present-day Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia, Germany, France, England, Switzerland, and the USA, where Latin was the lingua franca of choice!

After his graduation he did his noviciate with the Society of Jesus at Tisis (the same alma mater as Fr. Alphons Oesch S.J. in Feldkirch, Austria) on September 14, 1932, a few days shy of his 19th birthday. He studied Indian philosophy, Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya (an exponent of the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta) and the Bhakti movement for six years at the Berchmans Kolleg in Pullach, a suburb south of Munich-at-the-Isar in Germany. One day at the end of the seminar on Indology in which Schoch read out a paper, the head of the local Jesuit province met him and told him about a proposal to open a theological centre in India. "We need someone to teach Indology at De Nobili College, the largest Jesuit scholastic institution in the world located in Poona. Would you like to go to India?" the Jesuit provincial asked. Schoch agreed promptly and thus started his long career in India. He was sent to England in order to learn to speak English and by his own admission was falling behind the class but with a typical never-say-die attitude, he kept ahead of the class with self-study of idioms and English literature. Unfortunately, his trip was aborted by the brewing storm of WWII. 

Young missionary in India

When Rudolf Schoch came to India in 1938 as a Jesuit missionary, he spent the first year learning to speak, read and write Marathi and Sanskrit. He did this by living with a Poona Brahmin family in order to immerse himself in Maharashtrian culture, learning not only the language but gaining an understanding of the local customs and traditions. This unlikely apprenticeship provided authenticity to his interactions that came from a deep respect and understanding of the local language and customs.

Next, he spent three years doing a regency at St Vincent's School, Poona where he was also the boarding perfect in the hostel. He cut an imposing figure with a black-bearded face, intense eyes and an upright steady gait - and one stare from him would be enough to put any wayward student back on the straight and narrow. 

A visionary educator

After studying theology for three years starting in 1942, Fr. Schoch was ordained a priest on 20th March 1945. From 1946-48, he taught at St Jude's School at Dehu Road which he himself started through his own initiative - a story that would play out years later in the founding of Loyola School.

Dnyanmata Vidyalaya, Sangamner

In 1948, he became principal of Dnyanamata Vidyalaya at Sangamner in Ahmednagar district, the first Marathi secondary school. There is a charming story behind the naming of the school as Dnyanamata. One day when Fr. Schoch was at the home of Professor Y R Datta studying Marathi, he noticed a burning oil lamp and remarked it would be a suitable symbol for the school which would be under the protection of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary: "Then why not call the school 'Dnyanamata?'", asked the professor and the name stuck! His predecessor Fr. Maximilian Zinser S.J. had visualised a school in the line of the Gymnasium with a classical education in Latin and Greek. Fr. Schoch took over from Fr. Zinser, built the school and enrolment commenced in June 1948. The first batch of students numbered just five, one of whom was the late Bishop Thomas Bhalerao S.J., the first Bishop of Nashik Diocese. From small acorns, grow mighty oaks! Over his tenure of four years, Fr. Schoch nurtured this fledgling institution to full strength.  

From 1948-1952, Fr. Schoch set up the Poona Jesuits Schools' Society (PJSS), an umbrella body for the effective management of schools of the then Poona-Belgaum Jesuit Province. He clearly excelled at the task of getting schools up and running, his superiors knew he was a visionary educator!

St Vincent's High School, Poona

St. Vincent's High School, Poona

Between 1957 and 1966, Fr. Schoch was the principal of St. Vincent's High School. Few know that he was responsible for starting the primary section of the school. He was also instrumental in wide-ranging reforms, including the construction of new buildings. The old red building was pulled down and replaced in 1963 by the present-day three-storey building with spacious modern labs and state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities completed at the cost of 8 lac rupees. After negotiating a special lease with the Poona Cantonment Board, the playfield was extended by covering up the nearby open drainage system. He would return as principal again between the years 1973 and 1977.

Loyola High School, Poona

Loyola High School, Poona

The visionary he was, even as principal of St. Vincent's, Fr. Schoch felt the need to establish a second school in Poona, besides St. Vincent's. As luck would have it, at a tea party at the Governor's place, he met Dr K Venkataraman, Director of N.C.L. (1957-66) who suggested that the Jesuits consider some land nearby for the new school. After all, National Chemical Laboratory was a premier research, development and consulting organisation attracting the best talents from all over the country but there was no nearby English medium school for its residents. When the Maharashtra Government asked Fr. Schoch in the late 1950s where he would like to set up a new school, he had no hesitation in opting for the outlying area of Aundh-Pashan near N.C.L. As the sayings go, "Strike when the iron is hot. Go big or go home." He asked for a whole hillock and additional land to set up what is today, the popular, Loyola High School, named after the founder of the Order of Jesuits, St Ignatius Loyola!  Donations big and small poured in. But what touched Fr. Schoch the most were the innumerable small donations like Rs. 10/-, Rs. 50/- from even the less fortunate, evoking the Biblical example of the widow's mite. Foreign aid from the Swiss and German Governments was forthcoming. Back in 1952, Fr. Schoch had helped start German language courses in Maharashtra Schools, Poona University and in the founding of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan in Poona, so there was no hesitation in reciprocating by helping fund the construction of Loyola High School. 

Loyola High School - circa 1961

On Sunday, June 11, 1961, in front of an unfinished building, amongst heaps of bricks with sand and bulldozers a motley group of boys, girls and teachers stood to attention, raptly listening to Fr. Schoch as he announced that Loyola High School had been officially inaugurated. This momentous first assembly lasted 2 hours, at the end of which Fr. Schoch declared a holiday. Fr. Anton Rehm S.J. was the first principal until 1963 when Fr. Alphons Oesch S.J. took over for another 3 years. Fr. Schoch would return as principal of Loyola from 1966 to 1973. Once again we can credit his drive and far-sightedness for the building of the Father's house and Staff housing. Under his leadership, the uneven slopes were bulldozed to make way for a spacious school ground including a full-size swimming pool that was the envy of all schools. To the very end, Loyola School was the apple of his eye!

Behind every person who believes in themselves is a loving teacher who believed in them first.

Teaching is the profession that instructs all the professions ~ Linda Darling-Hammond

Larger than life

Fr. Schoch was an institution by himself, motivating students to strive and excel in all fields and to play the game in the right spirit. He endeavoured to provide holistic education to his students, by building character and inculcating ethical conduct, crafting gentlemen out of mere boys to become responsible citizens of this new and promising country. He drew out the best from both his staff and students. He exercised authority as principal, at the same time supported his staff by entrusting responsibility. Since academics was the focus of his priestly ministry, he brought a deep commitment to making education available to one and all irrespective of religion, caste or status. Poor students, economically and academically, were his special concern. He would strive to solve the teachers' and students' difficult academic and domestic problems, visiting them in their homes and strengthening his rapport with them. The secret of his success as an administrator was partly due to his toiling at night studying the boys' reports in different standards and finding creative ways to improve their performance.  He was able to draw the best out of everyone around him, his administration, his staff, and his students with his disciplined no-nonsense approach. They remember the immense trust with which he delegated and supported them in their responsibilities and repaid him by performing beyond their own expectations time and time again.

 

Fr Schoch in his Father's house residence

Fr. Schoch makes a very striking point on fairness and justice. He said that all his teachers were good, but one of them, a certain Fr. Peter influenced him more than anyone else. If he had become a good principal, it was primarily due to him. Fr. Schoch stated, "I saw the necessity of fairness and justice because he was very unjust to me. We learn as much from our bad teachers as from the good." Fr. Schoch was appalled by the irony of a lot of teachers in India. "The crime that the government commits is that they give a very low salary to teachers. In advanced countries, teachers enjoy an honoured place in society and earn a good salary, but not in India. In the land of the 'Guru Vandana' or 'Reverence for teachers', ironically teachers are neglected. A nation that believes in its future should believe in education.", he lamented.

How very true! 

School assembly at the start of each day was legendary. Each class would line up and recite the morning prayer,  followed by the school anthem Vincenti Dabitur. But the memory that comes to mind after all these years, is the following Makara Saṅkrānta greeting that Fr. Schoch would use in impeccable Marathi to remind students of the festival holiday: तिळगुळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला. आणि सोमवारी सुट्टी आहे हे विसरु नका.

Literary scholar

As mentioned earlier Fr. Schoch had studied the 8th-century Indian philosopher and theologian Adi Shankaracharya. He also read books on Advaita, one of the most influential schools of Vedanta. He showed a keen interest in the 17th-century Marathi poet and Hindu Sant Tukaram, translating 39 of his poems to German. He contributed over 200 entries to Maharashtra Vishwakosh encyclopedia on European philosophy, Catholic Church and Christian beliefs. Last but not least, Fr. Schoch is well remembered for teaching German and Civics. He was also a writer. His much-acclaimed book 'Civics and Indian Administration' was prescribed as a Maharashtra School Textbook for several years. He also authored 'God on Weekdays'.

Here is what an ex-student Shirish Puranik (SSC '78, HSC '80) has to say: Father Schoch had a deep influence on my life. Two anecdotes flash into my mind when I think of him.  The first is an indelible memory of my grandfather having a heart-to-heart conversation with Fr Schoch at one of the prize distribution events. My humble grandfather looked very dignified man in his dhoti, coat and topi. And Fr. Schoch looked equally striking - a strapping tall red-faced European in a flowing white cassock. Two men as different as cheese and chalk, yet bonded by their common love for the kids, the school, and the city of Pune. The second was a textbook study on identity that I will never forget. When teaching us Civics in 8th grade he asked a question “Am I a Maharashtrian?” Without batting an eyelid one of us replied, “No”. Fr Schoch probed, “Why not?”. “Because you cannot speak Marathi”. To which Father Schoch replied in Marathi, “मी मराठीत नागरिकशास्त्र शिकवले आहे” meaning “I have taught Civics in Marathi”. We were all stunned - not only was he fluent, but that he knew the precise word for Civics in Marathi. The lasting lesson was that a true Maharashtrian had nothing to do with how one looked or where one came from, but was really about what a person had done for the community in the state and by that measure alone he was surely more a Maharashtrian than any of us! Thank you, dear teacher and friend.

Casting a long shadow

Circa 1960. Photo credit: Joe D'Souza

By now there was no question about his talents as a visionary who was able to start new schools and run them with a deep commitment to good education that promoted all-rounded growth that extended beyond textbook curricula. He would read the rules and regulations of the Maharashtra S S C Board and the Education Department with a keen critical eye and would advise the several school administrators who sought his advice. Both Poona University and the Maharashtra School Board recognised his expertise and he was a Member of the Senate of the University and a Member of the Academic Council of the Maharashtra School Board  (MSE-SHSE) for 14 years. A strong believer in the role of sports in the all-around development of students, he was also Vice President of and Secretary to the Poona Schools Athletics Association for 12 years and an honorary Rotarian for 14 years. 

Fr. Schoch has also been called by many a financial wizard. Here again, his astute understanding of banking rules and financial practices enabled him to make tremendous contributions to the Diocese of Poona and Nasik as their treasurer/adviser helping them raise and manage their funds. After retirement from active service in 1984, Fr. Schoch was the treasurer of the Poona Catholic Educational Association and made a great contribution to the financial administration of the then Goa-Poona Province. He helped in raising funds for many projects in the Province, including placing funds on a secure footing and developing a fund called 'Oasis' to support the old and sick.

Farewell 

Looking back on his long and storied career he said, "Naturally I fell in love with India. In addition to Poona, I also spent many years in Sangamner. I am grateful to India for having given me a chance to do a good job. A job I would not have been able to do anywhere else. God has been kind to me. " Two thoughts that constantly came up in his mind during his last days in Shrirampur were "my mother and Poona" - the two great loves of his life.

He was justifiably proud of the enviable high standards of Jesuit schools in the country. "I have visited a large number of schools in different countries and I don't think the Jesuit schools in India are in any way inferior as compared to the international academic standards," he said proudly. Today in India alone, The Society of Jesus has founded 118 Primary & Middle Schools, 149 High Schools, 58 University Colleges, 22 Technical Institutes and 16 Business Administrations Institutes with 11,525 teachers, educating over 3,34,000 students annually, belonging to every social class, community and linguistic group.

Alas as the world was busy celebrating the dawn of a new millennium on January 1, 2001, Fr. Schoch breathed his last.

For the thousands of students, teachers, parents, non-teaching staff and other people who were fortunate to be acquainted with him, he was the motivating spirit behind some of the finest schools in India. A man of strong principle and belief, Reverend Fr. Rudolf Schoch S.J. is no more, but he continues to live in the hearts of all his students.

Rest in peace, dearest Fr. Schoch, it is not only what you poured into students' minds but what you also planted in their hearts and how special you made them feel that they'll remember you.

References

1. Sales S.J., Fr. Theo de, editor. Deceased Members of the Western Region of the South Asian Assistancy of the Society of Jesus. Fr. Thomas Ambrose S.J., 2021.

2. St. Vincent’s High School, Poona. stvincentspune.com. Accessed 28 Nov. 2021.

3. VOBA - Vincentian Old Boys Association. www.vobapune.com. Accessed 28 Nov. 2021.

4. ---. “Pune Jesuits Province.” Https://Punejesuitsprovince.Blogspot.Com/2019/03/Dnyanamata-Marathi-Medium-Pics.Html, 17 Mar. 2019, punejesuitsprovince.blogspot.com/2019/03/dnyanamata-marathi-medium-pics.html.

5. “Facebook Group for Fr Schoch.” Meta, 27 July 2015, m.facebook.com/pg/FrSchoch/photos.

6. Javale, Sanjeev. ex-student of Loyola (batch of 1976) and St Vincent's (batch of 1978).

7. Davidson, Sean. “A Truly Towering Personality.” from “Facebook Group for Fr Schoch.” Meta, 27 July 2015, m.facebook.com/pg/FrSchoch/photos.

8. Parkhe, Camil. “Fr. Rudolf Schoch. Looking Back in Satisfaction.” Pune Plus, 18 Apr. 2016.

9. Attavar, Anup. “To Sir With Love.” VOBA Google Group, 2013, groups.google.com.

10. Raj, Roopesh. “47 Years of Searching and Service in Unity, This Youth Chaplain Carries on the Mission, Two by Two in Pune.” Hindustan Times, 22 Sept. 2019, www.hindustantimes.com/pune-news/47-years-of-searching-and-service-in-unity-this-youth-chaplain-carries-on-the-mission-two-by-two-in-pune/story-ObBAiTpQR9kj9orJVfdj3M.html.