Mangaluru: Fr Brian Pereira, SJ, assumed office as the rector of St Aloysius Institutions Sunday, following a solemn prayer service held at the Jesuit Oratory of the St Aloysius Community in the presence of fellow Jesuits.He took over as the 31st rector of the institution. Fr Melwyn Dcunha, SJ, vice-rector, welcomed the new rector and handed over the baton of leadership of the 146-year-old institutions by presenting him a statue of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and the keys of the tabernacle of the Jesuit oratory.Taking up the responsibility, Fr Brian said, “We need to allow legacy of the institution and empathetic leadership of Late Fr Melwin Joseph Pinto to grow.”The appointment comes in the wake of the untimely demise of former Rector Rev Fr Melwin Joseph Pinto, SJ, on April 10. Subsequently, Fr Arturo Abascal Sosa, SJ, superior general of the Society of Jesus, appointed Fr Brian Pereira as the new rector on April 16.Fr Brian brings decades of experience in education, administration, leadership training and social outreach. He holds an MSc in chemistry from St Josephs College, Trichy, and a master’s degree in counselling from Loyola University, Maryland, USA. A certified NLP trainer and life skills coach, he has trained thousands of young people across India, equipping them with leadership qualities, life skills and value-based education.He previously served as vice-president of the Bangalore Jesuit Educational Society, rector of Jesuit communities, director of Navasadhana Jesuit Pre-Novitiate, and in-charge of Jesuit Youth Works in South Asia, and was also the founding director of the Karnataka Jesuit Youth Apostolate.His administrative experience includes serving as rector of St Joseph’s College (autonomous), Bengaluru, and later as rector of St Joseph’s Institutions, Bengaluru. Most recently, he served as director of the Human Resource Development Centre of the Karnataka Jesuit Province. He is the visionary behind the IGNITORS Integral Formation Programme and played a significant role in MAGIS initiatives.In addition, Fr Brian has been actively involved in social outreach programmes, including ‘Bembala’, St Joseph’s outreach programme.
