Jerome D'Souza

Father Jerome D'Souza, SJ (6 August 1897, Mangalore, South Canara, British India – 12 August 1977, Madras, India) was an Indian Jesuit priest, educationist, writer and member of the Indian Constituent assembly (1946–50).

Born in the Moolki town of Mangalore in the erstwile South Canara district of British India, to a Catholic family cultivating intellectual interest, Jerome was soon at home in several local languages. He did his secondary schooling at St. Aloysius College (Mangalore) and college studies in St. Joseph's College (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India). Completing finally the English Literature course at the University of Madras (Chennai) he first taught a year at St Joseph's College, Trichy, before deciding to enter the Society of Jesus (29 May 1921). He then went through the usual Jesuit training, doing his theological studies with the French Jesuits in Belgium at the end of which he was ordained priest on 30 August 1931 (Enghien, Belgium). He hailed from the Mangalorean Catholic community.