Sad news has come to light. Veteran Marathi literary figure, environmentalist and Catholic priest, Father Francis D’Britto, passed away at his home in Nandakhal near Virar early this morning. He was 81 years old, and his death has come as a shock to the literature sector.
According to reports, he died due to chronic illness. Many are shocked by his death, and people are praying for him. He breathed his last around 5 am at his residence, as per reports. He was the native of his birthplace, Jeladi village in Nandakhal, under the Holy Spirit Church home parish of the Virar region.
Reports suggest D’Britto’s mortal remains shall be kept at his Jeladi home till 3.30 p.m. to enable people and his legion of followers to pay their last respects. He will be cremated today by 4 pm. Later, at 6 p.m., the holy mass and the funeral rites shall be performed at the Holy Spirit Church Nandakhal.
In January 2020, Father Francis D’Britto was elected President of the 93rd All India Marathi Literary Conference held in Osmanabad, ranked as the most prestigious calendar event in the state’s literary world.
Born on December 4, 1942, he was the editor-in-chief of a Catholic community newspaper. He was ordained as a Catholic priest and has done BA in Sociology and an MA in Theology from Pune University. He was always in the limelight for raising his voice about the environment and gangsterism.
Among other works of literature, D’Britto is known for his translation of the Holy Bible (New Testament) into lucid Marathi titled ‘Subodh Bible-Nava Karar’, a monumental work in a prose format that took him over 13 years from 1997 to complete and which became an instant best-seller with over three reprints.
Francis D’Britto was awarded the Dnyanoba-Tukaram Puraskar for his literary work. The Catholic priest was the first to get the award that was constituted in 2007. The author, Priest, had in 2013 won the state’s literary award for best translation. While next year in April he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award.
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