Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Doherty, Peter

Missionary; born Bendigo, Victoria, 19 February 1934; died Kurji, India, 28 March 2012, aged 78.

Peter was the second son of Dr. Francis and Mary Doherty of Bendigo. He attended St Mary’s Convent and later the Marist Brothers’ School, while his secondary education was at Xavier College, Melbourne. After his schooling, he entered the diocesan seminary, Corpus Christi College, Werribee, for three years. Leaving the seminary, he spent two years in part-time jobs as a labourer, and also in a clerical post with the Victorian State Government. Dreaming of becoming a missionary, he entered the Jesuit noviciate at Loyola, Watsonia, on 3 February 1957, with the understanding that he would be sent eventually to the missions.

Being some years older than the rest of his noviciate confreres gave him immediate wisdom. He entered fully into noviceship life, including regular soccer games and villa day walks. He liked the outdoors, but walking and playing were difficult. He had had polio in his earlier years and walked with a considerable limp. This resulted in him being very clumsy, and noisy in movements, especially when coming down stairs near the rector’s room. When once challenged by the rector with, ‘Did you see the elephant?’ Doherty, completely unfazed, replied, ‘No, Father, but he might be in here’, and began opening doors in adjoining rooms as if searching for the beast. The rector, to his credit, just went ‘Aaah’ and withdrew to his lair.

After vows, sport gave way to gardening, and together with the house horse, Lou, Doherty did much to nurture the gardens and lawns of the college.

On villa days Doherty showed great interest in long walks, talking animatedly about the topics currently being discussed in philosophy class, puzzling his companions who thought that philosophy was something to be learned but not spoken of in civil company. Brendan Byrne recalled a discussion on the theological point of salvation outside the Church, which clearly fascinated him. He used to quote a traditional principle, Deus remunerator, which led him to understand that the basic essential for salvation is to believe in a God who rewards the just and punished the wicked.

Following his two-year philosophy studies, regency was at St Ignatius’ College, Adelaide, 1961-63, where he taught at various times, religion, English, history, Latin and social studies. He was also a sports’ coach. Appointment to the Hazaribag mission occurred early in 1964.

Seasoned by his working through his calling, Doherty was restless to come to grips with what he saw as his mission – to bring the gospel to Indian society, where he very shortly became a prophetic figure. After a short time teaching in St Xavier’s, Hazaribag, he sought a transfer to Mahuadanr to learn Hindi. He taught science with rather original experiments that startled his students. In the years ahead, Doherty was often to startle his companions with the originality of his apostolic ideas and plans.

He passed his BA exams from St Xavier’s College, Ranchi, as a private student. He worked on Hindi during theology in Kurseong, and after ordination in St Stanislaus College, Sitagarha, 7 March 1968, he enrolled for a post-graduate degree in Hindi, 1970-72. After the success of his MA at Allahabad, where he gradually adopted the guru look, the long hair, the beard and the kurta pyjama that were the hallmarks of his dress for the rest of his life, he joined the staff of Hazaribag parish. Here, as an assistant in the parish, he launched into contact work with the various Harijan groups around Hazaribag. This apostolate was to be Peter’s preferred work for the rest of his priestly life. By working consistently among non-tribal Hindu groups, Doherty was quietly indicating a paradigm shift in the pastoral work of the province and the diocese. In this work he entered fully into the lives of his people, the day labourers, the agricultural workers, the rickshaw pullers. He revelled in their world, the lifestyle, their form of Hinduism, and their language Magahi. They were a people who lived daily close to financial disaster. They loved him, and even named a village after him, one that he had helped construct. He wanted to secure a home for the Dalits; to provide a room for everyone.

Doherty worked out of St Robert’s High School, Catholic Ashram Middle School, Primary Teachers Education College, Sitagarha, and Prerana Resource Centre. With a talent for music, he not only learnt a variety of bhajans, but also could accompany himself on the harmonium. In 1995 he settled in Tarwa and built himself a house. When Tarwa was accepted as a ministry of the province, Doherty decided to move on to fresher pastures. Meantime he had not only learnt Magahi, but also composed a Magahi grammar to encourage his companions to learn it, and published the Gospel of Matthew in Magahi.

During his years in Prerana, he often visited the slum colony of Harijans next to the State Bank, and became a favourite with the children who eventually had to be discouraged from being too much at home in Prerana where their ‘Baba’ lived. Seeing the distance the women had to walk for water, he negotiated with the town authorities and got a tube well for the colony.

In order to get the Gospel message across to village people, Doherty next launched into making charts, slides, and films. And so Koyal Vani was born.

Conversations with Doherty, or listening to him in meetings, was a roller coaster of ideas and plans from his ever fertile mind, often toppling accepted ways of proceeding or challenging various sacred cows. With the evolution of his ideas, there was, however, one constant: he never wavered from his preference for working for the marginalized. There was one other constant: an annual trip to Gopalpur on Sea to swim, have a vacation and make a retreat.

The tall gangly, hirsute figure became something of an icon. One might not always agree with Doherty, but confronted with his encyclopedic knowledge and his compelling argumentation, one could only be filled with astonishment and admiration. Not all his ideas won acceptance from his brethren and not all his writing passed the censors, but, undeterred, he took such small setbacks in a sporting spirit and continued with his work.

During the winter months, Doherty could have been seen each morning setting off from Arrupe Niwas with a cheery greeting to anyone around. He liked to walk the kilometer or so to his communication centre, Koyal Vani. It was in mid-March that he complained of not feeling well, and went to the Holy Family Hospital, Kurji, for a health check. While under treatment his condition deteriorated and a head scan revealed an accumulation of blood. Surgery was performed to drain the blood out. He had some periods of consciousness after that, but then developed pneumonia and suffered heart failure. He died soon after. The province had lost a most generous man.

The news spread that ‘Baba’ had died, and there was a crowd of several hundred ‘satsanghis’ at the funeral Mass in Sitagarha. Their devout singing in their traditional mode, and their participation in the Mass, was a sign that the new comers into the fold were bringing with them their own lively attractive mode of worship. It was an assembly that would have pleased Doherty.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)