Mumbai: Wadala parishioners remember area teeming with crime

A priest celebrates the special mass at St Dominic Savio Church

It was the 40th anniversary and festivities were held in a controlled environment, necessitated by the pandemic at Wadala's St Dominic Savio Church. The Eucharistic mass was led by Fr Aloysius Furtado of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) order, as he launched what is termed as the ‘Ruby Jubilee Anniversary' of the Church on August 22.

FR. Aloo as he is popularly known, welcomed a small group of parishioners who attended the Ruby Jubilee celebrations and said that the parish team led by Rev. Allwyn Misquita, parish priest was "honoured" to have parishioners as part of this celebration, in the house of the Lord. Fr Aloo added that the Church is not just a building, the Vatican Council has said, "it is the people of God." He reminded attendees that St Paul had actually said, "the Church is the body of Christ."

The building

For many parishioners though it was a time to reflect about how the brick ‘n' mortar structure came up, the challenges of Wadala and the changing landscape, with high-rises and spiffy residential complexes, which are a far cry from the area they know and have grown up in.

Said parishioner Herbert Barretto, "The St. Dominic Savio Church has very humble beginnings. It was the brainchild of Rev. Fr. Mathews Thalanany. It was actually built in a slum colony now known as Bhimwadi. The area was rife with goondas, smugglers and slumlords at that time."

Barretto recalled, "This was a high crime vicinity because of its proximity to the Docks. It was a smuggling haven. Rice, wheat, sugar, coal, etc. were robbed from goods wagons. Liquor was distilled in broad daylight and those who dared to take on this mafia were put into the raw liquor wash drums and buried in the soil. People actually were fearful to walk in the dark here."

Change begins

Barretto, who is also president, Wadala Resident's Welfare Association said, "Wadala (E ) began to change in the 1980s, with infrastructure and amenities. I was part of the initiative, to install water stand posts for 15 families in front of their homes. Otherwise, they had to trek all the way to the Bombay Port Trust (BPT) colonies for water." Barretto added, "we succeeded in getting mud roads paved in concrete near the Church. Bus connectivity, with more routes was started and Railway booking windows in the East were built for the first time and inaugurated by me on April 30, 1987."

A ceremony that was part of the celebrations

The Church had started taking shape, from vision to mission and concrete reality. The foundation stone was laid and construction began in the late 1970s, and the Church was inaugurated in August 1981.

Today, said Barretto, if there is one adjective to describe this Church it is, "vibrant." He added, "There are 5,000 families comprising Tamilians mostly from Chennai, also East Indians, Goans and Mangaloreans, living their faith here. The pandemic may have stopped some activities in their tracks, but virtual meetings are on and we are looking ahead to one year of special events virtually, and when allowed physically, with this milestone as a springboard."

The milestone

Parishioner Elaine Albuquerque endorsed Barretto's tough area sketch of the area and added, "even now, you will see the approach road to the Church is quite difficult. There is space for only one car and parking is a problem. It is a huge improvement though in an area where slumlords once ruled and bullying and goondaism prevailed. The founders withstood so many pressures. Today, we have high rises and new, residential complexes as Wadala transforms. This means even the parishioner base is changing as there is an influx from these upscale societies. The Church has faced hurdles but our strength is its vibrancy. We have planned an inter-faith meeting on October 2, we all need to learn from each other and stand as one."

Wadala local Vincent Pereira added, "We have many more parishioners from all the new age buildings a little away from the Church. Earlier, we had people from buildings around the Church, that has changed and we see a lot of growth here, with 22 small Christian communities within the Church itself." Pereira acknowledged that a landmark date within the pandemic means regular celebrations may be curtailed, but, "through lockdown and the outbreak, the Church and the priests have ensured that people are connected spiritually and feel closer to God now, more than ever."

1981
Year the church was inaugurated