News and Pics from Ancy Paladka
Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 14:  It is strange but true, that one of the largest parishes in Mumbai Diocese, St Joseph's Church, Mira Road, is just a decade old! Having over 25,000 Catholic members, most of whom are Konkani-speaking, of either Mangalore or Goan origin, this parish is unique in the entire diocese.

Till the year 1985, fast trains whizzed past the marshy land filled with salt water, where a few tiled and asbestos sheds and a few shanty offices, where salt was sold, existed here. At that time, the trains did not halt at Mira Road. It was only in 1986 that a few trains started to stop at Mira Road, after the halt at Dahisar, to facilitate those working in the salt pans of Mira Road. With the exception of a single bungalow at Naya Nagar and a few buildings just coming up there, Mira Road was a virtual lake.

In response to a huge building plan and advertising blitz, people from south Mumbai started migrating to this place. On October 22, 1987, the Mira Road Catholic Association was founded. The Bishop, Simon Pimentha, was contacted to meet the religious needs of the people of this place. In 1987, Christmas Mass was celebrated from Goregaon Seminary.

One acre and 23 guntas of land was allocated for the church, and a boundary wall was constructed. A small chapel was built for celebrating the Mass. In the year 1988, Carmelites were contacted and Fr Richard Castelino took up the responsibility of meeting the spiritual needs of the people.

In 1988 Fr Michael Morris Shenoy was transferred to Mira Road. He toiled a lot to protect the land, to plant, to irrigate, to fill and to make this water-filled, mosquito-infested land more habitable. On June 1, 1988, a flat in Sheetal Dahra building was rented, where Fr Michael Morris Shenoy began his pastoral ministry. By then, approximately 100 Catholic families were present in Mira Road. In the same month, the foundation stone was laid for the new church, on the present church foundation. The foundation stone was also dedicated to St Joseph. By December 1990, the chapel was ready, and the Christmas celebration was held in the new church.

On August 27, 1990, the church was officially registered at Thane as a Trust, and in 1991, the first Parish Pastoral Council with Fr Michael as President, Armando Aquino as vice-president, and P X Swami and Joe Rodrigues as secretary and joint secretary respectively, was formed. As soon as the Carmelite Fathers took full charge of the church, the Mira Road Catholic Association, having done its share of the work, opted for a new name, Krista Shanti Dham, and started issuing receipts for payments in this name and handed over the charge to the priests.

By now, parish life had begun to blossom with the formation of several associations, including the Altar Boys and Women’s Sodality and the Youth Group.

In 1990, a war broke in Kuwait. Consequently, lot of people from Kuwait, having heard from the Carmelites about the growing parish and economical housing at Mira Road, rushed to this place to buy flats. Besides, it was considered a safer destination for investment and residence. Rates in other parts of Mumbai were also skyrocketing. News also went around that the Sisters of Holy Cross had taken up the construction of their School here. The year was 1992.

In 1993, the Church at Mira Road was in the news with a live tabloid of Christmas, live music, cards and carnival and hundreds of participants making news about it.

In 1998, as part of the fund raising activities, the idea of the popular Mira Fest was born and took shape. In 1999, the church edifice came to a shape, the residence of the fathers was ready, and a provision was made for a community hall.

Archbishop Ivan Dias inaugurated the new church on December 5, 1999, the year dedicated to the jubilee year of Our Lord Jesus Christ, with the symbol of ‘A New Beginning’.

Till date, Fr Richard Castelino (1988), Fr Michael Morris Shenoy (1988), Fr Berchmans Pinto (1989), Fr Peter D’Sa 1990), Fr Gabriel Dias (1991), Fr Antony D’Souza (1992), Fr Alfred Menezes (1995), Fr John Alex Pinto (1995), Fr Melvyn D'Cunha (1996), Fr Alexander Braganza (2000), Fr Rudolf V D’Souza (2001-2002 - assistant, priest in-charge), Fr Antony DSouza (2002), Fr Henry Praveen (2002), Fr Elias D’Souza (2003), Fr Boniface D’Souza (2003), Fr Deepak Tomas KJ (2006), Fr Peter Rebello (2007) and Fr Michael Morris Shenoy 2007) have served the parish.

Dr  Dominic Charles Vaz, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from Mysore University and was a superior of Infant Jesus Shrine, Mangalore for three years, has been serving the church as its parish priest and also as the director of Anubhav Spirituality Inter-religious Centre since 1999. Fr Michael Morris Shenoy (First councillor of the Carmelite province), Fr Deepak K J Thomas, Fr Ivan D’Souza, Fr John Pinto serve the parish as its assistant parish priests.

As the new church was erected and inaugurated on Dec 6 1999, this year is the decennial year of the church, an occasion that bring back the memories of all the events, the tears of joy and happiness of the inauguration of this church a decade ago.

As part of the decennial celebrations of the church, it is proposed to hold an inter-religious dialogue to mark this event January 17, 2010. "Inter-religious harmony and peace are the present needs of India," says the young and dynamic parish priest, Fr Dominic. "Inter-religious dialogue is a unique platform where the spiritual leaders and people of different faiths come together to share their experiences. Organizing of such an event is for telling the world that differences need not lead to disputes. “The tragedies we have experienced throughout history were not due to the faults in the religions, but because of the extremism that has been adopted by some followers of these religions, and of political systems," he opines.

"In this direction, dialogue is the best way for mutual understanding and co-operation in human relations as well as in peaceful coexistence among all the people. It is an effort to bring together the members of different religions under one umbrella, and to build a peaceful Mira Road and promote communal harmony. In this direction, we would like your support and cooperation," he pleads.

Various church leaders have been invited for this inter-religious dialogue to be held on January 17 at 7 pm at the church premises. Cardinal Oswald Gracias will preside over the function. Provincial Fr Archibald Gonsalves OCD will release the souvenir. Pandit Prahladacharya R Nagarahalli (Sarvajna Vidyapeeta Virar), Maulana Sayyed Ather Ali(president, All India Ulema Council), and Giani Sardar Satnam Singh Ji (head Granthi, Gurudwara, Borivli) will speak on this occasion.

Gilbert Mendonca, MLA, Muzzaffar Hussain, MLC, Sanjeev Ganesh Naik,  MP, Mira-Bhayander municipal commissioner Shiv Murti Naik, mayor Narendra Mehta, and the corporators of the City Corporaton will participate in the function.

To mark this auspicious event, a shrine dedicated to Infant Jesus, will be inaugurated by the Cardinal, Dr Oswald Gracious. Fr Dominic expects thousands of people to witness this unique event.