Mumbai: Wadala parishioners remember area teeming with crime

It was the 40th anniversary and festivities were held in a controlled environment necessitated by the pandemic at Wadalarsquos 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 lsquoRuby Jubilee Anniversaryrsquo of the Church on August 22FR 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 ldquohonouredrdquo 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 ldquoit is the people of Godrdquo He reminded attendees that St Paul had actually said ldquothe Church is the body of ChristrdquoThe buildingFor many parishioners though it was a time to reflect about how the brick lsquonrsquo mortar structure came up the challenges of Wadala and the changing landscape with highrises and spiffy residential complexes which are a far cry from the area they know and have grown up inSaid parishioner Herbert Barretto ldquoThe 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 timerdquoBarretto recalled ldquoThis 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 hererdquoChange beginsBarretto who is also president Wadala Residentrsquos Welfare Association said ldquoWadala 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 waterrdquo Barretto added ldquowe 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 1987rdquoA ceremony that was part of the celebrationsThe 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 1981Today said Barretto if there is one adjective to describe this Church it is ldquovibrantrdquo He added ldquoThere are 5000 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 springboardrdquoThe milestoneParishioner Elaine Albuquerque endorsed Barrettorsquos tough area sketch of the area and added ldquoeven 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 interfaith meeting on October 2 we all need to learn from each other and stand as oneWadala local Vincent Pereira added ldquoWe 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 itselfrdquo Pereira acknowledged that a landmark date within the pandemic means regular celebrations may be curtailed but ldquothrough lockdown and the outbreak the Church and the priests have ensured that people are connected spiritually and feel closer to God now more than everrdquo1981Year the church was inaugurated