SEEPZ to Allow Weekly Mass at 15th Century Church

Mumbai – After more than a century of neglect, the 15th century St John’s Church in Andheri, Mumbai, is all set to be restored so that the believers can pray there and hold mass once a week, instead of once a year, according to the high–security Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) officials.

The renovation work in the church, out of bounds for worshippers till the local East Indian community demanded access, will be supervised by a committee comprising of representatives of the Archdiocese of Bombay and the SEEPZ Development Commissioner as the chairman.

The restoration work will be undertaken with the help of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a conservation agency, which has a representative on the committee.

Father Jerome Lobo, parish priest of the St John the Baptist Church, Andheri, who is a member of the committee, said that since the ruin is a protected heritage structure, the old plans of the church cannot be altered.

“We are not sure whether the structure can be rebuilt completely. But we will retain the original design as much as possible,” he assured.

SEEPZ has agreed to finance the project and will retain ownership over the ruins even after the restoration.

INTACH has been involved in the restoration of several heritage properties in Rajasthan, Gujarat and elsewhere. An INTACH official said, “It is an archeological site. We are in the process of preparing a report on the project. But nothing concrete has been decided so far.”

The church was built by the Portuguese and was used by local residents who had converted to Christianity. It was abandoned during a plague in 1840. Villagers moved a few kilometres away to Marol where they placed the statue of St John in their reconstructed church of St John the Evangelist. However, parishioners kept going to the old church on pilgrimages.

The church became totally dilapidated in the 1970s when the local Christian community lost ownership and access to the building. The Maharashtra government acquired title to the land and agreed to uphold the sanctity of the church. However, it set up the Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ), a commercial zone for the manufacturing of electronic goods and diamonds, and allowed companies to set up shop in the area around the church. One company even built its plant on top of the cemetery.

Today, St John the Baptist is overrun by roots that are breaking the structure. The building is reduced to pathetic conditions with only the side walls standing and no roof. An arch at the entrance and a stone altar with a stone Cross on it bear silent testimony to the presence of a church.

Since July 2003, the local East Indian community, which is witnessing a revival of interest in its heritage and culture, demanded the church be handed over to them and, for years, local believers had tried to save the church from dilapidation. The building is significant because it was here that the first local residents converted to Christianity in 1582.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath, under whose purview the SEEPZ economic zone falls, has written to local Member of Parliament and Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sunil Dutt, stating that weekly church services can be held in the Portuguese ruins.

Earlier, the All India Christian Council (AICC), on behalf of many Christian organizations including the Bombay Catholic Sabha, had also urged Sunil Dutt to help the Christian community resume their prayer services within the Church and also to hand over the Church to Bombay Archdiocese, to whom the Church belonged.

Nath in his communication to Dutt also stated that a committee, under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner, comprising representatives of the Archdiocese of Bombay, had been constituted to carry out the maintenance of the site, facilitate its use by worshipers and develop the surroundings, including entry gate and boundary walls, in keeping with the historical importance of the place.

“The Catholic community is delighted with the news, as restoration of a church to its former glory, is always an occasion to be glad”, said John Dayal, president of All India Catholic Union. There are several similar cases in other parts of the country, which should be sorted in the similar manner, he added.

“Our demands were pending with the previous Bharatiya Janata Party–led government but nothing happened. We got the permission only because of the secular Congress Government in the Centre and in the State,” said Joseph Dias, general secretary of Catholic Secular Forum, Mumbai.

“Earlier, attempts were made to make the church an election issue to garner a few Catholic votes,” he added.

The Bombay Catholic Sabha secretary general, Lavy D’Costa, while congratulating the central government on the speedy decision in the interest of the community, asked its assistance in restoration work of the old historical monument.

“It is a great news for the entire Catholic community who can now celebrate Mass and conduct other prayer services as their religious right. It was only because of Dutt’s intervention and persistent follow–up that we secured permission,” informed Dr Abraham Mathai, vice–chairman, Maharashtra State Minorities Commission and general secretary, All India Christian Council.

Until now, SEEPZ permitted only an annual service in the abandoned and dilapidated church, citing security reasons. Even on All Souls Day, November 1, the Christians were not allowed to pray on their ancestor’s graves located around the church premises.