The Archdiocese of Bombay has started the construction of a convention centre at its sprawling campus of the St Pius College, the seminary in Goregaon located on the Western Express Highway.
Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Bombay, said a conventional centre for meetings and seminars is proposed at the campus. “But that is still a long way forward; nothing in right now. The new archbishop would need to decide on the same. This is the convention center. The paperwork takes time,” said Barrett.The archdiocese said the plans to develop the campus were old. “The project under consideration began sometime in 2010 or so; this work has to be undertaken,” said Father Niel Dos Santos, the archdiocese’s estate officer, who added that he did not have details of the construction plan. “My predecessor has been on the redevelopment projects in various places in our archdiocese so I will be unable to answer at this time.”
Meanwhile, the East Indians have demanded a say in the development of the seminary land which they said was donated to the archdiocese by their ancestors. They wrote to the archdiocese asking for the creation of housing for the city’s Indigenous Catholics and a community centre called the East Indian Bhavan on the campus.
They said their claim was justified as the community was the land’s original owner. “The community has housing issues and has been demanding the same from Bombay Diocese with no positive response. The East Indian Samaj is saddened that the seminary is going for development against the interest of the East Indian community,” said Gleason Barretto of the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat who added that since the seminary already houses convents and welfare centres, an East Indian Bhavan on this land is a must.
“The community willingly gave to the church and now when in need, the diocese should return the favour. Housing is a basic necessity and the most pressing issue for a sizeable population of the East Indian community. The seminary lands also houses various facilities for retreats, seminars and conferences. It is sad that the archdiocese cannot offer a space for the East Indian Bhavan. East Indians as a majority of the land donor community seems to have been forgotten and sidelined,” Barretto added.
Walter Murzello, founder trustee of MGP said the East Indians – descendants of local castes of farmers, fishermen, and toddy tappers who converted to Roman Catholicism in the 16th and 17th centuries – are mostly backward. The group has been classified as an ‘Other Backward Classes’ by the Maharashtra government. “We are still a backward community.
Except for the anglicised East Indians living in South Mumbai who got jobs in the railways and other government departments, the East Indians in the north of Mumbai need help,” said Murzello. Murzello said the new archbishop, John Rodrigues, is a member of the East Indian community.
“We are blessed to have him and we hope he will listen to us. I can quote the situation in Orlem where three or four buildings were built on church lands donated by members of the indigenous Catholic clergy and also indigenous Catholics. Almost 90% of the homes went to non-East Indian families,” said Murzello.The archdiocese did not comment on the demand by the MGP.
