Mumbai News: Hope Rises At SEEPZ Church Ruins As Worshippers Call For Site's Return To Community

As hundreds of worshippers gathered on Sunday morning for the annual religious service at the ruins of the sixteenth-century church of St John the Baptist inside Santacruz Electronic Exports Processing Zone, Andheri East, there was hope that the site would be handed over to the local community.

The programme was attended by local Member of the Legislative Assembly, Murji Patel, who promised to install a roof to protect the ruins from further damage. Father Anthony Fernandes, parish priest of St John the Evangelist Church, Marol, led the service.

In the past, Christians have petitioned the government to hand over the site to them. Brian Pereira, member of the St John the Baptist Church Save Committee, said that people are allowed to worship at the ruins on one Sunday in May. “The church has historic value and the local residents want to restore the site,” said Pereira.

The Portuguese-era church was built in the period when the Portuguese ruled over north Konkan, including Vasai and Mumbai. The colonisers were followed by priests from Roman Catholic orders like the Fransicans, Augustinians, Dominicans and Jesuits who converted members of local castes like Agris, Kolis, Kunbis, Bhandaris, and other groups to Roman Catholicism.

Nicholas Almeida, former corporator, said historical records reveal that between CE 1534 and 1650, the missionaries built about 27 churches in Salsette, as the main island of Mumbai was known. Historical records say that Father Manuel Gomes, a Jesuit priest- the order runs Mumbai's St Xavier's College and other educational institutions, built the church at Condita, also called Kondivita, in 1579 and dedicated it to St John the Baptist. It is believed that 500 adults were baptised on the day.

The church was abandoned in 1840 after an epidemic and residents shifted to nearby Marol where they built the St John the Evangelist Church. The altar from the Condita church was installed in the Marol church. The gilded altar is now the centre of worship at its new home, having been restored in 2023. The grand old church fell into ruins.

When the area was converted into an Export Processing Zone in 1973, entry to the site was restricted. Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Catholic Secular Forum, said they had met local Member of Parliament, the late Sunil Dutt, to discuss the issue. “The church can be converted into a memorial for St John the Baptist. Various governments have promised to hand over the church to the local community, but the issue remains unresolved,” said Dias.  

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