Dearly Beloved Parishioners,
After a long summer break, we return with renewed zeal, enthusiasm and hope to embrace a new chapter in our pastoral life. As Scripture reminds us: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).
With the recent parish-level elections of our new Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) representatives, Small Christian Community (SCC) Co-ordinators and Parish Association and Cell (PAC) representatives for the term 2026–2029, we look forward in faith and hope to building our parish community with freshness and vitality; thus, adding more vibrancy to our missionary zeal. It gives us immense joy to welcome aboard the young adult faithful who have been elected to serve the Church over the next three years. We extend our best wishes as they step forward to lead, guide and nurture our parish to grow wholistically as exemplary disciples of a synodal Church.
We express our heartfelt appreciation to the outgoing PPC representatives, SCC Co-ordinators and PAC representatives for their hard work, tireless dedication and contributions over the past three years. Their commitment has greatly enriched our parish and its overall development, through numerous events and activities, always striving to live up to our Parish Vision Mission Statement.
It is also a time of gratitude and farewell. With deep affection, we bid goodbye to our beloved priests, Fr. Edwin Vas SVD and Fr. Lukas Parkhe SVD, who have served our parish community with joyful enthusiasm, commitment and unwavering dedication. I would also like to place on record and acknowledge the invaluable service and participation of all the outgoing religious priests and sisters, of the different institutions within our parish, who have strengthened the spiritual life of our parish. On behalf of all the faithful, I extend a heartfelt “A Big Thank You” and invoke God’s blessings upon them as they embark on new missionary endeavors. Also, it is time to joyfully ‘Welcome’ the new members to our clergy team: Fr. Thomas Malipurathu SVD, Fr. Abraham D’Souza SVD, Fr. P. David SVD and Deacon Pratap Minz SVD, along with other religious priests and sisters appointed to the institutions, who join our closely knit Sacred Heart Parish family
Your simple but exemplary lives bring joy, holiness and heavenly blessings to our Parish community. As St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds us: “Holiness is not a luxury for the few. It is meant for you, for me and for all of us. It is a simple duty, because if we learn to love, we learn to be holy.”
Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate, once had a few visitors at his home, they were religious men. Tagore had long conversations with them about God. After the meeting when the holy men left Tagore’s house, he commented “When they left my house, I saw behind God’s footprints.” In the same way, the presence of our priests and religious enriches our parish, inspiring us to live as a community of faith, hope and unconditional love. Their lives of prayer, sacrifice and service encourage us to be more Christlike, committed and dedicated in our mission.
With gratitude, we once again thank Fr. Edwin Vas SVD, Fr. Lukas Parkhe SVD and all the outgoing religious for their love, service and prayerful support. Truly, like Tagore, we can say: ‘They came, they saw, they conversed, they participated and they conquered our heart, leaving behind beautiful, God-centered footprints.’
Finally, I extend a warm welcome to our newly appointed priests and deacon. May their priestly ministry and holy presence draw our community closer to God and help us grow as a vibrant, mission-oriented parish Community.
On behalf of the parish clergy team, I wish each one of you a very Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May the love of Jesus live in the hearts of all!
Fr. John Mascarenhas SVD
Parish Priest