Mumbai, October 16, 2018: Mary’s Clan, a home and rehabilitation center for the alcoholics, has completed 35 years of dedicated service.
To mark the occasion a thanksgiving Mass was celebrated on October 13 at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra. Bishop John Rodrigues, the rector of the basilica, led the Mass.
Brother Cyril D’Souza, a reformed alcoholic, founded Mary’s Clan on the same day in 1983 at a shed behind the basilica that Bishop Longinus Pereira, the then rector of the basilica, allowed him to use.
In April 2004, Bosco Pereira took over as director, after Cyril’s death and has been director since then. It has sheltered more than 5,000 alcoholics since then, Pereira told Matters India.
In his homily Bishop Rodrigues said Mary’s Clan has helped so many people because of its trust in God’s providence. “Everyone has his moments of foolishness. Sometimes we land into deep trouble and sin gets the better of us. St Paul cautions us of the danger of sin that is present everywhere. But we are saved by faith in God revealed in Jesus Christ,” the prelate said.