A file photo of Fr Lucas Rodrigues during a training session with the Altar Servers of the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Mitcham.
THE GOAN NETWORK | LONDON
When a priest serving as director of the ITI at Pilar-Goa was given an appointment to serve a parish thousands of miles away in 2005, little did he realise that he would continue serving the Goan community with passion and dedication in and around London over the next 17 years.
Fr Lucas Rodrigues hails from Bogmalo and studied at Regina Mundi School (Chicalim), before joining the seminary and becoming a priest of the Pilar Society.
As a priest who loved football, staging tiatrs and his ministry at the Pilar ITI, Fr Rodrigues found himself uprooted from Goa and assigned a new mission in the UK, to serve as Parish Priest in St Peter and Paul Parish at Mitcham in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
Incidentally, Fr Rodrigues did get an opportunity to visit England shortly before his new appointment to serve at the Mitcham Parish, when he attended short courses in print and media technology for 7-8 weeks.
Fr Rodrigues admits he had not been initially impressed with parish life in the UK.
“Did I like that I would be working as a priest in the UK? My frank answer is “No”. While in England to attend the short courses, I was in the Our Lady of Assumption Parish run by the Pilar Fathers in Deptford-London,” recalls Fr Rodrigues.
“While helping out the parish during this time, I also covered a parish for weekend Masses in Kent. My first impression of parish life in the UK was – it’s not a ‘happening’ place. I could not see much life nor youthfulness in the parishes. What would I do here? The impression that I carried back from the first visit was not good enough for me to embrace the new appointment,” admitted Fr Rodrigues.
Fr Rodrigues landed on the shores of UK in September 2005 and spent a week at the Deptford Parish, which was the previous parish entrusted to the Pilar Fathers.
On September 21, 2005, Fr Rodrigues arrived at his Sts Peter and Paul Parish in Mitcham and was welcomed by Fr Leonard Taylor, the outgoing parish priest.
“He showed me a few things at the office. The following morning after Mass and breakfast, Fr Taylor requested my help to take his bags to the car before saying goodbye as he drove to Ireland for his retirement, saying ‘You are the parish priest now and you will get to know the parish well in course of time’,” recalled Fr Rodrigues.
“This was baptism by fire, not knowing where to start and dig my hands. I was in a new country, a new place, a new parish!”
Fr Rodrigues had virtually no instruction and nothing much told to him on what to do and how to start. But help was at hand, thanks to fellow Pilar Fathers.
“I am grateful to Fr Joseph Rodrigues, the outgoing parish priest of the Deptford Parish where the Pilar Fathers served for the preceding 10 years, for his able help. He guided me in the first few weeks before he left for Goa. My assistant, late Fr James Pereira, and then Goan Chaplain, Fr Oliver Antao, were a big support for me to understand the new atmosphere, culture and pastoral life,” said Fr Rodrigues.
Fr Rodrigues said he left no stone unturned to understand the parish.
“I made every effort, working long hours, reading and learning from fellow priests and visiting them for guidance. I also interacted with leaders of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) as this was an active parish with 6 weekend Masses.”
“As part of efforts to energise the pastoral life of this community, the first thing that I got together was the Altar Servers team. I remember in 2005, the Mitcham Parish had eight altar servers. In course of time, our register showed 120 altar servers, actively serving the Holy Mass and other liturgies, at the average of 14 altar servers for each Mass.”
“Regular training and the catechism organised by us at the church helped these young people to do well at the school RE (religious education) examination,” admitted Fr Rodrigues, who went on to serve the Mitcham Parish for 12 years.
NEXT: Moving to Swindon, taking up a new mission
