- 08 August, 2026
Mumbai, August 8 2026: On 8 August 2026, Snehalaya Family Service Centre marks a remarkable milestone: fifty years of serving families with faith, compassion and professional excellence. Its Golden Jubilee is more than a celebration of longevity. It is an opportunity to give thanks for the vision of those who laid its foundations, remember the countless lives touched by its ministry and renew its commitment to strengthening families for generations to come.
For five decades, Snehalaya has been a place of hope for couples, families and individuals seeking guidance, healing and accompaniment. Behind every counselling session, Marriage Preparation Course, retreat and family programme are personal stories of struggle and renewal, often revealing God's grace at work quietly in people's lives.
The origins of Snehalaya can be traced to the turbulent social circumstances of India in the mid-1970s. The Emergency period brought serious concerns about human dignity and family life, including proposed compulsory sterilisation policies.
Inspired by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Humanae Vitae, the Archdiocese of Bombay recognised the need for a pastoral response that would uphold responsible parenthood while defending the dignity and sanctity of human life.
As Archbishop Simon Pimenta reminded the faithful, "Humanae Vitae was precisely a call to respect for human life and human dignity."
From this vision emerged the Family Apostolate. On 8 August 1976, Snehalaya Family Service Centre was established as a concrete expression of the Church's commitment to accompanying families.
At the centre of this new initiative was Fr. Dawson Ambosta, Snehalaya's founding Director. His vision was remarkably forward-looking.
He recognised that families needed more than spiritual advice. They also required professional counselling, psychological support and holistic pastoral care. He envisioned a centre where Catholic teaching and professional expertise could work together to help couples and families navigate the challenges of life.
Under his leadership, Snehalaya pioneered family counselling, marriage preparation, natural family planning, youth guidance, leadership formation and training for family-life educators.
The centre soon became a model for other dioceses seeking to develop professional and pastoral approaches to family ministry.
From 1985 to 2003, Fr. Joseph John Bosco Fernandes led Snehalaya through a period of rapid social and cultural change.
As Mumbai became increasingly urbanised, families faced new pressures and increasingly complex relationships. He responded by expanding professional counselling and introducing clinical assessment into the ministry.
His approach brought psychology, pastoral care and Catholic teaching into closer conversation, strengthening Snehalaya's reputation as a centre for marriage and family counselling. The multidisciplinary approach he developed remains an important part of Snehalaya's work today.
The period from 2003 to 2018, under Fr. Cajetan Menezes, brought extraordinary growth.
A family therapist, author and internationally recognised expert in family ministry, he helped transform Snehalaya from an established counselling centre into one of India's leading Catholic family-service institutions.
Marriage Preparation Courses gained widespread recognition, while parish-based family ministry expanded throughout the Archdiocese of Bombay. Snehalaya's influence also reached beyond Mumbai.
A particularly significant moment came when Fr. Menezes was invited by Pope Francis to participate in the 2014 Extraordinary Synod on the Family. The invitation recognised not only his personal expertise but also the contribution that Snehalaya had made to the Church's wider ministry to families.
From 2018 to 2026, Fr. Cleophas Fernandes guided Snehalaya through one of the most challenging periods in recent history.
The COVID-19 pandemic placed immense pressure on marriages, families and individuals. Isolation, anxiety, bereavement and uncertainty created new pastoral and psychological needs.
Snehalaya adapted its counselling, marriage preparation and pastoral services to continue accompanying people through those difficult years. He also renewed the emphasis on parish family ministry and Family Cells, drawing inspiration from the pastoral vision of Amoris Laetitia.
The experience reinforced an essential lesson: families need the Church not only in moments of celebration but also in times of crisis, uncertainty and pain.
The challenges facing families in 2026 are very different from those of 1976. Rapid technological development, artificial intelligence, social media, loneliness, mental-health concerns and changing understandings of relationships have transformed the environment in which families live.
Yet the deepest human needs remain unchanged.
People continue to long for love, acceptance, understanding, forgiveness and belonging. Families continue to seek peace, stability and hope.
Snehalaya responds to these needs through professional counselling for individuals, couples and families dealing with anxiety, grief, addiction, marital conflict and other challenges. Psychological assessments support both pastoral ministry and the work of the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal.
Its wider programmes include Marriage Preparation Courses, Family Cell formation, parenting initiatives, youth formation, bereavement support, family enrichment programmes and leadership training.
Through these ministries, Snehalaya continues to strengthen not only individual families but also parish communities.
The Golden Jubilee is therefore not simply an occasion to look backwards. It is an invitation to look ahead.
The next fifty years will require Snehalaya to accompany families in new and creative ways. This will mean integrating sound psychological practice with Christian spirituality, engaging responsibly with new technologies and remaining attentive to the changing realities of family life without losing sight of the dignity of every person.
At the heart of the Church's vision remains the belief that the family is the first school of love, the first sanctuary of life and the first place where faith is lived and handed on.
Strong families contribute to strong parishes; strong parishes strengthen the Church; and a strong Church can become a sign of hope to society.
Snehalaya's very name points towards its vocation: to be a "Home of Love".
For fifty years, countless people have walked through its doors carrying wounds, questions, conflicts and fears. The hope is that they have encountered healing rather than hurt, understanding rather than judgement, reconciliation rather than division and hope rather than despair.
As Snehalaya celebrates five decades of God's abundant blessings, it can look to the future with gratitude and confidence.
May the Lord continue to bless this ministry and all who serve within it. May Snehalaya remain a place where families discover the possibility of healing, where couples find the courage to begin again, and where generations learn that love, when rooted in faith and lived with compassion, can transform homes and communities.
After fifty years, the mission remains as relevant as ever: healthy families build healthy communities, and healthy communities build a hopeful world.
Courtesy Fr. Ashwin Castellino
Director, Snehalaya Family Service Centre
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