Fifty Years of Hope: Snehalaya's Enduring Mission to Strengthen Families

On 8 August 2026, Snehalaya Family Service Centre celebrates a remarkable milestone—fifty years of serving families with faith, compassion and professional excellence. Golden Jubilees are moments not merely to celebrate longevity but to pause in gratitude, to remember the vision of those who came before us, and to renew our commitment to the mission entrusted to us.

For fifty years, Snehalaya has stood as a beacon of hope for countless couples, families and individuals seeking guidance, healing and accompaniment. Behind every counselling session, every Marriage Preparation Course, every retreat and every family restored lies a story of God's grace quietly at work.

The story of Snehalaya is, in many ways, the story of the Church responding courageously to the signs of the times.

In the mid-1970s, India was passing through one of the most turbulent periods in its history. The Emergency brought with it proposed compulsory sterilisation policies and increasing concerns about the dignity of human life and family life. Inspired by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Humanae Vitae, the Archdiocese of Bombay recognised the need for a pastoral response that upheld both responsible parenthood and the sanctity of human dignity. As Archbishop Simon Pimenta reminded the faithful, "Humanae Vitae was precisely a call to respect for human life and human dignity."

From that vision was born the Family Apostolate, and on 8 August 1976, Snehalaya Family Service Centre came into existence.

At the heart of this new beginning stood Rev. Fr. Dawson Ambosta, the founding Director whose vision was far ahead of its time. He understood that families required more than spiritual advice; they also needed professional counselling, psychological support and holistic pastoral care. Long before such services became common within the Church in India, Fr. Dawson dreamt of a centre where faith and professional expertise would work hand in hand to strengthen families. Under his leadership, Snehalaya pioneered family counselling, marriage preparation, natural family planning, youth guidance, leadership formation and training for family life educators, becoming a model for many dioceses across the country.

His successors each built faithfully upon this foundation.

From 1985 to 2003, Fr. Joseph John Bosco Fernandes guided Snehalaya through a period of rapid social change. As Mumbai became increasingly urbanised and families encountered new pressures, he expanded professional counselling and pioneered clinical assessment within the ministry. His emphasis on integrating psychology, pastoral care and Catholic teaching helped establish Snehalaya as a respected centre for marriage and family counselling. The multidisciplinary approach he introduced continues to influence our work today.

The years 2003 to 2018 under Fr. Cajetan Menezes marked a period of extraordinary expansion. A gifted family therapist, author and internationally recognised expert in family ministry, he transformed Snehalaya from an excellent counselling centre into one of India's leading Catholic family service institutions. Marriage Preparation Courses became widely acclaimed, parish family ministry expanded across the Archdiocese, and Snehalaya's influence reached far beyond Mumbai. His invitation by Pope Francis to participate in the 2014 Extraordinary Synod on the Family was a recognition not only of his personal expertise but also of the significant contribution that Snehalaya had made to the Church's ministry to families.

From 2018 to 2026, Fr. Cleophas Fernandes shepherded Snehalaya during one of the most difficult chapters in recent history. The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous strain on marriages and families, yet Snehalaya remained a source of hope, adapting its counselling, marriage preparation and pastoral services to meet the changing needs of people. His compassionate leadership renewed the emphasis on parish family ministry, Family Cells and the pastoral vision of Amoris Laetitia, reminding us that the Church must continue to accompany families with mercy, patience and love.

As we celebrate this Golden Jubilee, we are deeply indebted to these visionary leaders, to the counsellors, staff members, volunteers, priests and countless married couples who have generously shared their gifts over the past five decades. Their dedication has enabled Snehalaya to touch thousands of lives, often quietly and without recognition.

Today, Snehalaya continues that same mission with renewed enthusiasm. Every year, hundreds of engaged couples participate in our Marriage Preparation Courses. Professional counselling supports individuals, couples and families facing anxiety, grief, addiction, marital conflict and other life challenges. Psychological assessments assist both pastoral ministry and the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal. Family Cell formation, parenting programmes, youth formation, bereavement support, family enrichment initiatives and leadership training continue to strengthen parish communities across the Archdiocese.

Yet the challenges facing families today are unlike those of 1976. We live in a world shaped by rapid technological change, artificial intelligence, social media, increasing loneliness, mental health concerns and changing understandings of relationships and family life. While the context has changed, the deepest human needs remain the same. Every person longs to be loved, understood, forgiven and accepted. Every family longs for peace, belonging and hope.

The mission of Snehalaya, therefore, remains as relevant today as it was fifty years ago. The Church has always believed 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 build strong parishes; strong parishes build a strong Church; and a strong Church becomes a sign of hope for society.

As we celebrate this Golden Jubilee, we are not merely looking back with gratitude; we are looking forward with confidence. The next fifty years will call us to accompany families in new and creative ways, integrating sound psychology with Christian spirituality, embracing new technologies without losing our humanity, and continuing to proclaim that every family, despite its struggles and imperfections, is called to become a domestic Church where Christ is present.

Our prayer is that Snehalaya will continue to be true to its name—a ‘Home of Love.’ May every person who enters its doors experience healing instead of hurt, understanding instead of judgement, reconciliation instead of division, and hope instead of despair.

As we celebrate fifty years of God's abundant blessings, we remember the words that have quietly inspired Snehalaya's mission from the very beginning: healthy families build healthy communities, and healthy communities build a hopeful world.

May the Lord who has guided Snehalaya through the past fifty years continue to bless this ministry, so that generations yet to come may discover, within its walls, the enduring love of God lived out through the ministry of His Church.

By Fr. Ashwin Castellino

Director, Snehalaya Family Service Centre