THE RUBY QUEST: SCC 40-year milestone
The oft-repeated biblical verse: “What good can come out of Nazareth?” came to the fore in 1984 when Bishop Bosco launched the SCC movement in the archdiocese, in the small, nondescript parish of St Thomas at Goregaon East which thus became the “Motherhouse” of the SCC parish renewal initiative. Forty years later, as the archdiocese celebrated the Ruby Jubilee on 9th Nov 2024, the spotlight was again on St Thomas’, as it showcased the parish's vibrant ethos and histrionic talent through the musical, 'The Ruby Quest'.
The Eucharistic celebration which preceded the musical, was celebrated by His Eminence, Cardinal Oswald Gracias along with Emeritus Auxiliary Bishop, Allwyn D’silva, and concelebrated by a large number of priests. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, in his homily, quoting Pope Francis, said that everyone should serve the Church and be a missionary disciple of Christ. We need to make the SCCs’ new system more effective, he emphasized, by a meaningful outreach to the needy. Bishop Allwyn thanked Bishop Bosco and all those who sowed the seed of the SCCs and pointed out that the Synod has to play a very important role in the SCCs now. We cannot forget the past, but we need to renew ourselves by adapting
SCC practices to the spirit of the Synod.
Fr. Nelson Saldanha, the Parish Priest made a special mention of Rev. Fr. Bento Cardozo, the then PP of St. Thomas who was instrumental in laying the foundations of the SCCs at St. Thomas. This was followed by the release of the second edition of a book on Faith reflections for SCCs titled “50 more Pearls of Wisdom” by the Cardinal compiled by Thomas Lobo, one of the first lay pioneers of the SCC in the parish, to coincide with the SCC Ruby Jubilee celebrations.
The musical was helmed by Ms. Harriet Fernandes with a vast ensemble of over 100 amateur performers, had the large audience enraptured for well over 90 mins, with an engaging narrative centered around a treasure hunt, creatively weaving in elements of discovery, intrigue, fun, camaraderie & amp: learning through a process of tactical sleuthing of clues and critical thinking eventually leading to community bonding. The depiction, done in a light, humorous, and earthy format, resonated well with the audience conveying to them deeply meaningful and powerful messages of Unity in Community.
Kudos to St. Thomas for capturing so beautifully the essence of Community living befitting the commemoration of this very significant Ruby milestone of the SCC movement in the Archdiocese of Bombay. Like our patron St Thomas, who wished to see, in order to believe, each of us who witnessed the Ruby Quest truly experienced the spirit of God which will surely lead us to the Gold of a strengthened faith as we continue to remain, in keeping with the Ruby Jubilee theme, as a Parish Family Rooted in Christ.
Written by: Mr. Thomas Lobo
