Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | November 23, 2025

Opening Doorz mourns the passing of a true spiritual giant, Fr. Mathew Thalanany, SDB, who completed his earthly pilgrimage yesterday at the age of 96.

Once upon a time… there stood a spiritual warrior, Fr. Mathew Thalanany.

Like the great rebels and voices of truth who dedicate their lives to the upliftment of the marginalised, Fr. Mathew Thalanany was a priest who knew that justice and faith were inseparable.

Fr. Mathew Thalanany was a man who challenged the status quo with intense Christian action.

He was a Salesian Father, a man who carried the charism of Don Bosco into the most challenging urban landscape. His field of battle was not the pulpit, but the frontier of the most neglected. He was a gentle voice of truth and a selfless advocate for the poor, especially the Tamil Catholic community, whose strength today stands as his living monument.

In 1964, a young Assistant Priest from the established parish of OLD Wadala (West), Fr. Mathew, took on a mission that appeared impossible to all but his faith. His chosen territory was Antop Hill, a locality notorious in those days—a place infested with bootleggers, smugglers, and wagon looters. This was his Trenchtown, his challenging frontier where the poor and the working class struggled for dignity.

His daily routine was an act of courage and commitment. Without fail, he would cross the two treacherous railway tracks—the Central Railway and the Port Trust line—just to reach the slums.

He wasn’t scared. His faith was his shield, and his mission was his anthem.

He saw the need for Equal Rights not in societal manifestos, but in spiritual dignity and education. Where others saw a god-forsaken locality, he saw a community worthy of a sacred space. He ministered to the people, saying Mass in a humble asbestos shed and supervising evening study classes for the children, proving that true freedom is found in knowledge and communion.

The Uprising: God on the First Floor

Fr. Mathew carried a bold vision for a proper church—a vision so consuming that he was driven to desperation. Yet, his faith rested on a greater reality, echoing the words of his Salesian founder, Don Bosco.

When Don Bosco was laying the foundation for his Basilica, he offered his contractor a meagre 8 coins (Rs. 8), confidently stating: “Don’t worry, Carlo, the Madonna will see to it that the money will come.”

Fr. Mathew possessed that same devotion to Mother Mary. Despite having “no pie in his pocket,” his first, militant, and enduring action was to rally the people behind the Wednesday Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.

It was a spiritual siege of heaven; a demand for justice, dignity, and a place of worship. It was a commitment to the principle that spiritual power precedes and secures every material need.

The Madonna did see to it.

The Provincial Council approved the building of the church. On August 22, 1981, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, the Church of St. Dominic Savio, Wadala, was blessed. It was a victory for the marginalised, a tangible sign of resilience and the power of prayer.

The physical structure itself was a powerful statement: it was the first L-Shaped house of worship in the city, and critically, it was the first church to be erected on the first floor, lifting the faith above the squalor and chaos of the streets.

The city took notice. The Evening News, a tabloid from the Times of India, captured the revolutionary nature of this achievement with a legendary headline: “God on the First Floor.”

A Spiritual Father and Guide

Fr. Mathew Thalanany served as the first Parish Priest for 21 years, building not just brick and mortar, but the very soul of the community. For many, his guidance was personal and constant. He stepped into the vital role of spiritual guide for many families. He was a cherished confessor for me after the passing of Fr. Mauro Cassaroti.

In that sacred space of the confessional, his spiritual direction focused on the truth of faith lived at home. His constant reminder—the lesson that will never be forgotten—was the essential need for devotion to the Sacred Heart as a family. He taught that the heart of Jesus, wounded by love, must be the core of the domestic church, providing strength, comfort, and unity to those who lived and worked in challenging circumstances.

His decades of selfless service cultivated a fertile ground for faith, proving that devotion and action are two sides of the same sacred coin.

A Heartfelt Final Journey Home

In the final chapter of his long, noble life, as his physical strength faded, the light of his spirit remained. Many of us would encounter him on the Shrine Premises, being taken around on a wheelchair by his caretaker. It was here, in the dignity of his decline, that a profound and touching reversal took place.

A priest who had stood in the confessional for years, dispensing absolution and blessing with the authority of the Church, would now gently ask the person greeting him, even me, for a prayer: “Bless me,” he would say, “and take me home.”

The Shepherd was now seeking a blessing from his flock. The Confessor who guided so many souls to God’s love was now expressing his deep, human longing for the final embrace. This simple request, born of deep faith and age, revealed the humility and exhaustion of a warrior who had fought the good fight for 96 years.

Although he passed away yesterday at the age of 96, his life has become an indelible part of our story, the parishioners of St. Dominic Savio, Wadala. The man who dedicated his entire being to building a home for God on the first floor of Antop Hill has now been called to his eternal reward.

Thank you, Fr. Mathew, for the life you lived for us. You asked to be taken home, and now, finally, after a pilgrimage of nearly a century, you are home.

God grant you eternal rest.

There will be a Requiem Eucharist (in Tamil) at 09:00 am on November 24, 2025 at St Dominic Savio Church, Wadala East, followed by time for the faithful to pay their last respects in the same Church. 

The Funeral Eucharist will be at 03:00 pm on November 24, 2025 at the Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna, Matunga, Mumbai, followed by the burial at the Sewri Christian Cemetery.

Also Read: A Saint Among Us: Remembering Fr. Lino Lopes

Also Read: Fr. Peter Gonsalves: Weaving Faith, Philosophy, and Music into Timeless Melodies