The sisters of Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity packed up and left on April 24-28, 2025…leaving the Assistencia Goa committee members in the dark, puzzled about the abrupt departure and preceding that the long silence and lack of communication, or so it would seem. Is this yet another story of how when it comes to real estate in the heart of town even charity homes must move on?

By Tara Narayan

WHAT is the mystery or mysteries surrounding the spacious lovely prime property of Assistencia Goa occupied by the sisters of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in the heart of capital city Panjim? Almost as if suddenly this oasis of charity has shut down and the sisters and “inmates” shifted to other homes in Goa – it was a scene of much sadness as they packed up and left in a matter of days end-April with final thanksgiving prayers…leaving the premises looking lost and empty of life.
Has the milk of human kindness dried up or is it that this charity home open to the destitute, unwed mothers, orphans and some more was running into financial difficulties and finding it hard to cover the costs of upkeep and maintenance? Is it just lack of enough funds, or also lack of workers and lack of dynamism on the part of the Assistencia Goa committee members who barely took an interest, except from the point of view of funds drying up and how to raise them?
The building was in need of major structural repairs, according a press note dated April 19 handed out by Assistencia Goa, “It was proposed that we jointly reconstruct the same for which an agreement was signed between Assistencia Goa and Missionaries of Charity and approved in 2014. The plans were submitted and duty approved by PDA. However the same did not materialize till date. Despite efforts to revive the same, the stalemate continued.” The bone of contention is likely a proposal to lease out part of the land on a long lease basis for the activities of MoC…not for the desirable 90 years the sisters wanted but for a shorter duration of say 30 or maybe 60 years.
WHATEVER the real cause of grievances Assistancia Goa committee members say they were shocked to receive a letter from MoC dated March 22, 2025 saying more or less thank-you very much, but they are returning the premises and moving on, thank-you and goodbye. Reportedly, the Missionaries of Charity were in some kind of pressure from whoever the powers that be and even the Kolkatta Headquarters are cutting down on their activities on behalf of the poorest of the poor, but that’s another matter.
AT a recent press meets Assistencia Goa President Neville Monteiro shared that the property falls under Institutional zone as per the ODP of Panjim and they are now contemplating inviting another charity taking the premises and running it for a good cause, they are taking a look at various proposals which have been coming their way, including one by the Urban Health office wanting to lease the premises for seven months. Many are taking an interest the property even if parts of it are in somewhat sorry state of structural repairs, here and there in the office one can see cracks up in the ceiling and walls.

NEW PRESIDENT
NEVILLE Monteiro took over as president last year, the preceding year it was Mario Barretto, other members include Joseph Mascarenhas (treasurer), Ingrid Desa (secretary), Merlyn Velho (member), John Pereira (member) and Joseph Furtado (member).
FOR the record Assistencia Goa was established way back in 1910 by General Dr Jose Maria Da Costa Alavares and Adv Jose Maria Pereira and other benevolent philanthropists of the time, it was registered as a charitable society in 1971 under the Societies Registration Act 1860, with the aims and objectives of assisting and taking care of the poor and destitute and underprivileged of society in general. Perhaps Assistencia Goa was unable to manage on its own and in 1976 invited Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity to take over the running of the asylum for helping the destitute, needy and whosoever in need and a lease was signed to that effect.
The years passed and most Ponjekars became familiar with the work of the sisters here who would venture out to pick up the lost and sick on the streets of Panjim and Goa and bring them back for nursing and restoring to health. The sisters did their rounds in public and took care of whomsoever they picked up from the streets, and sometimes homeless or unwed mothers came to them for succor…their children were born in the ashram, the sisters meticulously making sure of the children getting educated at the Don Bosco School near by. Some little ones were happily adopted, some of the women got married to have their own homes — but they were always in touch with what they considered their “mother home.”

PATIENTS/INMATES
LAST heard of there were 44 patients or inmates in the ashram, some have been moved to MoC homes at Carambolim and Fatorda, senior patients have gone to the Quepem home. Finally, after 49 years of being there in the heart of Panjim to deal with those society had no use for – it’s all over and a familiar landmark has ceased to be. The Assistencia Goa is no longer associated with the MoC.
It’s anyone’s guess how the Assistencia Goa premises will now be put to use – leased to another charity? As charities go few can have the stamp of Mother Teresa’s service in gratitude, for in our times charity is a business as any other. In the case of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity homes, it is well known that they are run in along a very organized system.
And yes, they are as much for the nuns who take a vow to dedicate themselves to the welfare of the poorest of the poor of society in the name of their Lord Jesus. Living in Mumbai some 40 years ago I had reason to visit the MoC home at Santa Cruz (West). Parents of a Jewish friend of mine wrote to say they have lost touch with their daughter travelling in India and now they hear she is with the Mother Teresa sisters in the Mumbai home, ailing and in need of funds to return home to Israel. Would I be able to check up on this?
I did the needful enquiries and although the daughter I was looking for was not there, in the process of looking around one couldn’t miss the tragedy of those who’ve given up on life and found some kind of hope once taken to the MoC home to be treated kindly, washed and cleaned up, fed and gradually restored to health enough to take an interest in life anew.
While saying goodbye I noticed some of the MoC sisters had hurried to the chapel to pray before going in for lunch. There was a whole lot of donated food lying around – tins of ghee, biscuit and cookie tins, milk powder tins, chocolates, cereals, other sundries, first aid kits, medicines, etcetera. Some of it was from Australia by the markings on the boxes.
I asked one of the sisters if the patients could eat all the donated food? She smiled, “No dear, most of the patients we pick up from the streets are too weak, sick, unable to digest food in the beginning, they are suffering from malnutrition…they have to be fed slowly with simple cooked food.” So it’s the sisters and staff who benefit from much of the donated food!
HERE’S hoping whatever Assistencia Goa does with the departure of the Missionaries of Charity sisters after 49 long years…will be for the larger good of Goa. Neville Monteiro summed up, “This 4046 sqmts property is more than 109 years old and it is to be used for a charitable purpose, we are a fully registered private charity and the property cannot be sold.” In this framework they are open to all options which will undoubtedly come their way…they will decide how best to serve the people in need and in want in Goa.