hidden image

Fr. Alfred Roche OFM Cap: Healing Through His Intercession

Wilfred Crasta Wilfred Crasta
13 Nov 2023

Hundreds of innocent people lost their lives and many were seriously injured in the terrorist attack and the serial bomb blasts on western railway local trains on 11th July 2006.  I was one of the victims of that blasts and miraculously saved from that terrorist attack. 

On that fateful evening, I boarded the Virar-bound local train from Churchgate station at 5.19 pm and sat down at a window seat. When the train arrived at Dadar-station one of my regular passenger friends came in and stood close to me. After a little while, I offered him my seat; but he refused to sit. Likewise, I offered him my seat at Bandra as well as at Andheri stations; but he didn't accept. Then, I got up and offered my seat to another fellow passenger and both of us stood facing each other till Mira Road station.

When the train reached Mira Road, both of us slowly moved towards the exit door since we had to get down at Bhayandar-Station. Within a few seconds there was a huge blast in our compartment and the "Bomb had been planted overhead (on the luggage rack) where I was sitting." Many were thrown out of the train and our compartment was burning. In that tragedy my left arm, from my shoulder till my palm, was burnt. Both of my ear drums were damaged. My hands as well as my ear drums were continuously bleeding. I was not able to hear anything. 

I was rushed to the Holy Spirit Hospital, Andheri, and got admitted after midnight due to heavy traffic. After a week I got discharged from the hospital. After a month I went to meet the doctor for the follow up; my hand was completely black like charcoal and I could not straighten it. It was very painful. My Orthopaedic Surgeon asked me to do physiotherapy for a month. I attended only one session. Since then I stopped taking all my pain killers. I started doing oil massage and praying to my Uncle, Fr. Alfred Roche OFM Cap, for the healing through his Intercession. After a period of six months slowly the colour of my hand changed to normal and the pain also subsidized and my hand got healed completely.

Similarly, I went to meet my ENT specialist in the hospital after a month. At that time both my ear-drums were still bleeding and discharging fluid. The ENT specialist suggested that I should undergo a surgery immediately. Then I consulted other ENT specialists and everyone advised me to do the same. But I didn’t go for any surgery. Though I had severe ear pain and headache I stopped taking all the pain killers and started doing some homeopathy treatment. I was continuously praying to my Uncle, Fr. Alfred Roche OFM Cap, for his intercession. In the course of time, the hole at the right ear–drum got completely healed and I am able to hear properly without any surgery or any other treatment.

I would like to underline that although my friend and I were seriously injured, nevertheless we were miraculously rescued from the burning fire. This is nothing but a miracle. I attribute this miraculous saving and the complete healing to the intercession of my Uncle, Fr. Alfred Roche OFM Cap.
 

Recent Posts

Kapil Mishra's "snakelets" slur and the Supreme Court's bail denial expose a deeper malaise: in today's India, metaphors of crushing replace compassion, and a serious young scholar like Umar Khalid ca
apicture A. J. Philip
12 Jan 2026
Indore's sewage-contaminated water tragedy, killing residents and sickening thousands, exposes criminal negligence behind the "cleanest city" façade. Ignored warnings, stalled pipelines, and political
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
12 Jan 2026
A New Year greeting became a nightmare for a woman when someone used AI to turn her photos into sexualised images without her consent. The Grok episode exposes India's fragile digital safety, outdated
apicture Jaswant Kaur
12 Jan 2026
Indian Christians seek not privilege but constitutional protection: equal rights, dignity, and security. Through unity, legal empowerment, and vigilance, they call on the state and the majority to sho
apicture John Dayal
12 Jan 2026
You cannot automate the Incarnation. Priya understood this without naming it. She had come back, year after year, hoping to meet someone standing at the crib. And year after year, she had. Let's stop
apicture Fr. Anil Prakash D'Souza, OP
12 Jan 2026
The US abduction of Venezuela's President marks a return to Monroe Doctrine imperialism: regime change by force, oil before law, and contempt for sovereignty. Trump's adventurism, abetted by global si
apicture G Ramachandram
12 Jan 2026
From hedge funds to human rights, Soros' ghost haunts Indian politics—summoned as a phantom of foreign meddling, casting shadows on missionaries, minorities and the opposition.
apicture CM Paul
12 Jan 2026
In the dawn's gentle hush, where hope begins to bloom, Rose a voice from the soil, dispelling the gloom. Jyotiba, the beacon, with a heart fierce and kind, Sowed seeds of knowledge for all humankin
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
12 Jan 2026
The power of the vote is not a gift given by leaders. It is a right won through struggle, sacrifice and blood. When you allow it to be taken away quietly, politely and unopposed, don't be surprised wh
apicture Robert Clements
12 Jan 2026