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

History's gravest political failures began not with rebellion but with rulers convinced they could never be wrong. The higher the pedestal of power, the greater the need for humility, accountability a
apicture A. J. Philip
27 Jul 2026
The Sansad March was never just about exam reforms. It became a battle over who truly holds power in India—the people or the state—and whether peaceful dissent will be answered with accountability or
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
27 Jul 2026
The throwaway culture has not stopped at plastic and gadgets—it has reached people. As families shrink and loneliness grows, Pope Leo XIV calls Christians to restore the forgotten dignity of grandpare
apicture Cedric Prakash
27 Jul 2026
The students' uprising has exposed the Modi government's greatest political vulnerability. If the Opposition cannot transform this unprecedented youth discontent into a sustained national movement, it
apicture G Ramachandram
27 Jul 2026
History remembers unlikely symbols. In India, the cockroach has become an emblem of endurance. It has become a reminder to the powerful that resilience cannot be ridiculed into silence.
apicture Dr Martin Valiyaparambil VC
27 Jul 2026
From ages of dust and burdens untold, It rose where countless sorrows unfold, Born to cleanse what centuries stained, A land where fear and silence reigned.
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
27 Jul 2026
Currently, a sit-in is going on in front of Jauhar University in Rampur. Azam Khan, a member of the Samajwadi Party who is in jail at present, is the chairman of the trust running the University. Stud
apicture Ram Puniyani
27 Jul 2026
Imagine if nations practised that. Imagine if politicians believed it before delivering speeches. Imagine if we looked at the person praying differently from us and quietly said, "Your life is as prec
apicture Robert Clements
27 Jul 2026
From collapsing public institutions and shrinking academic freedom to corruption, communal polarisation, and attacks on constitutional rights, the nation's deepest crisis is not administrative failure
apicture Cedric Prakash
20 Jul 2026
Governed by a mix of national coalitions and state-level regional forces, its massive electorate engages in vibrant, highly contested elections to balance local aspirations with national governance.
apicture Pachu Menon
20 Jul 2026