Fr. Paul as he was affectionately known among the people around Colaba, was among the pioneer group that came out from Australia in 1964. Shy, soft-spoken and reserved by nature, he nevertheless went out to people, making it a point to meet every group and individual that came to spend time in prayer at the Chapel. In charge of the Legion of Mary praesidium, he organized the hours of adoration, keeping track of attendance and enquiring solicitously of those who could not make it for the appointed hour.

For Fr. Paul’s lack of knowledge of the local language was no barrier. He began to learn Konkanim and soon started the Sunday morning Konkanim Eucharist, getting some lay friends to translate his homily into Konkanim and then learning it by rote or reading it at the Eucharist. Even though the people did not follow much, they nevertheless appreciated the effort he put in.

Fr. Paul was one of the hapless victims of the numerous revolutionary changes in the Liturgy and Eucharist that flooded the post-Vatican II scene. He made desperate efforts to catch up not only with developments in Theology, but also with progress in psychology and para-psychology which in the seventies was the ‘in-thing’ among formators. But it seemed to be more than he could digest. What added to his chagrin was the fact that others around him seemed to adjust so effortlessly to the changing times. He felt deeply inadequate as a priest in post-Vatican times yet did contribute enormously to the good of the simple people he dealt with. He is still remembered gratefully especially for the efforts he made to promote Eucharistic adoration in the Chapel.