The ''Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bandra'' is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in

Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa is a coastal suburb located in Mumbai, the largest city of the Konkan division in Maharashtra, India. The area is located to the immediate north of the River Mithi, which separates Bandra from the Mumbai City district. It ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. It was built in 1894 by

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

. As the catholic population in Bandra increased in the latter half of the 20th century, a new modern structure was constructed in its place. The new church was blessed and inaugurated on 11 February 1981 by Archbishop Simon Pimenta, Archbishop of Bombay.

History

The authorities of St Andrew Church and Mount Mary Chapel in Bandra provided land for the erection of the church in 1894 to cater to the 215 families living in the present Chapel Road and Bazaar Road areas that were separated in 1891 from the St Peter Church (then under the

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Jurisdiction) with the permission of the

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(

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

). The church was built on the banks of the Mahim creek, opposite the 'Customs House', which still exists today in front of the church, although the creek was reclaimed to form the current Bandra Reclamation locality. The foundation stone was laid on 7 February 1892 by Antonio Pedro Da Costa,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Of Daman, who also blessed the completed church on 1 June 1894. Fr Pio Ellias Saldanha was the first

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of the church. The need for a new and larger church was felt in the 1960s as more

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

had moved into the area and in 1975, Cardinal

Valerian Gracias Valerian Gracias (23 October 1900 – 11 September 1978) was an Indian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Bombay from 1950 until his death. He was made a cardinal in 1953 by Pope Pius XII. Biography Valerian Gracias was born in Ka ...

, Archbishop of Bombay, laid the foundation stone of the new church building.

Structure

Original church

The main

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

of the original church was obtained from one of the ancient, ruined churches of Diu. The original parishioners who were fisher folk contributed towards the building of the church, transporting stones and other construction materials in their fishing boats to the building site.

The new church

The new church was constructed in keeping with the post–conciliar spirit of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. For example, the sanctuary is not separated from the body of the church by communion rails, which was a feature in older churches. It is characterized by an absence of clutter and is well-ventilated. The rough and rustic stone backdrop of the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

provides a background for the large cross and

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

which has been carved from a single tree. The altar table and

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

have a geometrical design with slender proportions, constructed of black and ruby-red

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

, with the top of the altar made from a single block of granite. There is no

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

in the sanctuary apart from the large crucifix and there are relatively few other statues in the church. The cantilevered canopy at the entrance of the church is designed to symbolize two hands joined in

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

, with a cross in the centre. The church's large windows that provide cross ventilation have vertical R.C.C. fins between them that act as sun- breakers, giving the church exterior a unique appearance. The architect of the new church was a parishioner, Charles F. Sobrinho.

References

{reflist Roman Catholic churches in Mumbai 1894 establishments in India Bandra

History

Structure

Original church

The new church

See also

References