The Church of Nossa Senhora de Milagres, now popularly called the Milagres Church, Kallianpur, was built about the same time as the Church of the same name in Mangalore. It was founded in the year 1678 after a treaty between the Portuguese and Queen Chennamai, relict of Soma Shekara I of Bednore, who ruled Kanara from 1671 to 1697. The Portuguese were allowed to build Churches and factories in Mirjan, Chandavar, Honnavar, Bhatkal and Kallianpur. The Church was also granted Inam lands. The Christians here were emigrants from Goa who came seeking fresh fields and pastures because of insecurity and economic reasons. Goa suffered from famines in the years 1553, 1570 and 1582 with seasons of great scarcity. In 1570 Goa was besieged by Adil Shah to expel the Portuguese from India. Later, there were the Mahratta attacks on Goa in 1683. The inquisition in Goa also sent away some of the Christians adhering to Hindu practices. The Christians were lured by the promise of land and subsidy because of their industry and improved knowledge of cultivation.
It was for this community that the Portuguese Hierarchy of Goa planted the Church in 1678 in Kallianpur under the title of Nossa Senhora de Milagres, Kallianpur. Our Lady of Miracles is the Woman of the Revelations of St John, “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars.’’ This great portent appeared for Kallianpurians with the enthronement of Our Lady of Miracles in the Church at Kallianpur. On the great artistic Portuguese Altar of the former church from where she reigned, she was greeted with the words, ‘‘Tota Pulchra es, O Maria: Et Macula Originalis Non est in te’’ by two cherubims carrying an artistic ribbon as if waving in the air. From this throne her domain extended over all the region covered by the basins of three rivers; the Sita Nadi, the Suvarna Nadi and the Udyavar river. It comprised all the land in the West till the Arabian Sea; in the North West and North extending six miles to Sasthan, Barkur and beyond; in the North East to Petre, Giri and Perampally; in the South to Udyavar, Udupi and Malpe including Thottam and the Mount Rosary Church. The History of the Milagres Church, Kallianpur, is the history of the present Varado of Kallianpur and even beyond, for until recent times, Milagres Kallianpur headed the Northern Varado of the former two Varados of the Diocese of Mangalore. The Northern Varado then included the present Varados of Kundapur, Kallianpur, Shirva and Karkala.
Christianity prospered and gained security and respect for a century in Kallianpur as in the rest of Kanara. There was a Chapel in Barkur served from Kallianpur until it was constituted into a Parish in 1863. There was also a Church dedicated to St Peter with a sizable Catholic Community at Petre Pally. There were candidates for priesthood studying in Goa. In 1769 one Joachim Jose Luis, son of Philip Luis and Rosa Furtado of the Baikady village of the Parish, was ordained priest by Archbishop Nieva Brum on 23rd September after studies in Rachol Seminary. He later served in Kanara and at Bajpe. Then all of a sudden persecution came. Tippu Sultan of Mysore, with whom the English were having wars, suspected that the Christians were attached to them and were helping the Christian English. When on 30th January 1784 the English lost the war with him at Bednore and surrendered to Tippu’s forces, he gave secret orders to his Commanders to seize all Christians in Kanara and take them captive to Seringapatam. It was a lightning strike when on the fateful night of Ash Wednesday, on the 24th of February 1784, Tippu’s soldiers carried out the secret orders and entered every Christian settlement simultaneously throughout Kanara. Complete families with children in arms were brutally herded and marched captive across the Western Ghats. Only a few people escaped or managed to stay. The Christians from these parts were first camped in Nagara and later taken to Seringapatam. The church here was destroyed and also the churches at Barkur and Petre. All along the way and in the transit prison camps, many died of malnutrition, fatigue, ill-treatment and disease. Some escaped into jungles along the route and thence to Goa during the long hauls. When at Seringapatam prison, small-pox raged and supervision was lax, some escaped to Malabar. The prisoners at Seringapatam were forced to accept Islam and circumcised. There were many who resisted and died.
With the defeat of Tippu in 1799, the survivors and the escapees to Goa and Malabar trekked back gradually. They found that their lands which were better cultivated than others were confiscated and sold away for high prices and had changed many hands. They had to start afresh from scratch.
The church in Kallianpur was rebuilt in 1806 by the contributions of the people by Fr Joachim Jose Britto of Cortalim, Goa, and completed in 1808. Very soon the Catholic Community had pulled up from its trials and was emerging into better times though they had lost everything and the English Government could hardly help to recover their lost lands. The Parochial House was rebuilt in 1875 by the last Goan Vicar, Rev. Fr David Pereira. The Parish school existing at that time was demolished and classes conducted elsewhere.
In 1839, Pope Gregory XVI issued the Bull, ‘Multa Praeclare’. By this document the spiritual jurisdiction of the Arch-Diocese of Goa over Kanara was transferred to the Propaganda Mission of the Vicar Apostolic of Verapoly. At that time a great majority of the parishioners of the Milagres Church preferred the jurisdiction of the Padroado of Goa along with its Goan Vicar. There was
also a small section of disgruntled parishioners who had developed connections with the Verapoly Mission who chose to be under the latter jurisdiction. This group of parishioners built a separate church, namely the Rosary Church. It was housed in a thatched shed a couple of hundred yards away from the Mother Church. It was on the site of the Board Higher Elementary School (now closed). It was later shifted and rebuilt about half a mile away on the Nejar Hill in 1882, and was called the Mount Rosary Church. The Udupi Parish was formed later from this and the Udyaver parish in 1890.
The Catholic Community of Udyavar was served from the Milagres Church. In 1863 the Udyavar Parish was constituted with a resident parish priest by the Padroado jurisdiction.
Then came a calamity for Milagres, a lamentable period of darkness. In 1885 Pope Leo XIII established the Hierarchy of India by his Apostolic Letter. ‘Humane Salutis auctor’. The double jurisdiction of the Padroado and the Propaganda Mission came to an end in South Kanara after signing of the Concordat of 1886 between the Holy See and Portugal by which 11 parishes in South Kanara were ceded to Mangalore jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Apostolic Delegate in Bangalore Msgr Aligardi issued the order from Bangalore in 1887 declaring that the Padroado jurisdiction of Goa was extant in South Kanara. The order was published by the Vicar Apostolic of Mangalore who had now become the Bishop of Mangalore.
After the promulgation of the Bull ‘Multa Praeclare’, in 1839 there was manoeuvring and behind the scenes struggle for promoting the causes of both the Padroado and the Propaganda jurisdictions from either side. The Portuguese power in India had declined and they were trying to preserve their influence: consequently, a great majority of the parishioners of Milagres, because of their long association with the ministry of the Goan priests who gave them guidance over the centuries, again preferred to be under the Padroado hoping that they would be accommodated as previously. But when the Goan priests suddenly withdrew and left for Goa in compliance with the Order, they were left without right leadership or guidance. They appealed to the Holy See to remain under the Padroado. There was a dispute over the temporalities of the church, to preserve the status quo, when the priests of the Propaganda Mission arrived. It was insubordination but no ideology or doctrine was involved or in question until this moment. In the litigation that followed they lost their suit in court against the Propaganda Mission. Following this, the dissidents built a church of their own dedicated to our Lady of Milagres at Brahmavar. They unfortunately took the guidance of a suspended priest of the Arch-Diocese of Goa, Father Zephrin Noronha by name. Sometime afterwards, they associated with the Jacobite Bishop Mar Julius II of Goa, India and Ceylon, who was formerly a Catholic priest by the name Fr Antony Alvares. He was earlier banned for defying the Ecclesiastical Authorities in Goa. With this, the Schism became a fact. The situation called for tactful handling with understanding and care.
The first Vicar of Milagres under the Propaganda Mission after the Goan priests left, was Very Rev. Fr Albert D’Souza in 1887. Prior to this, he was the Vicar of the Mount Rosary Church, Kallianpur. He was popular as a great preacher and, being already familiar with the people, was liked by all. After the first period of heat, recriminations and confusion of the feud subsided, on second thoughts a great number of discerning and enlightened dissidents from all over came back to the Mother Church. It was evident therefore, that the dispute was not on the jurisdiction of the Pope over the parishioners but purely of a wish to be under the Padroado on sentimental or emotional basis. Only those leaders who in the passions aroused at that time became prejudiced and estranged during the long litigation and those not so enlightened remained behind. The urgent and priority work of Fr Albert D’Souza who had a long innings was to win back the lost sheep which he ably did with patience and perseverance.
There were no organised schools at that time. People generally learnt the three R’s in the Hindu temples, where very few Christians went to study. Fr D’Souza started the first recognized Elementary School, the St Joseph’s Elementary School in the parish. It was housed in the side wings (balconies) of the Church. It was, therefore, known in those days as the ‘Bolkanve Iskol’.
During the Vicarship of Very Rev. Fr Aloysius Fernandes that followed in 1901, a Chapel was built by a certain Mr Minguel Vaz in Thottam, in 1904-1910 endowed with property. It was served from this Church for many years. It catered to the Catholics of that neighbourhood. The Thottam parish was formed when Msgr D. Jerome D‘Souza of this parish built the present Church in 1938.
Rev. Fr Sebastian Noronha, who was at first Assistant Parish Priest, became its Vicar in 1906. He did pioneering work to bring back the Syrian Christians. He sent four laymen of the parish to the Seminary in Mangalore to be trained as Catechists. They were M/s. Ignatius P. Lewis, Xavier Lewis (Uppoor), Lores Lewis (Bharikudru), and Simon D’Souza (Tonse). They were also trained in Liturgy and Church music in the Bishop‘s Choir at Codialbail. These men taught Catechism in the parish and also assisted Fr S. Noronha in reclaiming the lost sheep. He is known to have brought back to the fold over 61 families in the Giri area, alone. He started a school for them in 1907. This was the beginning of the Giri Parish. The work was entrusted to his Assistant Rev. Fr Sebastian J. Fernandes. Later he was appointed its first chaplain. He built the present Giri Church and presbytery from the proceeds of his own patrimony. Petre, which was served from Kallianpur, was handed over to Giri and subsequently served from Brahmavar. The Perampally parish was formed from the Giri parish in 1958. Fr Sebastian Noronha also built a Girls’ School for the parish. It was subsequently handed over to the Taluk Board. He built a new regular building for the ‘Bolkanve Iskol’, and transferred it from the Church premises. It now forms a part of the Milagres High School.
In 1911 Very Rev. Fr C. P. Gonsalves S. J., came as the Vicar. He, a Jesuit, was specially sent by the Bishop Most Rev. Paul Perini, S.J., to start higher education in Kallianpur. He started English Middle School. It was called the Milagres Secondary School with classes up to the III Form and was at that time the only Catholic Secondary School outside Mangalore. Fr Gonsalves himself was the Headmaster to start with until Mr John M. Tellis B.A., L.T. took over as its Headmaster, Fr Gonsalves built a building for the classes of the three Forms. The St Joseph’s Elementary School was transferred back to the Church Bolkanves to accommodate the lower classes.
Airody or Sasthan was six miles from the Church with two intervening rivers and a big Catholic population. In 1917 when Fr Francis M.C. Lyons became the Vicar, a thatched hut was put up in 1918 to serve these people. It was constituted into a parish in 1921. Fr Lyons also built the present premises of the St Joseph’s Primary School. The Bolkanve Iscol was transferred there.
The Milagres Secondary School was raised to a High School by Very Rev. Fr Julian D‘Souza who came as Vicar in 1929. The Fourth Form was started in 1931 and in 1934 the First Batch of matriculants passed out. He also built three more classes in the South Block of the School for the three forms, Fourth to Sixth together with an Office Room.
Fr Julian D’Souza had very much at heart the conversion of the separated Brethren at Brahmavar. He built the Chapel dedicated to the Holy Family about two furlongs away from the Syrian Church at Brahmavar. It was served from Kallianpur. Later, in 1935 Rev. Fr Sebastian Fernandes, Vicar of Giri, was made its Chaplain. He brought hundreds to the true fold.
In 1934, Very Rev. Fr Denis Jerome D’Souza who was earlier in 1910 Assistant Parish Priest for three years in this Church came as Vicar. He added a Reading Room cum Library, a Science Laboratory and an Academy Hall to the High School. He acquired the L.V.P. Primary School, Puttur Village. He built the Thottam Church dedicated to St Anne. He was also put in charge of and began the final stage of establishing the Kemman parish in 1939. Rev. Fr S. P. Tellis, the parish priest of the Rosary Church, Kallianpur, had already put up the initial work with a presbytery on a plot of land donated by Dr John Fernandes of Kallianpur. Mass was being said alternatively by the priests of both the parishes. Rev. Fr Severine M. Rasquinha, the Assistant Parish Priest here, was transferred to Kemman. He built and completed that church. In 1940 Fr D’Souza built the present magnificent church in Kallianpur and completed it in two years.
Very Rev. Fr. Denis Joseph D’Souza who followed him as Vicar in 1942 brought the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of St Francis and their Convent, St Rose Convent, was established. St Joseph’s Primary School was given over to them for management. He also built the present artistic High Altar and pulpit of the church.
Milagres, Kallianpur was fortunate to have Very Rev. Fr. Denis Jerome D’Souza as Vicar for a second term in 1954. Very soon he started completing the works he had earlier commenced. He built the Church Portico. He put up a separate building for girls in the High School and a separate play field. He brought the Apostolic Carmel Congregation to establish their Convent, ‘Lourdes Convent’ to promote the education of girls. He also commenced the first buildings of the Goretti Hospital under the auspices of the Diocese. In 1965 the High School was raised to Higher Secondary School with the addition of the 11th Standard.
The need for a College in Kallianpur was felt since 1934 when the Milagres High School, Kallianpur presented its first batch of matriculates. Though the progress and performance of the High School was par excellence and its popularity and prestige rose to great heights under the Headmastership of Fr A. J. Tellis as
years rolled, the aspirations of the people remained unrealized for insuperable seasons for 34 years! In 1967 Msgr Denis Jerome D’Souza, at the age of 83 years, got sanction for a college and undertook the building of the Milagres College of Arts and Commerce, and commenced the Pre-University Classes. Higher University classes came up year by year, preparing the students for the Final B.A. and B.Com Degree examinations. The first batch of graduates passed out in 1971. A rectangular block of 262 feet in length with ground floor and two storeys with a floor space of 29,000 sq. ft. was planned. The ground floor of 8646 sq. ft. came into being for use in 1969. Though originally the Science faculty was also intended to be introduced, it however had to be deferred to be taken up by more young Vicars with enterprise.
On the retirement of Msgr. D. Jerome D’Souza in 1971, Very Rev. Fr Lawrence S. Pais came as Vicar. He ably carried forward the work of the college buildings. The elegant college Library was built during his regime. He completed the first and the second floor of the North Wing of the main building. The South Wing of the II floor was completed by Very Rev. Fr G. L. Da Cruz in 1980. With this, the entire project as originally contemplated and planned was executed.
With the induction of Very Rev. Fr Gregory L. Da Cruz, hopes for greater achievements and a brighter future for the Milagres Community have been enkindled. Inspired by a sense of charity he has undertaken the celebration of the Tri-Centenary of the Church in a Solemn Thanksgiving to God and has commenced the Projects in-memory of the celebrations. The projects are on the way to be realised. The Church Portico and the remodelling of the facade has been completed. The ambitious Tri-Centenary memorial Hall is rising up. The long felt need of the Science Department for the College, the Kindergarten Classes, the English Medium School, dreamed by Milagrians from many years after the earlier English Medium School was brought to the vernacular, are nearing to be accomplished. The buildings for these projects will also come up in a great and grand way in a not distant date. These and other plans as envisaged will come up and will be realised. But more than these things, what Fr Da Cruz loves, dreams of and strives for is a truly Milagres Catholic Community in Kallianpur inspired by the Word of God, carrying on the Mission of Christ in Charity and Unity as prayed for in the Tri-Centenary Prayer.
Fr GregoryL. Da Cruz (1977-1985) completed the second-Floor south wing block of the college building in 1980. With his leadership, assisted by Fr Valerian Mendonca and Fr Fred Mascarenhas, the Tricentenary of the parish was celebrated in a grand manner from 8th to 11th December 1981.
During the tenure of Fr Xavier Pinto as the Parish Priest (1997-2004) the church roof was repaired and chairs in the hall were replaced by plastic chairs while the old chairs were sold to the parishioners.The other achievements of Fr Xavier Pinto included: flooring work in the church and inauguration of a bus stand in front of the church. After completing his tenure as the Principal of Milagres College, Fr Valerian Mendonca was transferred as the Principal of Pompei College, Aikala,on 30 June 2003.
After a seven-year tenure, Fr Xavier Pinto was transferred as the Parish Priest of Basrur, and Fr Marcel Saldanha was appointed as the new Parish Priest of MilagresChurch on 24 May 2004.
In order to provide nutritious and wholesome meals to the poor students, Fr Marcel Saldanha started the Mid-day Meal scheme in the schools run by the Milagres Parish from 2 August 2004. A few years later, the Government continued this scheme. At that time, nearly 600 students benefited from this Mid-day Meal Scheme.
On the occasion of the completion of ten years of the parish journal ‘MilarchiLaram’, a special issue in the form of Parish Directory was brought out on the annual feast day in 2005.
Other important achievements of Fr Marcel Saldanha included: laying foundation stone for the main entrance gate as well as Kannada Medium High School building.
A number of jubilees were celebrated during the tenure of FrMarcel Saldanha:Post Tercentenary Silver Jubilee (325 years) ofMilagres Parish on 4 December 2005,Silver Jubilee of Science Department of Milagres College on 03 February2006, Silver Jubilee of MilagresEnglish Medium School, Platinum Jubilee Of Milagres High School in December 2006, and Ruby Jubilee of Milagres College In February 2007.
On the occasion of the completion of 25 years of service to the aged, the Ozanam Home was extended with a new block in March 2008. The new building of Milagres Kannada Medium High School was inaugurated and blessed on 9 June 2008. In the same year,the foundation stone was laid for Girls’ Hostel and Milagres Museum on 04 July 2009.On 11 January 2010, a new block named ‘Miracles’ was inaugurated in order to accommodate the MSW, M.Com. and B. Com. classes during the tenure of Fr FrederickMascarenhas as the Principal of the college.
Having completed his tenure as the Parish Priest of the Milagres Church, Fr Marcel Saldanha was transferred to St Monica’s Church, Kumbla, and Fr Stany B. Lobo took charge of the parish on 9 June 2011. On his retirement as the Principal of the Milagres College, FrFr Fredrick Mascarenhas was given a warm send-off on 31 August 2011 And was thanked profusely for his dedicated and selfless service to the student-community and the college. Dr Neri Cornelio, Professor in the college, was appointed as the new Principal of Milagres College with effect from 1 September 2011.
On 16 July 2012, Pope Benedict XVI announced the creation of the Udupi Diocese, carving it out from the Mangalore Diocese.Our Lady of Milagres Church, Kallianpur, was declared as the Cathedral of the new Diocese. Most Rev. Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, who was Bishop of Shimoga for 12 years, was transferred to the Diocese of Udupi as its first Bishop. Our Lady of Miracles, (Milar Saibin), was proclaimed as the Patron of the new Diocese. The Diocese consists of the Udupi District which comprises 5 Deaneries and 48 Parishes. This announcement was simultaneously made in the Bishop’s House, Mangalore, by the Vicar General and in the Our Lady of Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, by Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore, in the presence of the people and dignitaries.
The Inauguration of the new Udupi Diocese and the Installation of the first Bishop, Most Rev. Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, took place on 15 October 2012 on the Milagres grounds. Nearly 1800 people had gathered for the inaugural program, including the Papal Nuncio, 30 Bishops, hundreds of priests, religious, religious leaders of other creeds and local politicians.
After having been installed as the first Bishop of the newly- erected Udupi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, offered his first Thanksgiving Mass at Milagres Cathedral on 21 October2012 at 8.00a.m. After the Mass, a felicitation program was organised at which a Statue of Milar Mai was given to the people as a memento of the occasion.
A new altar in the Sanctuary, costing Rs 65,000,which had been donated in the name of Late John Furtado and Mrs Lilly Furtado, Kakkunje, was erected. The Bishop’s teakwood Chair in the Milagres Cathedral, donated byMr Richard Placid and MrsAelaide Lewis and family of Tonse, was presented on 4 November 2012.
The First Diocesan Eucharistic Procession, being the Year of Faith, was held on 24 November 2013. The Bishop, along with the Priests of the Diocese, offered the Mass followed by Adoration, and Procession to Mount Rosary Church Grounds.
The Silver Jubilee of Milagres English Medium High School was celebrated on 20 December 2013.
As the Tri-centenary Hall required extensive repairs, the renovation work was started on 10 February 2014 and the renovated hall with added amenities, costing c.Rs 70 lakh was inaugurated and blessed by Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo on 27 April 2014.
During the tenure of Fr Stany B. Lobo as the Parish Priest, it was decided to renovate the church with replacement of the wood and tiles of the roof, painting,new pews and benches, and renovation of the portico during the year 2015.
On the transfer of Fr Stany B. Lobo to St Francis Xavier Parish, Udyavar, on 28 May 2018, Rev. Dr Lawrence D’Souza was appointed as the new Parish Priest of the Milagres Cathedral.
Fr Lawrence D’Souza renovated the cemetery with the government grant of Rs 25 lakh. For the proper ventilation within the church, 25 fans, donated by Alphonsus and Susan Pereira, were installed in October 2018.
The Ruby Jubilee ofMilagres English Medium School was celebrated on 26 January 2020. Following the transfer of Fr Lancy Fernandes, S.J., Sr Anita Nathalia D’Souza,B.S. took charge as the Headmistress of the Milagres English Medium School. She was succeeded as the Headmistress by Sr Shanti Prameela, B. S.
Fr Valerian Mendonca, who was the Parish Priest of Mother of Sorrows Church, Udupi, took charge as the Parish Priest and Rector of the Milagres Cathedral on 28 October 2020 as Fr Lawrence D’Souza went to St Lawrence Church, Moodubelle, as a Resident Priest.
With the spread of Covid-19 pandemic and prevailing lock down of churches and educational institutions, there was not much progress in the activities in the church or in the educational institutions. Classes were conducted online. 14 week-end Masses were recorded and telecast on Divine Word TV and YouTube on Sundays for the benefit of the Konkani-speaking Catholics all over the world.
In order to meet the increasing demand of water, especially for the college, Fr Valerian Mendonca got an open well dug, 38.5 feet deep, in the college grounds at a cost of Rs 11 lakh from March to May 2021. New life began to emerge in the parish post-covid and the parish associations began to function again enthusiastically after experiencing the ill-effects of covid-19 for about two years. Rev. Fr Joy Jolsan Andrade from the diocese of Shimoga was appointed Assistant Priest at Milagres Cathedral on 01.06.2021. He gives enthusiastic service to the parish and is a blessing to the parish and deanery.