Church of St. Michael
Erected 1606 (ref: Catholic Diocese of Vasai)
The Church of St. Michael of Porim (or Purim) was named after the village in which it was located. The name of this village was changed to Minickpur in the beginning of the 20th century.
Till 1606 the Ctholics of Porim were parishioners of St. Thomas, Sandor. It was only at the insistence of the Jesuit Provincial that the Archbishop of Goa, Dom Aleixo de Menzes decide to make Porim and independent parish. The simple mud and thatch structure that was built immediately, proved inadequate a while later due to the increasing number of Catholics. The Jesuit Fathers at the Fort, realising the necessity of a larger church decided to build one on the spacious grounds in the center of the five “pacarias” of Wananapor, Devamany, Porim, Navgaon and Ullmemany. The completed church, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel was considered “perfect in every respect”. The jurisdiction of the new parish also extended to the villages of Gocavarem (Gokhivera), calmona, Balliam, Sattolli, Achola and Rajaoli.
The church was the first to be demolished by the conquering Maratha Army in 1739 advancing eastwards towards the Fort. A new church was built on the same site as the old church presumably in 1783 which was the date inscribed on an old cross located by Fr. Conti among the ruins of the old church. The Jesuits left and the parish was taken care of by the secular clergy untill march 1949, when it was returned to the Jesuits.
However, six year earlier in 1943, a parish was set up in the village of Gokhivara, independent of the parish of Manickpur and a year later in 1974, a chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was built in Umela (Naigaon) to cater to the needs of the Catholics of that village.
Manickpur, Vasai Rd. P.O. Dist. Thana 401 202
Tel: 0250 2382130 / 4224
Email: stmichaelsjcom@rediffmail.com