Church of Our Lady of Assumption, Candol (built 1630)
Very few people war aware that the original church of Our Lady of Assumption was situated a half mile distance to the east of today’s Kandivli Railway Station. This old church was built and run by the Franciscan Fathers and it continued to e looked after by them right up to 1739, when they had to leave after the Maratha conquest and the parish passed into the hands of secular clergy and the few remaining Catholics were looked after by the Vicar of Poisur until the creation of the Parish of Candolim and Magatna mysteriously disappeared from history.
In 1630, a chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption and filial to the church at Magtana was built in the village of Condolim (Kandivli) by the native Catholics. This chapel also passed into the jurisdiction of the Poisur parish in 1777 along with the Magatana parish (Humbert 11:38). The village of Condolim (Kandivli) is situated about a kilometer to the west of the Kandivli railway Station on the northwest of Salsette.
Fr. Meurin who later became the Bishop of Bombay worked hard for this parish of Kandivli and there is a street named after him. In 1891 Kandivli got its own Anglo Vernacular School, the first such school in the area and children from Olvem (Orlem) and Poinsur attended here. In August 1919 this school was replaced by a new school and called the St. Joseph’s School.
Courtesy: East Indian Calendar 2006
KANDIVLI – By Ben. E. Mendes
(taken from the Archives of the East Indian Association Silver Jubliee)
Kandivli is one of the smallest parishes in the amalgamated Archdiocese of Bombay but, by no means an insignificant village in the Bombay Suburban District. Situated towards the North West of Salsette, it was a village surrounded by forests, rice fields and a stream rising from near the Kaneri Caves in the Western Ghats about six miles away and falling into the Arabian Sea near Versova about another six miles.
ITS DEVELOPMENT
The Bombay Development Department brought Kandivli to fame. To reclaim the Bombay Back Bay earth and stones were taken from Paran, a hillock, east of the Kandivli Railway Station. On this account a railway line was opened a workshop erected and a number of dwelling houses were constructed for officers and workmen numbering hundreds. Now the workshop has been taken up for an industrial school.
INCREASE IN POPULATION
During the boom that followed the Great War (1914-18), several Gujaratis flocked about the newly opened Railway Station of Kandivli (1909). Taking a liking for the place on account of its healthy climate its good water and its rural life they built a number of houses mostly towards the west of the Railway Station. By now these have outnumbered the people in the village. A few Parsis too have bought large pieces of land near the village and on both sides of the road thus hampering the growth of the village. To attract more people to the place, Government had launched a Town Planning Scheme, but by that time depression had followed the boom, and the scheme did not materialize.
MUNICIPALITY
On account of the Gujarati invasion a municipal body on a smaller scale known as the Notified Area Committee was established to look after building sanitation, lighting and roads. In its jurisdiction were included the villages of Kandivli and Poinsur being within a radius of a mile from the Kandivli Railway Station. The late Mr. Joseph F. Mendes a Government Pensioner was on the Committee for about nine years in the last of which he was the first non-official Chairman – incidentally also the first East Indian Chairman of such a body in Salsette. Mr. Joseph Braz Miranda was also the Committee for about six years. Mr. Anselm Miranda for about four years and Mr. Edward Mendes for the last six years.
ECCLESIASTICAL
The village with a chapel probably turned into one from a granary belonging to the Portuguese dating about 1630 formed part of the Parish of Poinsur in the Diocese of Damaun under the jurisdiction of the Padroado. For want of regular services in the Chapel a move was made by several of the people for transfer under the Archdiocese of Bombay under the jurisdiction of the Propaganda Fide. The struggle was hard but ended successfully in about 1839 with the help of Fr. Leo Murin, S.J. later Bishop of Bombay. There is a street named after him to commemorate his stay therein and the hard life he had led for the cause. The transfer resulted in a church being established at Kandivli including in its jurisdiction the village of Orlem. In about 1880 on his retirement Monsignor Joseph Braz Marie D’souza built a private chapel for himself and his family in Orlem the village to which he belonged. Later on, it was opened for the convenience of the villagers and in the year 1916 it was separated from Kandivli. The Church building at Kandivli is in urgent need of repairs and the present Vicar, the Rev. Timothy Gonsalves has appealed for funds in the press.
The present members of the Fabrica are Mr. Mathew Miranda and Mr. Ben L.Mendes, Mr. Michael Mendes is the Choir Master of the Church for over 35 years. The Rev Thomas do Rosario Almeida was responsible for great improvement he caused in the choir during his vicarship from 1930-34. The late Mr. Joseph Almeida was a sacristan of the Church for over 40 years on payment of Rs. 2 per month.
EDUCATION
The village has a Marathi School conducted by the District Local Board. It is at present over-crowded with Hindus. It is a pity no Catholic has attended this school for the last 25 years. In 1891 an Anglo-Vernacular School first of its kind in the neighbouring villages was founded in the Parish. Many a Catholic and Hindu are grateful to this day for the little knowledge they gained in this school for that helped them to secure decent jobs in Bombay at that time. To accommodate a large number of children that began flocking from the villages of Poinsur and Orlem the old school building was replaced by the present one in August 1919 through the efforts of the then Vicar, the Rev. John A. Gomez. He was assisted by a few young men and ladies of the village. The school has since been named “St. Joseph’s School”
The village of Kandivli with scarcely 175 souls possess the following:-
1. The Rev. Hermenegild F. Mendes, B.A., Vicar of Manikpur, Bassein.
2. The Rev. Raymond A. Mendes, Assistant, St. Francis Xavier’s Church, Vile Parle
3. The Rev. Sister Christiana (Rose Mendes) Convent of Jesus and Mary, Clare Road, Bombay
4. Dr. George James Mendes, M.B.B.S., Medical Officer in Charge, the Vile Parle Municipality.
5. Dr. Paul A. Mendes, M.D.M.S. (Homeo)
6. Mr. Paul C. Mendes B.A. Superintendent Public Works Department Secretariat Government of Bombay and recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal.
7. Mr. Roland Miranda, B.A.
8. Mrs. Delphine Mendes S.T.C.
BANDARPACADY
Bandarpacady is a village over a mile away where about 100 Koli Bhandari Catholics reside. As they were very backward a chapel was erected in 1905 through the efforts of the then Vicar the late Rev. Joseph Soares. This was rebuilt in 1916 through the energy of the Rev. J.A.Gomez. The latter also succeeded in building a Marathi school there with the help of Archbishop Alban Goodier, S.J. in 1924.
RELIGION
During the regime of the Rev. John A. Gomez from July 1910 to December 1929 several activities in various directions were introduce and were flourishing. Many improvements in the Church building were made and several devotions started and improved, particularly that to St. Joseph. To commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the appointment of this great Saint as Patron of the Church, Fr. Gomez had an oratory erected in the Church Compound and established the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Men in 1921. The grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes was also built during his time. The Sodality at present has 39 members. With this is connected the St. Joseph’s Reading Room and Library to which Archbishop Goodier presented several books. Under its auspices several debates, dramas and socials were held. The present office-bearers are:
Director – The Vicar, Prefect – Mr. Ben L. Mendes, Assistants – Messrs Caesar Miranda and Joseph Ig. Ferreira, Councilor – Mr. Paul Rodrigues, Secretary, Treasurer and Librarian – Mr. Aloysius X. Mendes.
The Christmas Savings Fund, established in 1916 is serving a useful purpose in the Parish. At present its membership is 70 and is managed by the following Committee:
President – The Vicar Vice President – Mr. Caesar Miranda, Secretary and Treasurer – Mr. Ben L. Mendes, Councilors – Messrs Edward Mendes, Joseph Ig. Ferreira and Victor D’Silva.
SPORTS
The Kandivli Sporting Club was established in 1921 for the purpose of Cricket and Hockey. Its management is vested in a Committee consisting of the following:
President – The Vicar Captain for Cricket – Mr. Ben L. Mendes, Captain for Hockey – Mr. Victor D’Silva, Councilors – Messrs Aloysius X. Mendes and Thomas Miranda, Secretary and Treasurer – Mr. Pat D’silva.
There is also a separate Badminton Club.
CRICKET CARNIVAL
For the last eight years, an Annual Cricket Carnival is held between the bachelors and the married of the three villages of Kandivli, Poinsur and Orlem. It creates great enthusiasm and attracts a large crowd. Mr. Edward Mendes the Secretary for all these years is greatly responsible for its origin, success and continuance.
The great need of the Parish is an increase in the number of Catholics. This could be achieved by starting a Housing Society on a co-operative basis or by private enterprise. There is a large piece of waste Government land which could be utilized for this purpose. Could not the Salsette Co-operative Housing Society get out of its shell from Bandra or some generous gentleman make a good investment for himself and at the same time give easy terms to those intending to settle in Kandivli, and thus help to revive an old East Indian village in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the East Indian Association.