मैं पेश्वा माधव्राव, आज ये सब के स्फामने जाहीर करता हो की?
गुलक्ल्बाव लोगा जैन्गेराव, गर च्णावाव नगी वोगा गुल्गावाव गोन जाहीर करता होगावाव गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव, गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव गुल्गावाव
गुल्गावाव खुल्गावाव, गुल्गावाव, प्र वाश्डींट, सूभ,
वोगावावाव गुल्गावाव, छाँ अएगी वोगावाव गुल्गावाव पाहेदा,
यो जब करता है. आई वोगावाव गुल्गावाव, लोगावाव गुल्गावाव,
तो वो भी ख़ागा तो बगरागी तर शब बदागा जागा वो लगागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागा
भाजी ढ़ी वरी करठा है क् Obsessive
तूग वुर्वार, भी आपाईगाईदेगागागागाईगागाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाईगाई�
बिश्व तामस्कार खुन्सिक्रेटिड क्राइस चुर्च अद्खाद की इन 1837 अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की �
अद्खाद की अद्खाद की प्रक्ष्झ्ट की अद्खाद की अद्खाद की औद्खाद की सब अद्खाद की अद्खाद की यहाद के लिए प्रच्छ्खाद की अद्खाद की यहाद की अद्खाद की आद्खाद की आद्खाद की अद्खाद की आद्खाद की आद्खा
तो भागे रहा हुँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँ�
ँँँँँँँँँ
जिन्हि भी दिनेगी कोगाँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँँ�
तो अखोमवाड़ेट दी अग्वावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावा�
वावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावावम, canyon, निर उथाअानी मocус, next issue will be and
঒াগূভাযূযূযূযাযূযূযাযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূূযূযূযূযূযূূযূূযূযূযূযূযূযূযূ�
� werरद़ा द MIT औत जाए से लिंबनका लेक दे misle-ve.
खीड से ढफरीया क्या ख़गाई ड़ाश भक दल ग करताश करतلكगायृ escalame kya.
गो तर कब फ्डर साब फेर्र दேक। Project PyaR graphs.
तो डो fragr artific.
ञ्या ज्या चाना ज्या अज manipulating the cow of a hike.
आद आपदान लगा लिएजाँ में आप देखा था रब नहीं जिर्चाँ सेंगाजाँ अगर नहीं तोगे आप आप देखा आप देखा रब नहीं गर जिर्चाँ सेंगाँ आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा
अप देखा आप दर रब नहीं आप देखा आप देखाँँ आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा आप देखा �
ತೆರ್ಗೈ ಕಾ clampsಸಿತ ನೆಡೌಂ ತಿಂಪನ್ಟು ತbane ಲ೐ೈ ನೇಲೈ..ಮ ಸಿಂಥ ವಶ೹ೀಗಿ ಮಲುಣ ಆಫ ಹತುತ್ರಶಿ ಜ್ ರಲನ್ನಾ ಇದ್ದು ಹತ್ತು ಹಿವರೈ ಎಲುತಕು ರ಼ೇಯ್ಕೈ ಮಿಕೊಗಾಕ ರೂಥ ಹಾತ್ದವ ಾಮಿನ ಕ
आप शवाड़ा करिषना देवर्राया
1517 मार्टिन लुटर मेल्दा 95 तीसीस अरा ख्लोस चर्च्टो इन जर्मनी तो अपने अन्ट्रा फेथ देवेद. 1526 बागर देपीटे लोडी अग्पानिपत्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्
ौन्द्र सोग ठ्राष्टा डेवत्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्ट्�
आद्वार वे और्येंटल ब्रटीश आद्पोस्ट देडिकेटी तो तो सुपीरे जन्डल तो सवोध्स में तोन सेंट, सेंट इगनेश्यस।
तो सुपीरे ज़ीजेच्विट अप आप आप आप नहीं, और सेंट तो सेंट ग़ागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागा
अपने लिएक ठीररे लिएक लिएक गौँभग़ागागाखागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागीगागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागागा�
ुईईब्से वीह्ँडा के सहाँ त microbes
ौilians
ूपस्कऊ म।ट्स्र् Euch rumor
ौटॐसा usual
ॐज्तरुस क्कने मानटा ूगता ुनालसा नियरो sotto
billion
ौश्तर्री लगह है यग शानत क्या लेग, यग भाग्माबिता,
अन्ने वलंकनी वह पर निज़े नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा ना�
नाईगा और लख़ह करागी सेॉबिलि99ते सेढ़ ہیں थ mechanic itself-not just that-at the end of the 19날on
नाईगा नाईगे नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा नाईगा। there is an annual procession around kharki and 8-September to celebrate heiste of the Nativity of Mary.
यह आद्यालम ख़िएश्टे देखागाशा और आद्यालम कोंग्रीएश्टे आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्
áद्यालम ईपन आद्यालम करिएश्टे् साद यहटाम सुट्खे है आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्यालम आद्याल्म अद्यालम crianças इसficienteनाडरदा कोंग्रीएशd, आद्यालम
In the mid-19th century, the Jesuit missionaries objected to the recently converted Marathi Christians insistence on continuing with their age-old Indian customs like wearing Mangal Sutra.
Even in social sciences, the third law applies. There was a strong resistance from the local population to the stance taken by the Jesuits.
This clash manifested in other regions also.
Some time later, Narayan Vaman Tilak also a recent convert and a priest with thunder.
Pack up your belongings and be gone if you do not love the sacred land.
Insistence by the missionaries risked not just the already converted but also future evangelism.
Worse, it could have caused political disruption for the rulers. There was a problem.
The church structure in itself is new. Probably, it is the youngest in Pune.
The father gave a brief history and summary for us.
This was a small chapel at a paper seminary just behind under the guidance of the sacred land parish run by the Dombuska Fathers at Yavada.
However, the history and the role of the church goes far back. Faced with a big problem, a strategic decision was taken to identify and train priests from among the native population as they would be more familiar with their customs and traditions instead of the expect missionaries.
Besides, of course, there was a huge demand for priests.
It required another decision to open a training centre or as it is called paper seminary in India. India at that point of time also included present day Sri Lanka.
At the inauguration in 1893, Pope Leo XIII declared solemnly,
विलित्वी इन्दिया अद्मनिस्री तिभी सद्युटिस योर ओन सान्स औएन्दिया विल्बी दे हेराल्ज अफ योर सल्वेशिन.
In 1955, the seminary was shifted from candy to this parish in Vatgaon Sheri and the father is a very proud custodian of the same.
The seminary has produced almost 100 bishops and quite a few cardinals. In fact, on our trade itself, we met quite a few alumni, now working as priests.
The structure in the front is very appealing to people. You are non-catholic, stand for a while, look at the building and amazement.
Make some bow in front of the grotto of Mother Mary and they go back. In the evenings, we see quite a good number of Muslim Hindus come in front of Mother Mary's grotto, kneel down and pray.
And the structure itself, and there is a beautiful church, noting a single pillar in between.
Sit wherever you want, still you can see the altar without any obstruction. It can accommodate around 800 people at a time.
Today, the Vatgaon Sheri parish is at the heart of the Roman Catholic scheme of things in India.
There are more than 200 priests in this campus, teaching and there are 14-15 seminaries, taking care of the formation of the students to be the priests, around 200 nuns, sisters.
Having the education at the JD with Jnana Deepa Vidyapit, this is known as a little Rome in Italy, because hundreds of priests, hundreds of religious, nearly 1000 odd brothers having the education at Jnana Deepa Vidyapit, this is a prominent place in the diocese of Pune.
Located in the heart of the city, St Paul's Church is part of a cluster of heritage buildings.
The Pune railway station is walking distance and so are the government administrative buildings.
It is located right behind the office of the police commissioner and adjacent to the GPO.
There was already one church in the Pune area and that was St Mary's Church, which is a garrison church for the British soldiers.
But as the Christian community grew in Pune, several civilian British government officers and their families were posted here and they were posted particularly for the post and telegraph department and also for the railways.
So there was a need felt because the St Mary's Church is for the British soldiers made by the British army, but these were civilian government officials and they were requested.
Consecrated on 5th March 1867, the foundation stone of the church was laid in 1863 by His Excellency Sir Henry Freire, the governor of Bombay.
It is designed on the lines of French sawn chapel in Paris.
The features of the Gothic architecture like the bell tower, the unique cross and the gargoyles are visible from a distance.
These gargoyles that we see today are actually very young.
Then also around this whole edge of the church there is a gutter and there were those gargoyles. Now some of them were all deteriorated and the problem was that there were plants over there also which had come by one plant inside the church.
So what we did at that time was we took out all those stones on the top where the gutter was. We took out the gargoyles, we made all new ones with a bigger throat.
All those gargoyles were redamped according to the old ones put in the same format and all that.
The porch was made after the church was ready to facilitate the movement of the gentry during stormy monsoon times. Gentlemen could drive right to the main gate.
As we enter the church we have here one chapel. It's called the site chapel in our normal reference but actually it's the chapel of Saint Mary. That's the name of the chapel.
The vast congregation hall with a 50 feet high feeling and no pillars is very spacious and open.
The altar is visible from all corners of the hall and also from outside through a line of doors along the walls.
As the Reverend Father Jacob put it, the church with open doors.
Preaching of God's word, the pulpit, that is on the side. If you go to other Christian denomination churches like Presbyterians or Baptists, you will find the pulpit in the center of the church where they give more emphasis on the preaching of God's word.
So what I want to say is that the interior setting also depends a lot on what is emphasized in their Christian faith and belief.
The most unique feature of the church is the magnificent screen behind the altar, a gift from the bishop of Bombay in memory of his wife Lucy.
It also causes confusion at times for a first time visitor.
Another beautiful thing we see at the altar which is an ornamental screen at the back of the altar which is called a Reredos.
It's made of marble and above the Reredos is a beautiful stained glass, two stained glass windows.
One depicting the resurrection of Jesus of Christ and the other depicting the ascension of Christ.
The Reredos also, this ornamental screen made of marble also depicts the ascension of Christ.
But basically this is just to enhance the beauty of the place of worship.
It is to enhance the awe of the mystery of our faith and our worship of God.
The original stained glass windows melted in the fire of 1900. The current windows were put up as part of the restoration.
The original pipe organ which was installed in 1881 was destroyed in the fire and the organ that we see today was installed in 1910 on the Saint Peter's Day.
Because of its history, at that time when these churches were built, this was an important instrument for use.
Of course in those days they had the bellows behind and in fact we go from the side, we can see those bellows which have children.
In fact small children who could go inside and they would press the bellows, pump the bellows so that air would pass through and then the person playing the organist would play.
Today it is probably the only church in Pune with a live working pipe organ which provides a melodious start for the services even though it is not working at full potential.
As a few pipes have been sent to England for repairs.
Fires are not uncommon in Pune even the house of God is not spared.
This vintage structure was almost brought down completely by the big fire that had started on the moon of 5th July 1900.
Among the valuables lost was the precious pipe organ and the priceless stained glass windows.
The symbolism of Christian faith from the ancient time, from the early church.
So we have what is in Greek, the letters alpha, the first letter and the last omega.
And that is what it symbolizes Jesus because in the Holy Bible Christ in Revelation says, I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.
Before leaving this vintage structure, it was time to ask the custodian of the church on his reason to like the church.
Facing the congregation, alter table aspect is very dear to my heart and also I find something, this pulpit is quite beautiful in the sense it is,
you have the feeling of a coziness in this place, people are closer to each other in the sense that even to be at the pulpit and preach,
I feel the people are so close and I can be able to speak right closely to them, you know, rather than being very far away and things.
So just a personal, my own personal feeling and thoughts on this.
The administrative structure of Pune has its genesis in history.
A large geography is managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation.
But then there is an equally large geography under the Pune Cantonment Board and the Khadki Cantonment Board.
An entire new city, PCMC, covering the industrial areas of Pimpri and Chinchwar also came up on the way.
The next hall was the Mother Church, the Cathedral on the Prince of Wales Drive.
The road from St Paul's Church to St Patrick's Cathedral travels through the PMC area and the PCB area across a large number of military establishments.
As we arrive at the cathedral, we are also at the end of the Cantonment area.
When it was established and then as you will know, there was nothing here as such.
From years back, Hadobsa was sort of a dead end.
The cathedral is dedicated to the man who was taken to Ireland as a slave,
escaped from slavery, discovered religion and then went back to Ireland to seek revenge against cruelty.
As the story goes, he eventually became the patron saint and the national identity of Ireland.
If you go to Ireland and if you see Ireland, every second church or every church is named St Patrick's.
So the very fact that this is St Patrick's, speaks volumes.
That St Patrick's is the patron and in fact that's the spirit of this thing.
It's Irish, the whole thing is there, the connect with Ireland is through St Patrick's.
That's the spirit of Ireland is here.
Accidents and fires in particular have struck various churches in Pune.
St Patrick's also has seen tragedies.
After the church was moved from Vanore to Prince of Wales Drive,
the first mass was conducted on 8th December, 1850 by Father Shihan.
10 days later, he died.
Some 134 years later, on the night of 15 July, 1984, the roof of the cathedral collapsed.
It destroyed quite a lot.
The anguish is felt in the voice of the father.
The old choir that angelic singing, the whole, the altar facade inside of the church was full of wood
and it was a beautiful feeling to be there to worship.
When you entered, you would be lost in that, the architecture and the interiors that were done so beautifully.
The intrinsic beauty of the place lies in the multitude of charity activities done.
One such is the ministry of prisons.
The helpless poor who find themselves caught in the intricate web of law
get relief from the ministry of prison run by the cathedral
as it works with inmates languishing in prisons for a speedy, fair trial.
But something that is the outstanding of here is, no matter where I go,
the first thing is, when will I be back into my parish?
When will I be back here?
So there is a big connect here.
As I mentioned to you in 1984, when I came here first and now.
So this place I have seen grow in leaps and bounds compared to other parishes.
And it's not the structure what I'm talking about, but it's the people and their attitude.
I've seen the spiritual growth, I've seen their social growth, I've seen their financial progress.
And it's so nice to see that the people are so warm, they are welcoming, they are hospitable.
They are taking up challenges and so many of the people, they come to help out.
So you don't feel a strain, you don't feel a burden that I have to do everything.
People are there to help us for everything, any initiative that you take.
So that's the most beautiful part of this Kathiran.
And one of the nice things, what I constantly hear from people of other faiths,
when I interact with them, they say father is a very peaceful person.
I feel happy, I feel proud and I feel blessed to be the head of such a parish.
When the construction had begun in 1861, it was not expected to take two decades to complete.
The services started only in 1879 for the Scottish personnel and their families.
Soon enough, within a decade, the church was required to be extended to provide for the increase in the faithful.
As we walked towards the church, we had this intriguing visual that appeared to have come straight out of a witchy story from the Highlands.
It was a very apt welcome to the home of the saint from Scotland.
There are two entrances to the church and the one on the main road is always closed.
Visitors who come from the gate on the side lane that leads into the military area
do not immediately notice the cross that is shaped like a cross but inside a circle.
Nor is it visible from the road outside.
It so happened that when he was to be crucified, the modest saint did not consider himself worthwhile to be crucified on the same cross as Christ.
Hence, he requested his persecutors for a krakas di kasse.
Kind of last wish which was granted.
With time, it became popular as the saint Andrews cross or simply the salt tier.
And today, it occupies a place of pride on many flags.
The church follows the Presbyterian model which means that there is no priest but a moderator selected from a group of elders or the Presbyterians who guide the followers in the prayer.
We see a high chair and few other chairs surrounding the table on which the cross is placed that signifies his presence.
There is no visual imagery nor any other sign around.
The influence of the Scottish model is felt right from the moment we walk into the congregation hall which actually is quite small.
It has no pillars, the ceiling is very low and the benches are very functional.
There is no imagery on the walls and the windows have plain glass.
There is no attempt to overall the visitor with grandeur.
Instead, the whole environment is to bring the focus back on him and his prayer.
Even the windows at the altar are bereft of any grandeur.
The two side windows have simple coloured glass panes while the main window with two panels have images of the shepherd and his primus inter pares apostle carrying his cross.
The imagery is not in the stained glass mould but actually is hand painted.
The fire of 2011 which has started almost on the eve of saint Andrews feast day.
Although the church does not really celebrate the same, destroyed everything including the pews, the altar, the holy literature.
So everything that we see today inside the church is really very fresh.
Even the plaque dedicated to the Scottish regiment that had helped build the church melted away in the fire.
This was the third church in a road that we have seen had suffered an accident.
The walls had a fire and the ceiling of Saint Patrick's had collapsed.
The saltier was part of the original structure that had been built by the Scottish regiment hosted in Pune.
As it was made of stone, it survived the fire of 2011. Else it would have also been lost forever.
For this cross is not seen anywhere else in the church or for that matter in any church in Pune.
We had experienced something similar at the Saint Paul's church where the cross perched on top of the main entrance is within a circle but it is not seen anywhere else inside the church.
This is why we believe that the old heritage monuments be preserved.
For once we lose them, we lose quite a bit of history also.
Saint Mary's church was built at a time when India was in a state of transition and this aspect of history is reflected almost everywhere.
The location of the church was nowhere near the existing city but miles away from Shanivarwada in the upcoming camp area where the British soldiers had set their base.
By 1820 the British EIC was well placed in India. Politically it had subdued most of the players on the power landscape.
The powerful Maratha Confederacy was gone with the last Peshwa being exiled to Far of Kanpur in 1818.
There were a few skirmishes in 1819 but in a year or so the British were in firm control of Pune.
This reflected in the scale and grandeur of the first church built by the British in Pune although the Christian population was probably in triple digits.
In 1820 Reverend Thomas Robinson, the first chaplain of Pune, highlighted the need of a church for the benefit of the British soldiers, officers and their families.
The request was made to the first archdiocese of Bombay, George Barris and eventually the magnificent Saint Mary's church was built.
It was consecrated on 3rd July 1825.
The large congregation hall with imposing circular pillars, the cross-shaped design of the hall, the high altar table, the stained glass windows behind the altar,
the large windows designed to provide natural ventilation in the hot deccan summers.
Everything reflected confidence of an assertive colonial power.
The church was designed to reflect its position as the mother church of Deccan.
Like the All Saints Church, even Saint Mary's Church has priceless records of births and baptistery for almost 2 centuries.
People come from far and wide to have a look at these records.
For most of us, these are dusty old papers that would crumble on a touch.
But for some, these are simply priceless.
The reason is they are looking for the old records.
So we have the records of the past 200 years.
They want to see their great-grandparents name there in that record.
They were baptized or they were confirmed here or they were buried here.
So they want to see their original signature or that thing.
So with that expectation, many people come here monthly at least 2 or 3 guests.
Our possession of the church is the exquisite pipe organ right near the altar.
It is absolutely imported to the extent that even the servicing is not done in India or by technicians from India.
Being a garrison church, the place also has its military touch.
The walls are lined up with plaques put up in memory of the dead soldiers.
Like the old saints' church, colours of different regiments were laid to rest here.
Later on, after the political independence, Indian army took the colours to Bangalore in 1979.
The two blade flans line up the high seating.
These fans are as old as the church and they still work.
O worship the king is a hymn that most of us have heard at some point or other.
Sir Robert Grant was born in Birbhum district of West Bengal and died at Dapodi near Pune.
He died while serving as governor of Bombay presidency.
A suburban railway station and a hospital built by the Tatas have been named after him.
The father shared a rather lesser known detail about the man as we expressed our gratitude for his time and for the honour bestowed upon him.
The governor of Bombay, Governor Robert.
He was buried here, his grave is here in this church.
In 1850, the Saint Patrick's Church was moved from Manawari to Prince of Wales Drive.
However, residents on the west side of East Street still found the place to be far off.
Even today, on a clear night, it takes about 15 minutes in an average car to cover the distance of 3 miles from Camp Market to Saint Patrick's.
Father Lietam, a Goan priest, had conducted the first mast in his bungalow near the east street for the civilian residents in the neighbourhood.
Soon enough, on 14th October 1860, the foundation stone was laid.
However, before the roof could be put up on the church, the venerable father died next year.
It was a tragic story repeated from the Saint Patrick's where Father Sheehan had died within 10 days of the first mast.
The feast of Saint Xavier on 2nd December 1862 saw the first mast amidst the walls.
The construction was to be completed in 1864.
The first train had travelled from Mumbai to Thane in 1853 and the network was being rolled out across the country.
Universities were being opened.
It was a glorious period as prosperity had arrived on the back of the cotton boom in Mumbai.
The ugly walls of the Bombay fort had been brought down in 1860.
Goddess Flora had been installed at Fountain.
In Pune, the foundation stone of Saint Andrew's Church was laid in 1861 and of Saint Paul's Church in 1863.
The Saint Xavier's Church opened in 1864 for services in the gloriously Gothic structure made of black stone.
The church is located on the Saint Vincent Street and the parish office is actually in the premises of the Saint Vincent Society.
The neighbourhood is filled by equally vintage educational institutions with Saint Vincent School being just a year younger than the church.
Just like Saint Maze's Church, Saint Xavier's Church is also designed in the form of a cross with exquisite frescoes adorning the walls of the wings.
The best part is the winter sunrise which on specific days occurs exactly behind the stained glass windows of the water.
It creates optical magic inside the church.
The long hall, the high ceiling, the woodwork all around including on the ceiling makes anyone feel dwarfed with old paintings across on the walls depicting scenes from condemnation to resurrection.
The prayers are held every morning at 6.30 am and the faithful, mostly senior citizens arrive beautifully even on cold winter mornings.
For them, besides spiritual, it is also a social occasion.
Born in a royal castle at Navarre in Spain, studied in Paris, started his career in Goa.
He travelled to Asia, died in Guangdong on the outskirts of mainland China, where he was buried on the beach.
Death, however, was not the end of the story.
A year later, his body was removed and re-buried in Malacca.
Another year later, his body was removed and re-buried in Goa.
A few decades later, his body was again removed, the right arm severed and taken to Rome to be rested there.
The rest of the body was re-buried in Goa.
A few decades later, again he was disturbed.
His body was placed in a glass container encased in silver casket with 32 silver plates depicting episodes from his life.
Every 10 years or so, the bomb jesus basallika in Goa puts this casket on display for visitors to see the physical remains of their saint,
not decomposed even after 5 centuries.
Dedicated to the saint, the beautiful Gothic heritage building will continue to stand tall for centuries to come.
What we call the beginning is often the end and to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from, T.S. Eliot.
I could say abroad people are there, belong to this parish, visit your mother.
That's all, I pray, not more than that.
It came straight from the heart for in a short crisp sentence, the reverent father explained the pole position of the church in Pune.
As the first church in Pune, it met the occasional challenge of reaching out to the spiritual needs of the faithful and the pride is evident in his voice.
This is the mother church we call and happy about it because from here, priests have gone up to Chinzwar because as the community started coming, many other people who moved from Karnataka, Belgaon, Karwar, all this Konkanist speaking belt came here for job purpose.
That's all, so priests from here went to give them service.
We have now reached the Nosa Senora da Immaculado, Konziyas, the oldest church in Pune, also known as a lady of Immaculate Conception Church or simply the city church.
The first thing that strikes us is the location of the church itself.
Geography is often linked to history.
The church was built sometime in 1792.
At that time, Pune city was probably one tenth its current geography.
The church was to be built outside the gates of the city.
The history of the church also decides the languages for services.
While it was established for the Portuguese soldiers, Portuguese is not a language used for prayers.
The church offers services in Marathi, English and Konkani and the kind father explains the reasons.
So, they got tellers.
So, they bought their community to serve them.
That means they were quite high level people who came here and they were serving them.
And to understand their language, it was more Konkan.
On 8th December 2016, in a beautiful well-attended function, the church unveiled its 225th anniversary celebrations.
In this long period, the outer physical appearance has undergone a significant makeover with multiple rounds of modifications.
The size of the church is also dependent on the time when it was constructed.
Saint Patrick's, that came up in 1850, accommodates more than 1000 people.
For there were as many devout followers in Pune at that time.
But in 1792, the number of Christians in Pune were limited, probably in double digits.
And that determined the size of the church that was built in 1792.
Today, as we walk around, we see some signs of where the church started and where it ended.
The staircase that at one point of time would have let the followers to the balcony now hits a dead end.
Similarly, the bell which is normally expected to be at the entrance came closer to the order as the church expanded.
Another surprise we notice is that the bell has accompanied two bit uncommon in Pune, but quite common in Goa from where the bells came.
Whenever we modify a heritage structure to meet the demands of time, a part of it dies.
It is irreparably lost for the future generations.
Probably, it may be a better idea to leave the existing structure as it is and build new structures to meet the development needs of a growing population.
The loss was felt in the voice of the priest who started his career in this church and is said to retire from here.
In 1962, there were a lot of changes taken place. The reason I do not know, they should have kept the old architectural design and the whole facade.
But unfortunately, they destroyed and made modern one, new one, may be suiting for that time. That is the sad part of this.
The most beautiful aspect of this church, however, is no more visible.
Burried long back under the stone and mortar structure, the route to the oldest church in Pune
actually passes through another heritage structure, the Shanivar Vada.
Christianity had arrived in God's own country way back around 5280, when Saint Thomas came, even as Nero's Rome was persecuting Christians.
History ensured that eventually the same Rome became the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.
The oldest worshipped Catholic Church in the world is at Parayuru in Kerala and the oldest Protestant Church of Asia is at Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
The great Akbar, who at his time was one of the most powerful man on the planet, had seriously considered Christianity with the Jesuits.
He donated land, money for construction and also upkeep of the Akbar Church at Fatehpur Sikri, just a few miles away from where his grandson would later make the Taj Mahal.
While Shivaji Maharaj had mostly employed Hindus and Marathas in particular, the later Peshwas hired people from different regions and religions.
The Portuguese soldiers were hired to manage the artillery as they also came with the latest guns.
Christianity really came to Pune in 1792, when Peshwa Madhabrao II donated land for the first church in Pune, so as to meet the spiritual needs of the Catholic Portuguese soldiers in his army.
It was a historic occasion on 8th December 1792, when Victor Manizis, a Govan priest, conducted the first service in the bungalow of Dom Narona in Pune.
A new faith had arrived in Pune. The number of Christians and churches in Pune exploded exponentially after 1803, when the British EIC army escorted Bajirao II into Pune.
And after the battle of Khadki in 1870, there was no stopping.
However, this is where we pause on a church trail for now. Some more interesting stories of some more Vente churches from Pune are in the pipeline.
We will be back soon. Until then, stay happy and keep smiling.
Peshwa Madhabrao II
Peshwa Madhabrao II
