Parish History

A brief History of Parish Priests and their achievements:

1. Rev. Fr F. X. Nazareth (1933-34):

         He was the pioneer of Kasargod. With his appointment the new parish came into existence and its boundaries were defined. It was right from Mogral, where the River drains itself into the Great Arabian Sea, the north boundary line proceed along the River till Muttathody revenue village, including its northern boundary. The Chengala revenue village and the Chandragiri River are its eastern boundary. On the western side, the majestic Arabian Sea reigned as its boundary.

2. Rev. Fr Paul Fernandes (1934-36):

         He was appointed as the second parish priest and took charge on 06th June 1934. His wish was to serve as a missionary in this part of the Mangalore Diocese and his wish was fulfilled.

3. Rev. Fr F. X. Aranha (1936):

         He was the third parish priest, but he suffered a massive heart attack within a month and breathed his last.

4. Rev. Fr Gratian D’Souza (1936-41):

         He served for full five years. He had a fruitful ministry, as he reached a few milestones during his tenure. He constructed the belfry in 1939. The statue of Our Lady of Dolours, donated by Mr I. P. Fernandes was blessed during his tenure. So also the way of the cross stations were installed. The Apostolic Carmelites sisters arrived during his time (1940).

         For few months after transfer, the seat of parish priest fell vacant. Fr Lawrence Monteiro the parish priest of Kumbla was also in charge of Kasargod parish during that time.

5. Rev. Fr Mark Vaz (1941-45):

         He took charge as the fifth parish priest. He invited the faithful to become patrons and benefactors of the church. Several people from Mangalore and Kasargod came forward. During his time the work of the well was done.

6. Rev. Fr Aloysius F. Pinto (1945-61):

         He was the sixth parish priest and had the longest term in Kasargod. During his tenure, the church and its surroundings saw many developments. The main entrance to the church was beautified and an iron gate was installed. He added a new wing to the church building, with a side altar. The church saw a new interior with beautiful painting of Our Lady. A portico was constructed to the parochial house.

7. Rev. Fr Jos Ros Rodrigues (1961-68):

         He took charge on 2nd August 1961. He started St Vincent de Paul Society. During his time a new Tabernacle was donated. A donour donated money to prepare a shrine of St Rita.

8. Rev. Fr E. L. Pinto (1968-70):

         During his time, he admitted two Malayalam speaking Catholics into the Parish Council. He built the front compound wall with stones.

9. Rev. Fr G. L. R. Miranda (1970-75):

         He succeeded Fr E. L. Pinto on 01st July 1970. He built rooms behind the sacristy. He paid special attention to the cemetery and built a compound wall around it.

10. Rev. Fr R. C. Lobo (1975):

         Though his stay was short, the children’s summer camp organized by him is still remembered.

11. Rev. Fr Alexander Sequeira (1975-76):

         He succeeded Fr R.C. Lobo and was the parish priest for a year.

12. Rev. Fr William D’Silva (1976-77):

         He took charge as the new parish priest on 01st December 1976. He secured municipality water connection to the church, had the high Altar painted with Indian art. He revived the Parish assembly and Parish Council. He started the Yuvak Sangh.

13. Rev. Fr Peter Paul D’Souza (1977-79):

         He introduced Saturday Holy Mass for all children attending non-Catholic schools and made Catechism compulsory for them. He revived devotion of First Friday of the Month to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He took great interest in Yuvak Sangh. Unfortunately he expired on 19th February 1979 due to massive heart attack.

14. Rev. Fr Michael M. Pereira (1979-82):

         He reintroduced the First Friday of the Month Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The sound system and fans were donated to the church by the parishioners during his time. In 1980, the centenary celebrations were held under his leadership. The highlights of these are the retreat and a grand Eucharistic procession. The Diocesan development agency CODP assigned a social worker to the parish during his time.

15. Rev. Fr Harry Tauro (1982-88):

         He took charge on 10th June 1982. He celebrated the parish feast after a gap of 20 years. He was instrumental in forming the Kasargod Christian Association of Christians of all denominations. He requested the Tellichery Diocese to help the Syrian Rite Catholics. Accordingly, they deputed Rev. Fr Matthew Chalil to attend the needs of Malayali Catholics. He repaired and renovated the church portico.

16. Rev. Fr Maurice Paula (1988-95):

He revived the parish council and Yuvak Sangh. He revived the Church choir and organized cultural programs on Christmas Day. For this purpose he built an outdoor stage. The roadside compound wall was built during his time. The shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni was erected in 1994.

17. Rev. Fr Hilary Lobo (1995-2002):

         During his time the parish saw all round pastoral developments. Though a person of short stature, he was a man of God with simplicity and humility. He had a definite pastoral plan, which paid attention to multi dimensional formation of the parishioners. Initially, he paid attention to the liturgy. The education and faith formation of children was given due attention. Separate children’s mass was introduced on Sundays followed by compulsory Catechism. He revived the Altar boys’ sodality, Girls’ Marian Sodality and St Vincent de Paul Society. In 1996, Legion of Mary was formed and in 1997, the Catholic Sabha was started to promote lay leadership. Regular training programs, camps and seminars were held for youth, children, married couples, women and Parish Council members. The church of the new millennium was envisaged by him by introducing the Small Christian Communities in each ward. As a result, the spiritual life of the faithful was revived and many lay leaders emerged. His interest in ecumenical movement made him associate with KCA and YMCA. Every year common Christmas celebrations and way of the cross were held in Kasargod town. A massive rally of all Christians was held to conclude the great Jubilee year 2000.

         Fr Hilary Lobo ventured into the mega project of constructing the new church and presbytery in 1998. The foundation stone of the church was laid on 25th April 1999 by Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza and the foundation stone of the presbytery was laid by Most Rev. Gerald Isaac Lobo (then Episcopal Vicar) on 22nd February 2000. The parishioners, the parish Council and the youth worked hand in hand with their pastor to complete these projects. It was completed and the inauguration and Blessing of the New Church and the Presbytery was done 09th April 2002. Undoubtedly, he is the modern architect of Kasargod Parish.   However, one should not lose sight of the other dedicated priests who served this parish. The less written history about them doesn’t allow us to mention about them in length. The parishioners of Kasaragod gratefully remember them. The then Episcopal Vicar of Southern deanery, presently, the Bishop of Udupi Diocese Most Rev. Gerald Isaac Lobo was also instrumental in giving positive developmental approach to the parishes of the deanery.

18. Rev. Fr Felix Noronha (2002-09):  

       He succeeded Fr Hilary in 2002. He completed all the pending works of the New Church. He carried on the good work done by Fr Hilary. Besides his service in the parish, he also helped at Divine Retreat Centre, Chalakudy, Potta. In 2005, the Post-Centenary Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Church were held under his leadership. Moreover, he had purchase a new land  about 10 cents adjacent to the church which is an Asset to the church and really a good achievement during his tenure. Moreover was a good agriculturist.

19. Rev. Fr Naveen D’Souza (2009-  2016 ):

        He took charge of the parish on 29th May 2009. Greater attention is being paid for the all round development of the parish in Liturgy, SCC, helping the needy, camps for the children to promote their abilities and education, compulsory Catechism, helping the poor and needy. Parish associations are given more attention so as to serve the parish needs. The church built in 1880 was renovated. On 30th January 2012, the Decennial Celebrations of the New Church were held. The Marian Grotto and the Infant Jesus grotto were donated by the parishioners. Since the church built in 1880, is still there, a sincere effort is being made to make it a monument because this is the only oldest remaining church of Kasargod deanery. The church compound is being beautified to make it a prayer center. In these years, the service rendered by the Parish Pastoral Parishad members, the Youth, various Parish Associations and specially the Parishioners is praiseworthy. 

20. Fr. Santhosh Lobo (2016-2022):

During his tenure, Rev. Fr. Santhosh Lobo brought about remarkable changes and achievements to our church community. Under his guidance, significant improvements were made to the church infrastructure, including the enhancement of the parochial house portico for seating and the creation of a spacious vehicle parking area capable of accommodating over 75 vehicles. He also oversaw the renovation of the altar and the addition of new facilities to the presbytery, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal and functionality of our church premises.

Beyond physical upgrades, Fr. Lobo initiated impactful community development projects. He addressed longstanding issues such as water scarcity by successfully drilling a bore well on the church grounds. Moreover, his ambitious vision for the "Shokamatha Complex," a Shopping Complex with Parish Hall, not only provided essential facilities but also promised a significant annual income for the church, benefiting parish operations and activities.Fr. Lobo's tenure was equally focused on spiritual and communal enrichment. He revitalized pastoral life by forming various committees and actively engaging youth through catechism classes, training programs, and camps. His commitment to ecumenical relationships and community support during times of crisis, such as the lockdown, demonstrated his deep compassion and dedication to serving the parishioners.

Overall, Fr. Santhosh Lobo's leadership was transformative, leaving a lasting legacy of strengthened infrastructure, enhanced community spirit, and sustainable growth for our parish.