St. Vincent Pallotti Church, Banasawadi, Bangalore (Bengaluru)

India / Karnataka / Bommanahalli / Bengaluru
 church, religion
Roman Catholic Church of Banasawadi.
Parish Priest - Fr. Philip
Asst Parish Priest - Fr.Paul D'Souza
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   13°0'34"N   77°38'54"E

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  • SHABREEN SAIT'S HOUSE
  • St. Vincent Pallotti Church, Bangalore was built by Rev. Fr. Phillip Ettaparamphil. The church construction was commenced in 1992 when there were just about 10 families. The 10 families attended Sunday mass in a nearby convent, Mariam Nilaya School. There were no chairs to sit and even the priest sat on the floor to celebrate the mass. The Sunday collection was as little at Rs.40 . There is a lot of effort that went into building this church and it was done single handed by Fr Phillip. No words can describe this great priest and how much he strived to build this church. With no contribution and support from the archdiocese of Bangalore this project only went ahead with few contributors from Germany, Peter Clever Sisters, Bishop Hunold and the few Parishners. Today the church has over 2000 families and no one remembers the efforts and sacrifices that went into making this magnificent structure. If someone wants to know more about the beginnings of the church please feel to contact me on 9845195663
  • Yes, I agree and know the efforts of this one individual (Fr. Phillip) and would have no reservations in calling him a man of service to the society and a living saint. I have seen him sitting night and day on cement bags with a monkey on his shoulder and overseeing the construction of the church. It was a deserted place in those days and was scary to even walk through the place after dark. Fr. Phillip stayed there in a small shed. I have even seen him cleaning the mud road in front of the construction site. On one occasion I saw him carrying cement bags on an old bicycle by himself and when I asked him why, he responded that the old jeep had broken down and he did not want the construction to stop. Really, no priest would even think of doing such humble deeds. I also know that a lot of priests from his own congregation were jealous and even the present Bishop worked plots against him to throw him out and place their nominated person to occupy the seat of the Parish Priest???? Very true that humble people vanish without a trace and the crooked capture the limelight.
  • Fr. Phillip, the straight forward priest who some disliked as he spoke on their face weather they liked it or not. But I know his hard work and his efforts to build this Parish and church. He never encouraged any language groups and always maintained harmonious interactions across all parishners. He gelled very well with the locals Hindus, Muslims, etc. Yes, I remember the old Jeep and I guess half of the church construction material was carried in that old jeep. A very simple man and always stood up for right things. I heard that he also stood up against the present Archbishop, Bernard Moras and did not yield for his greedy monetary demands and that is the reason the Bishop along with the Pollotine Provincial played dirty politics and forced Fr. Phillip to step down? He must be a man of steel and real integrity. The new Parishners may have forgotten or may not know you but I still remember this great Man - truly one of a kind, hard to find such priests these days.
This article was last modified 14 years ago