About Sacred Heart Church, Worli in Sasmira Road, Worli, Mumbai

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
In the second half of the 19th century, the fishing village of worli, lying in the western part of Bombay group of islands, had about 350 Catholics attached to the parish of Our Lady of Salvation, Dadar. The Parish priest of Salvation Church, Dadar had set up two filial chapels at Wadala and Lower Parel in 1886.

The Parish Priest of Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar West, had vast jurisdiction under its pastoral care. Sacred Heart Chapel, at Worli, was constructed in the year 1887 to cater to the pastoral and spiritual needs of the parishioners who were staying at Worli which was quite a distance from the mother Church, Our Lady of Salvation The Chapel of Sacred Heart, Worli was completed in the year 1888.

Because of the provisions of the CONCORDANT OF 1886, the Bishop of Damaun asked the Delegate Apostolic to bless it. The Delegate replied on March 28,1888 that the Bishop could not proceed to bless the chapel, nor regard it as filial to Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar. The matter was referred to Rome, ”whether the Chapel of VAROLIN should be under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Damaun or under that of the Archbishop of Bombay?”

The answer arrived on September 25,1888. “Considering the particular circumstances it may be granted to the Bishop of Damaun on December 31,1888 and made filial chapel to Salvation Church, Dadar''. It continued until it was raised to the status of a Parish when the Parish of Sacred Heart, Worli, was separated from its mother Parish of Salvation Church, Dadar, on August 17,1961.

In the year 1913, a Priest Rev. Fr. Anthony F. Athaide, priest in-charge, was sent to stay at Worli. The parishioners were mainly the Koli and East Indian Community and a sprinkling of others who came to reside in the jurisdiction of the Worli chapel.

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