Mumbai: St Anthony’s Church in Malwani, Malad, one of Mumbai’s oldest Roman Catholic churches, has unveiled the design for its new building.
The church, which was first established in the 1630s, is planning a new building to accommodate one of the fastest-growing congregations in the city. The church’s heritage-listed building, constructed in 1835, will be preserved as a venue for weddings and other celebrations.
Father Cajetan Menezes, the parish priest, said that the number of worshippers at the church has grown from a thousand in 1835 to 15,000 and is expected to reach 19,000.
As the old church building cannot be demolished because of its protected status, a new church building that will accommodate 1500 worshippers, a hall and living quarters for the priests are part of the new plans.
The church building, extended 35 years ago, cannot be expanded further for various reasons. The priests’ living quarters, the parochial house, were recently lost due to the widening of Marve Road. The church received a compensation of Rs 4.3 crores for the loss and is seeking compensation for the land lost to road widening.
As part of the fund-raising efforts to finance the new church, Australian pop star priest Father Rob Galea had performed at a music festival in the church on November 30 and December 1, 2024. In September 2024, church members had put up stalls at the Mount Mary Fair in Bandra to raise funds.
Menezes said work on the new building will start after they get permission. “Land paperwork is in progress. Hope to start as soon as we get the green signal and clearance,” said Menezes.
