Welcome to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
In the mid sixties, the Sacred Heart Parish of Bangalore extended to areas like Somanahalli, now known as Viveknagar which were far away for pastoral care. So, Rev. Fr. Paul Kinatukara, the parish priest of the Sacred Heart Church felt the need for a separate parish for areas around Somanahalli and undertook a vigorous unsuccessful search for a suitable land. One day as the Parish Priest was walking; he entered a garden in Somanahalli. It was a well maintained Rose garden. He was impressed. "If only I could get this land for the Church" he wondered. "Oh! How nice it could be". But then, he felt that it was impossible, because over a lakh of roses were exported per week from there. However he felt a mysterious power overcoming him and made him resolve on the spot to buy this land at any cost. With this frame of mind, he returned home. As days rolled by, on suggestion, he prayed to the Infant Jesus of Prague [Nine hour Novena] for two months for help in his quest for land. His prayers were immediately answered and the rose garden was brought for a windfall price. 18th April, 1969, the foundation for a new church was laid by Most Rev. Dr. S. Lourduswamy, the then Archbishop of Bangalore. 1971, Rev. Fr. L. Peter was appointed as the first parish priest of the new church, who took steps to celebrate the holy mass on the newly acquired land, brought the Infant Jesus statue from Sacred Heart church and installed it in an improvised old tent and thus began the "Tent Church" which lasted for over eight years. May the newly acquired land, popularly known as the "Rose garden" surrounded by thick vegetation was infested with snakes and poisonous reptiles and with no street lights was plunged in darkness at night. All this did not deter the faithful who flocked to the church. 1972, this new parish was canonically erected by the Most Rev. Dr.P.Arokiaswamy, the then Archbishop of Bangalore. 1974, the local authorities turned down the plan for the new Church for want of the approval of the Bangalore Development Authority, but Fr.Peter patiently toiled on. 26th October 1977, the powerful and miraculous intervention of Infant Jesus finally enabled him to get the approval and the entire development charges of Rs.50,000 was completely waived off, which was the first ever waiver in the history of the Bangalore development authority.
The annual feast of Infant Jesus shrine of Viveknagar was celebrated exuberantly at its shrine premises, here on Tuesday, January 14. Thousands of people from different parts of the state and even from outside the state took part in the annual celebration. Being the 40th year since the shrine started, it was celebrated...
Thousands attended the annual feast at the Infant Jesus Church, Viveknagar, on Monday with many just about finding space on the periphery of the shrine. Hundreds gathered on the road outside to catch a glimpse of the celebrations Various neighborhood shrines in the area were also decorated to celebrate...
