Mumbai News: Bandra’s 200-Year-Old Miracle Cross And Mazgaon’s 150-Year-Old Oratory To Mark Feast Of The Holy Cross On Sunday

Christian communities across the city will be celebrating the 'Feast Of The Holy Cross' on Sunday May 3. 

Devotees have been attending the novena - nine day - prayer services at the 200-year-old 'Miracle Cross' at Bandra Reclamation. The cross, built on a flat rock called 'patla' on the Bandra seashore, was built in 1825 by the Christian Kolis. Testimonials from devotees about cures from diseases after prayers at the shrine have given the shrine its name.

The month of May is devoted to the veneration of Mother Mary. Clarence Gomes, a resident of Bandra said that people come to the cross to recite the rosary during May. "During the nights The cross used to act as a lighthouse for the fisherman to reach home safely," said Gomes. "The daily novena prayers and rosary are said and conducted by me and friends. The prayers are attended by devotees from other faiths." On Sunday, the religious service will be conducted at 6 pm by Father rLke Rodrigues, Parish Priest of St. Peter's Church, Bandra.

There will be religious celebrations at other crucifixes this week. The Matharpacady Holy Cross Oratory, Mazgaon, celebrates its150th anniversary on May 1. The shrine, like many others, has a history that connects them to the bubonic plague of the 19th century. Even as people fled the pestilence in the crowded older parts of the city to the suburbs, residents of Matharpacady, many employed in the docks nearby, refused to leave. To save the village from the plague, they built a cross on land donated by the Buthelo family. "Nobody was affected by the plague," said Stanislaus Baptista, a resident of Mazgaon.

The cross draws Hindu, Muslim, and Parsi devotees, apart from the Catholic worshippers. Residents said  Matharpacady was largely untouched during the Covid pandemic and attribute this to the crucifix's miraculous power. Lourdes Daniel, Bishop Emeritus of Nashik, will celebrate the mass and veneration of the cross on Sunday evening.

Matharpacady Village is a heritage precinct under Mumbai's heritage conservation list. A series of events related to the sesquicentennial jubilee have been organised. The local community plans to invite art and architecture schools to conduct study tours of the area. An exhibition of sketches of the landmarks has been planned.