Infant
Jesus
Church

Center of the devotion to the Infant Jesus of prague in Bangalore

In the mid of nineteen sixties, the Sacred Heart Parish extended to areas now known as Viveknagar (formerly Sonnenahally) which were far away for pastoral care. The parish Priest, Fr. Paul Kinatukara felt the need for a separated parish and undertook a vigorous search for a suitable land. One day as he was walking, he entered a well maintained a vigorous search for a suitable (Viveknagar) and wished he could get the land for a Church, through he felt it was impossible, because over a lakh of roses were exported per week from there. However, he felt a mysterious power overcoming him and resolved on the spot to buy the land at any cost, and returned to his parish. As days rolled by, on a suggestion, he prayed to the Infant Jesus of Prague for two months, for help in his quest for land. His prayers were answered and the Rose Garden was bought for a windfall price.

On the 8th of April 1969 the foundation for a Church was laid by Most Rev. Dr. S. Lourdusamy, the then Archbishop of Bangalore. In May 1971 Rev. Fr. L. Peter was appointed the Parish Priest and he took steps to celebrate the Holy Mass and brought the statue of the Infant Jesus from Sacred Heart Church and installed it in an improvised old tent and thus began the “Tent Church” which lasted for over eight years. In 1972 the news parish was canonically erected by the Most Rev. Dr. P. Arokiaswamy the then Archbishop of Bangalore. The Local Authorities turned down the plan for the new church for want of approval of the Bangalore Development Authority. But Fr. Peter patiently toiled on and on the 26th October 1977, the miraculous intervention of the 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.

On the 29th June 1979 Most Rev. Dr. S Lourdusamy, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of the People, came from Rome, blessed and opened the New Infant Jesus Church in the presence of a large gathering of devotees of different faiths. On the 22nd June 1989, the Infant Jesus Shrine, adjacent to the Church, was blessed by His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Alponsus Mathias, Archbishop of Bangalore and opened to the faithful to honour and glorify the Divine Infant Jesus of Prague.

Since most of the events leading to the establishment of this Center of Devotion and Pilgrimage, took place on a Thursday, Thursday was dedicated to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Today we have yet another New Church to accommodate the hundreds who through to this center seeking the blessing of the Divine Infant Jesus.