Sandor
Census town
Sandor is located in Maharashtra
Sandor
Sandor
Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 19°52′23″N 72°42′50″E / 19.873°N 72.714°E / 19.873; 72.714
Country India
StateMaharashtra
DistrictPalghar district
Population
 (2001)
  Total8,336
Languages
  OfficialMarathi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Websitemaharashtra.gov.in
Church of St. Thomas the Apostle
Saint Thomas Church, Sandor-Saloli
History
DedicationSt. Thomas the Apostle
Administration
Diocese22 May 1998 Diocese of Vasai
Clergy
Provost and rectorRev Fr. Thomas Lopes

Sandor is a census town falling within the Vasai (Bassein) municipality of the Palghar district (previously Taana district), in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. Sandoris, the natives of Sandor, are predominantly Roman Catholic Kshatriyas of the Christian Bombay East Indian community, they converted in the colony centred around Bassein, the richest possession of the former Portuguese East Indies with the capital at Velha Goa, in the southern edge of the Konkan region. Prior to the arrival of Portuguese Armadas, there had also been some Nestorians descended from Jewish converts, by the efforts of the apostles Thomas or Bartholomew.

History

The natives of the Bassein (Vasai) are predominantly people whose culture derives from a composite of the Konkani substrate, overlaid by the Portuguese, Marathi& British rulers. The Sandoris are predominantly of the Vadval sub-ethnic group, and speak the Vadvali dialect, which is considered by the government as a dialect of Marathi, although this view is disputed.

Following the conversions of 1564, a Portuguese noblewoman, Donna Irina, had a chapel, Our Lady of Help (Nossa Senhora da Ajuda) built in the village for the converts. The first Holy Mass was held in this chapel on 11 November 1566 by the Jesuit missionaries. A Sandorian tradition states that St Gonsalo Garcia, who was martyred in Shogunate era Japan, was present as a young boy at the foundation laying ceremony of the chapel.

Marble slab in front of Sandor church depicting the date when the church was built

The chapel was renamed after Thomas the Apostle, when in 1565, his picture was brought from the fort and enshrined in the chapel. It seems that sometime or the other a new church was built a little further towards the north occupying the actual site on which the present edifice stands. The church was destroyed by invaders from Sultanate of Guzerat in 1571, and was reconstructed in 1573.

Pedro de Almeida, a Jesuit was appointed the 'Pai dos Cristaos' for 1574–1576, with charge of the Christians of Sandor and Papdy parishes.

In 1679, Arabs from Gujarat once again attacked and damaged the church. In 1690, a certain invader by name of 'Kakaji' also attacked and damaged the church.

The Mahratta Invasion of Bassein in 1739 did not destroy the chapel, although the Jesuits were forced to leave and it was thereafter served by the secular priests.

The chapel was enlarged in 1889. The three altars of the chapel are from one of the original churches in the Fort San Sebastian of Bassein. At some time, a cross and a grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes was added.

It is not known when the chapel was elevated to the rank of a parish church, but from the evidence, it seems to be some time before 1574.

Subsequently, the parishes of Our Lady of Remedies at Remedy, Our Lady of Grace at Papdy, Mae de Deus (Mother of God) at Palle, Our Lady of Mercy at Merces and St. Michael the Archangel at Porim (Manickpur) were carved out of it (1574–1606).

Sandor and the rest of the Vasai area were not disturbed by the intra-Catholic Padroado vs Propaganda Fide conflict, as the area remained firmly faithful to the Archbishop of Goa and refused to accept the authority of the Vicar Apostolic of Bombay and their successor, the Archbishop of Bombay.

In 1886, the northern part of the Archdiocese of Goa was carved out as the Diocese of Damaon, including the Vasai, and it was only in 1928 that the two dioceses (Damaon and Bombay) were merged, so that the Vasai area came under the Archbishops of Bombay for the first time in 1928.

At present, the parish of Sandor also serves the village of Saloli. The church celebrates its feast 9–15 December every year, and has a big feast in the evenings.

The village of Sandor has now been made part of the Municipal Corporation of Vasai-Virar.

Parish priests of St Thomas Church from the available records are as follows:

No. Year of appointment Name of clergy
53 1922 Fr. Nazario De Figuedo
54 1938 Fr. Paul Jacinto D'Lima
55 1945 Fr. Rock Dsouza
56 1949 Fr. Appolonius Dsouza
57 1952 Msgr. Fr. Raymond Mendes
58 1965 Msgr. Fr. Sebastian Vaz
59 1966 Msgr. Fr. Philip Tavares
60 1974 Fr. Bernard Bhandari
61 1983 Bishop Edwin Colaso
62 1986 Fr. Elias Rodrigues
63 1991 Fr. Michael Dsouza
64 1997 Fr. Elias Dcunha
65 1999 Fr. Nazareth Gabru
66 2002 Fr. Cajetan Rodrigues
67 2008 Fr. Francis D'Britto
68 2014 Fr. John Fargose
69 2021 Fr. Thomas Lopes


Below is a list of assistant priests :

No. Year of appointment Name of Clergy
27 1928 Fr. Antonio Colaso / Jerry Pius
28 1935 Fr. J.P. Pimenta
29 1938 Fr. J. B. Crasto
30 1939 Fr. Joseph Misquitta
31 1942 Fr. Sebastian Vaz
32 1946 Fr. Clevin Vaz
33 1949 Fr. Philip Tavares
34 1950 Fr. John Fernandes
35 1952 Fr. Rudolph Dsouza
36 1953 Fr. Simon Dsouza
37 1954 Fr. Joseph Gonsalves
38 1956 Fr. Nelson Corriea
39 1958 Fr. Gilbert Rego
40 1959 Fr. Philip Tavares
41 1959 Fr. Trevor Dsouza
42 1959 Fr. Alvaro Rego
43 1960 Fr. Bernard Bhandari
44 1962 Fr. Rodney Esperance
45 1963 Fr. Bernard Bhandari
46 1964 Fr. Richard Misquitta
47 1965 Fr. Mark Misquitta
48 1965 Fr. Edward Dsouza
49 1965 Fr. Simon Dsouza
50 1970 Fr. Rock Kini
51 1971 Fr. Peter Bombacha
52 1971 Fr. Vincent Monteiro
53 1972 Fr. Nazareth Gabru
54 1974 Fr. Barthol Machado
55 1974 Fr. Vincent Dias
56 1977 Fr. Godfrey Remedios
57 1983 Fr. William Ferreira
58 1983 Fr. Joe Gonsalves
59 1986 Fr. Wilson Rebello
60 1986 Fr. Alex Tuscano
61 1986 Fr. Michael D'costa
62 1991 Fr. Raymond Tuscano
63 1991 Bishop Elias Gonsalves
64 1993 Fr. Baptist Pereira
65 1998 Fr. Robin Dias
66 1998 Fr. Philip Lopes
67 1998 Fr. Julian Misquitta
68 1999 Fr. Prakash Raut
69 1999 Fr. Vijay Almeida
70 2000 Fr. Abraham Gomes
71 2000 Fr. Johnson Menezes
72 2003 Fr. Maxwell Furtado
73 2003 Fr. Joe Almeida
74 2004 Fr. Prakash Rumao
75 2006 Fr. Vijay Crasto
76 2006 Fr. James Dsilva
77 2007 Fr. Henry Pereira
78 2007 Fr. Robin Gonsalves
79 2008 Fr. Philip Gonsalves
80 2008 Fr. Michael Correia
81 2009 Fr. Ceaser Dabre
82

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[1] Sandor had a population of 8336. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Sandor has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 73%. In Sandor, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Church based charity/social organizations

Started in 1971 under the leadership of Very Rev. late Msgr. Philip Tavares the then parish priest of the Church. This society is a part of Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Paris, France, an international organization of Roman Catholic lay men and women of all ages, whose primary mission is to help the poor and less fortunate.

Founded in 1833 by Frederick Ozanam, a French lawyer, author, and professor in the Sorbonne University of Paris to help impoverished people living in the slums of Paris, France.

The Society numbers about 950,000 in some 132 countries worldwide, whose members operate through "conferences". A conference may be based out of a church, community center, school, hospital, etc., and is composed of Catholic volunteers.

Schools

See also

References

  1. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
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