BELLARY, MAY 30: Golden Jubilee of Sacred Heart Church, Hospet was celebrated with gaiety and solemnity on May 30.
Bishop of Bellary presided over the solemn Eucharistic Concelebration and presided over the public function.
Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Vijayanagar constituency (Hospet) Mr. Anand Singh was the guest of honor. He made a generous donation towards the jubilee celebrations and cost of construction of a community hall for the parish.
The Golden Jubilee coincided apparently with the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese missionaries Frs. Louis and Gasper to the kingdom of King Krishna Devaraya.
During the function the outgoing parish priest Fr. YS Peter and the incoming parish priest Fr. Anthony Fernandes were honoured.
About the year 1920, Fr. Koperdraad of the Mill Hill Fathers, the then parish priest of Cowl Bazaar Church, Bellary who served the community at Hospet, built a small chapel for the Catholics in the town.
In the year 1947, Fr. Fidelis Magee, O.F.M. went to Hospet as the first resident priest and lived in a rented house.
Later, he built the present Church which was blessed by the first Bishop of Bellary John Forest Hogan.
The old chapel was converted into a presbytery.
Hospet parish has about a thousand Catholics.
The Shrine of Bellary Arogya Mathe was blessed and dedicated on 8th September 2000 on the feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Mother Mary in memory of the great jubilee 2000 and the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese of Bellary