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Chapel |
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On 1
March 1874 the Eucharist was offered for the first time and the
Hall-cum-chapel was thrown open to the public |
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The Mass was celebrated
by the Rector, Fr.Henry Depelchin. Many of the German SJs were
present. Along with a sprinkling of lay people, there were about 120
Irish soldiers who had their headquarters in Pune but had come on
military duty and camped on the Esplanade, almost next door to the
chapel. |
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Before
the chapel was thrown open to the public, the Jesuit Community had
their services on the upper storey, with the 2 altars of our Lady and
St. Joseph. There were brought to the chapel on 1 March 1874. When the
foundation-stone of Saint Xavier was laid, on 13-1-1868, by Fr.
Charles Wagner (assisted by Bros. George Kluwer and Eusebius Pereira,
on the Esplanade Cross Road (subsequently named Carnac Road, and now
L. Tilak Marg) and the 3 wings in 1873, the huge building was the only
one on the sprawling Esplanade - from Dhobi Talao on one side, to V.T.
station on the other. At first the chapel was used as the School and
College Hall (the college was in this building till 1900). Martin
Pinto, who joined SXHS in Jan. 1923, used to serve Mass almost daily
here. |
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The Hall-cum-chapel
served as a place for cultural and dramatic sessions and the annual
Prize Distribution. Fr. A. M. Coyne erected the new wing and provided
the present Hall. Today, 1974, the original woodwork is only partly in
existence. The ceiling has been lowered, the beautiful galleries
removed, and part of the upper half of the woodwork too. |
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Fondly
recalled are the Jesuits like A. Deniz, S. Morant, A. Hetting, E.
Hoogwerf, J. H. Gense and Bros. Wm. Hillebrand, Geo, Kluwer,Geo. Koppl,
Herman Lau, John Muller, Henry Preute and Francis Preute. These
Brothers worked like Trojans between 1868 – 73, to give this beautiful
building to Bombay. |
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