BARKUR

CHURCH OF ST PETER THE APOSTLE
Barkur P.O. - 576 210,
Kundapur Taluk, Udupi District

TELEPHONE:     58 7115

LOCATION:   This church is situated at a distance of 72 kms to the north-east of Mangalore and 10 kms from Udupi,  and is surrounded by Basrur, Giri, Kallianpur, Kota, Sastan and Brahmavar parishes.

PARISH PRIEST   :    Rev. Fr Sylvester D’Souza
CATHOLIC POPULATION :    Total : 1,464         Male : 672         Female : 792
CATHOLIC FAMILIES   :   329
PARISH WARDS     :     8
PARISH NEWSLETTER: Pedruchi Chaavi ( Quarterly)

HISTORY:

The chapel of St Peter at Barkur was filial to Kallianpur-Milagres.  Prior to the demolition of the churches by Tipu Sultan, it had fallen into decay.  After the return of the Catholics from the captivity at Sreerangapattana, a chapel was erected in honour of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.  It was destroyed in about 1834 during the Padroado Propaganda controversy.  For 20 years the Catholics of Barkur used to go to Kallianpur for Sunday mass with great difficulty.  They decided to have a chapel at Barkur and it was ready in 1854.  The wooden statue of the patron of the earlier Petri church destroyed by Tipu lay hidden during the captivity.  On his return from Sreerangapattana the gurkar of Petri who had settled at Barkur took the statue to Kallianpur church.  In 1854 this statue was brought from the Kallianpur church to Barkur and installed in the chapel.  From 1854 to 1861 this chapel was served from Kallianpur every Sunday. 

On April 29, 1861 Barkur was erected into an intependent parish with Fr Cosmos Rebello as its first parish priest.  He served the parish from 1861 to 1870.  He was succeeded by Fr Basil

Baretto and Benedict Rosario Pereira during whose time the belfry collapsed.  Fr Julius Torrade (1888-1908), the fifth Goan Vicar, was a famous physician.  He erected the belfry and repaired the church.  Fr Francis D’Souza (1908-1911) was the first Mangalorean priest.

Fr Denis J. D’Souza constructed the new church, Gothic in structure in 1923.  This was blessed by Bishop Paul Perini.  He also built the presbytery, hospital at Barkur as the result of his hard foil. 

Fr Sebastian (Sabas) Fernandes of Brahmavar had also the additional charge of the Barkur parish.  Fr Marian Castelino (1936-1944) took the drastic step of closing the main entrance to the church in order to stop people from standing outside the church during Sunday mass.  It was opened only when all the people started being inside the church.  Fr Thomas Lobo (1950) erected the side wing of the church and repaired the portico.  Fr Charles Nazareth (1951-1957) celebrated the centenary of the founding of the church on April 24, 1954 with Bishop Basil S. Peres.  He also electrified the church etc.  Fr Aloysius M. Rosario installed three church bells imported from Germany in a new huge belfry.  Fr Benjamine had the church portico built.

The church runs the Maryknoll Elementary School.  Fr Marian Castelino started the Maryknoll School on May 31, 1940.  The Bishop J. Mendonca of Trichy laid the foundation stone for the new school building on January 8, 1941 and it was inaugurated by Bishop Victor R. Fernandes on May 27, 1941.  Fr Charles Nazareth erected the new school block.