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Parishes & Convents

BALLARI - CANTONMENT: CHRIST THE KING CHURCH (1840)

Parish : Christ the King Church
Established : 1840
Patron : Christ the King
Catholics : 950
Families : 185
Address : Cantonment, Ballari - 583104
Tel : 08392-242676
Deanery: Ballari
Parish Priest : Fr. Peter Y.S.
Mob : 944950585
Email : petershouraiah@yahoo.com
PPC Vice President : Mr. M. Joseph
PPC Secretary : Ms. Mothi Mary
Associations : Altar Servers &Youth Association

Mass timings : 6:00 am & 7:15 am on Sundays, 6:15 am on week days, 6.00pm on first Fri.

A brief history of the parish
In the latter part of the 17thcentury, Ballari town and district were part of Mysore kingdom of Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan. After the death of Tippu Sultan in 1799, Ballari came under the Nizam of Hyderabad and he ceded Ballari, Anatapur, Cuddapah and Chittoor districts to the British in1799, in lieu of payment for the British subsidiary force, stationed in the Nizam's territories. Fr. Joachim de Souza and Fr. Fulgence Perozy, two Goan missionaries worked zealously in Ballari and in the ceded districts between 1775 and 1845.

The British made Ballari a military garrison with a Cantonment in 1801. The army personnel with their families formed the Catholic community of the parish. The parish worshipping in the Assumption Church till 1963. As per the parish register, Fr. Patrick Doyle was the chaplain at Cantonment in 1840. The Church of Assumption of Our Lady (old Church) was built in the year 1866, by Fr. Patrick Doyle with the contribution from the local people. Fr. Patrick Doyle, amissionary from the diocese of Ossore,Ireland. The old bell has Fr.Patrick Doyle's name imprinted on it. In 1963 the parish church was moved to Christ Church (Christ the King Church), which was built in the year 1816. It was designed and was constructed by British Military Engineers with mixture of sand and limestone at a cost of Rs. 4,000/-

The army left Ballari after the World War I. Christ Church (Christ the King Church) was transferred to Very Rev. John.F. Hogan, Superior, Catholic Mission of Bellary by the Indian Churches Trustees of the Anglicans in the year 1939. The Episcopal ordination of Bishop Ambrose P. Yeddanapalli OFM, the second Bishop of Bellary, took place in this church on 14 April, 1964. The present Christ the King Church building, built in 1816, was renovated in the year 1991 under the leadership of Fr. Y.S.John. A grotto of Our Lady and a bell tower was donated by Mr. P.Guru Mathew in 2008, when Fr. Gnanpragasam T. was the parish priest.A major renovation of the church was done with a grant from the Govt. of Karnataka,under the leadership of Fr.Y.S.Peter. It was blessed by Bishop Henry D'Souza on18 June2017, on occasion of the celebration of bi-centenary Jubilee of the church.

House of Men Religious
• Dharmodaya Sevashram of OFM Friars

Convents
• Good Shepherd Convent
• St. Mary's Convent of Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of Mary Immaculate
• Missionaries of Charity
• Cluny Convent of Cluny Sisters of St. Joseph
• Ballari Arogya Matha Convent of MSMI Sisters
• BethanyConvent of Bethelemite Sisters
• Gnanamma Vriddhashrama Convent(CSSA) of Sisters of St. Anne of Phirangipuram

Lay Apostolic Life
• Auxiliaries of the Apostolate

Institutions
• Bellary Diocesse Development Society (BDDS)
• Bellary Mathe Learning Centre
• Bethany -Senior Priests' Home
• Gnanamma Vriddhashrama Convent
• Gnanamma Vriddhashrama
• Home for the Destitute and Dying (Missionaries of Charity)
• Loreto Kindergarten
• Mathe Maria Mahila Pragathi Dhama (Hostel & Vocational Training Centre for Girls)
• Mathe Bhavan Community Hall
• Nava Jeevana (Rehabilitation Centre for the Physically Challenged)
• Navodaya Catholic Centre
• St. Mary's Higher Primary School
• St. Philomena's Primary School
• St. Philomena's Composite P.U. College
• St. Mary's Hospital & Mobile Clinic
• St. Mary's Boarding Home for Girls
• Vianney Vidhyalaya School