Sunday Services at Miramar
As the residents of Miramar had to travel a long distance, in 1976 a few residents of Miramar approached Fr. Filomeno Dias, Parish Priest of Santa Inez, with a request to have a Sunday service for the parishioners of Miramar. The masses were offered at some private houses at Beach Nest and other places. Thereafter Sunday Services through kindness of Mrs. Thecla Rosario were held at the Rosary School. Fr. Ino S.J. of the Loyola Hall offered his premises for the Services and continued during the time of Fr. Edwin Sequeira, S.J.
Managing Committees of the Chapel
Early in 1977 a general meeting of parishioners of Santa Inez residing in Miramar was held. At this meeting a managing committee was formed, comprising Fr. Filomeno Dias, Parish Priest of St. Inez Church as Chairman Ex-officio; Vincent Rosario, Vice-Chairman; Libério Mendonça, Secretary, Eurico de Noronha, Treasurer, Irene Barbosa, Tony Barreto, William Sequeira and Gabriel Mascarenhas, Members.
The managing committee appointed two sub-committees: Fund Raising and Project Committees. After a lapse of over four years, when no further attempts were being made towards the above objective, Mr Roberto Pacheco e Silva, began to explore ways and means to restart the process. The Confrarias Reunidas da Igreja de Pangim empowered the Parish Priest of St. Inez to hold and use the land for the construction of the proposed Chapel.
On 26th July 1981, a General Body Meeting was called and a new Committee was elected. Through sponsorship and social functions such as dramas, dances, lotteries, etc., funds were generated for the construction of a chapel. The Holy See’s Ponticium apus a Propagatione Fidei, Secretariatus Internationalis, Citta di Vaticano, Rome, financed the second phase of construction.
The foundation stone was laid and blessed by His Excellency, the Archbishop-Patriarch Dom Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, on 12th September 1982, in the presence of a large gathering. The Chapel was blessed and inaugurated by him on 30th May 1989.
The chapel, designed by Architect Arjun D’Souza, was enlarged in 1995. Architect Ashley Mascarenhas designed the second phase of the construction. Fr. Martinho de Araújo Noronha, Parish Priest of St Inez, laid the cornerstone on 30th May 1994. In 1997, a Community Hall was built over the extended part of the Chapel. In 1999, a presbytery was constructed, with the office and the sanitary block located on the ground floor, and the first floor being the Chaplain’s residence and the second floor for visiting priests.