Did you know that the Parel Seminary was the third attempt at starting the Bombay Seminary? Did you know that Parel was the fourteenth location in its long and arduous travels? Read on to discover ten other interesting features of the Bombay Seminary at Parel:

• The Student Body of the Seminary composed of three communities – the Latinist, the Philosophers and the Theologians. Each community had its seminarian Beadle (Prefect) and Father Minister. The communities had to observe the rule of ‘No Fusion’ pertaining to living quarters, refectory and games. Only on few occasions in the year the communities could mix and gather together.

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• Silence was observed in the whole House and was broken only during classes, recreation and games.

• Students wore the cassock with a blue sash at all times – in the chapel, around the house, for class and when going out. The cassock was doffed only when the seminarians did manual work, played games and retired to bed. The new-comers received the cassock and blue sash on the Feast of St. John Marie Vianney.

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• Tonsure was conferred at the beginning of the study of Theology; the Minor Orders in the second and third years; the Sub-diaconate, the Diaconate and the Priesthood in the course of the fourth year.

• The Sodality was introduced in the Seminary on February 2, 1954 by Fr. Casasayas S.J. who was Rector at that time. It was a voluntary association of seminarians who consecrated their entire life to Mary’s service. The sodalists grouped themselves into a number of sections and devoted themselves to visiting the sick and needy, special catechetical and pastoral work in the slums, rag-picking, etc. The sodality was suppressed in 1966.

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• During the Parel era, the seminarians tried their hand at publishing a Seminary Magazine entitled Fraternitas. This editorial endeavour lasted for around a decade.

• The Parel seminarian studied sciences like Philosophy, Theology, Botany, Atomic Physics

• Alongside the sciences, the Parel seminarian also learnt trades like ‘Barbering’, ‘Cobbling’, Typing and Cyclostyling along with some Fine Arts.

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• The staff of the Parel seminary also included a) Br Infirmarian who would take care of the medical needs, b) The Minister of Supplies who would travel to town to fetch fresh supplies for the seminary and c) The Minister of Home Affairs who looked after the cleanliness and the beauty of the House of God, the Chapel.

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• The last batch of seminarians ordained from the Parel Seminary included – Frs Peter Drego, Lawrence Monteiro, Alvaro Nazareth, Denis Pereira and Joseph Vincent. These were ordained in Bombay while Fr Eustace D’Lima was ordained in Rome and Fr. Joseph D’Souza in Mangalore.

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