A little over a month ago, among the many firsts that this lockdown led us to experience, this was added to the list. I ‘watched’ a deferred live telecast of midnight mass from the Cathedral of the Holy Name on Christmas Eve that was streamed via the parish’s YouTube channel. It was a fly-on-the-wall view, and I sorely missed out on the real experience, like lakhs of others, who partook in service from their homes. Yet, as I heard the Word of God across the miles in a corner of my suburban Bombay 1BHK, being part of a mass from the stunning interiors of this historic cathedral made amends somewhat for this heritage nut. It was hard to not snatch glances of its Gothic grandeur each time the camera panned around. That the main celebrant was His Eminence, Oswald Cardinal Gracias, made it even more special. The beautiful, solemn service will rank right up there as one of my most memorable.

The seat of the Archdiocese of Mumbai, the cathedral is one of the most striking churches of the city and it holds an important place among the Roman Catholic community in Bombay. The foundation stone was laid in 1902  and soon enough, it came to be called Wodehouse Church as it stands on Wodehouse Road, named after Sir Philip Wodehouse who was Governor of Bombay from 1872-77. The road [like most of the city’s older roads] was renamed Nathalal Parekh Marg. The imposing cathedral was designed by WA Chambers, a noted architect.