The history of this church goes back to the year 1984. Udayagiri was a small settlement of pre-dominantly Hindu community then. In the later years within a short span of time it became an area dominated by Muslims. Few Catholic families co-existed amidst this majority community. They belonged to St. Joseph’s Cathedral Parish. The distance to the parish from their homes was big and the conveyance, poor.
In 1984, Missionaries of Charity brothers arrived in Udayagiri and in 1986 brothers’ house was blessed by the Late Bishop Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Roy (he was the vicar General of the Diocese of Mysore then). MC Brothers soon came in contact with the Catholic families in the area and began to visit them and pray with them in their families. A number of priests were assisting the Brothers with daily mass in their private chapel. Later on the MC Brothers approached the SVD fathers at Vidyaniketan, Bannimantap for their cooperation in their mission and the latter were ever ready to offer their spiritual services to the Brothers along with the catholic families around. It was possible because of the initiative taken by the MC Brothers. Then from the year 1988, SVD priests started to visit the families along with the brothers. And they continued to look after the spiritual needs of the Catholics around Udayagiri, Shanti Nagar and Rajeev Nagar from 1990 to 2003. Regular liturgical services and Holy Eucharist was conducted in the private chapel of the MC Brothers.
In 2003 Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony DD, the Bishop of Mysore, created a new parish that included Rajeev Nagar 1st and 2nd stage, Shanti Nagar and some part of Udayagiri, and dedicated it to St. Teresa of Calcutta and appointed Rev. Fr. Scaria Panackal SVD, the then Rector of Vidyaniketan as the first Parish priest of the newly created parish. Rev. Fr. Joy Thomas SVD was the assistant Parish priest. Very soon Bishop offered a piece of land at Rajeev Nagar for the construction of the new Church. Under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Scaria and Rev. Fr. Joy Thomas, the construction of the temporary church began and was blessed by the Bishop of Mysore in the year 2003. Rev. Fr. Scaria was transferred and Rev. Fr. Bernard Rodrigues SVD was appointed the new parish priest. Rev. Fr. Joy Thomas continued as the assistant along with the additional responsibilities as CRI president and head of the Chair of Christianity in the University of Mysore.
Since the parish was growing in number, the temporary church was not sufficient to accommodate all the faithful, even though there were three masses on Sundays. The need for a larger and permanent church building was felt and the parish council supported this venture. The foundation stone was laid by Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony Vazapilly, the Bishop of Mysore then on 29th August 2010. The parishioners, the parish council and the Religious communities were very cooperative. With the support and sacrifices of all, the foundation of the Church was completed. Mean time Fr. Bernard was transferred and Rev. Fr. Jossie Fernandes SVD took charge of the parish. He too took keen interest in the activities of the Parish and Church building, along with Fr. Solomon Reddy SVD, the assistant. Thus the new church dedicated to St. Teresa was blessed By the Bishop of Mysore and inaugurated by the SVD provincial superior, Rev. Fr. Lazar Thanuzraj Stanislaus SVD.
Soon after the inauguration of the new Church building, the parish had a new parish priest in the person of Fr. Richard D’Almeida SVD, who continued the spiritual works in parish with more zeal. After his term was over Rev. Fr. Mervin Noronha SVD became the parish priest along with Rev. Fr. Walter Mendonca SVD as an assistant. Today this parish has about 350 Catholic families and one of the exemplary parishes in the Diocese of Mysore. There are five Religious communities under the parish – MC Brothers, DDS Brothers, The ICPE lay missionary community, Ursuline Franciscan Sisters and Hospitalizer Oblate Sisters – who give all round support for the spiritual wellbeing of the parishioners.
We warmly remember all the SVD priests who served the Catholic faithful of Rajeev Nagar, Udayagiri and Shanti Nagar in the early years: Rev. Fr. Joseph PJ SVD, Rev. Fr. Gregory Pinto SVD, Rev. Fr. Joseph Madhatany SVD, Rev. Fr. Cyprian Louis SVD, Rev. Fr. Caitano D’Costa SVD, Rev. Fr. Abraham D’Souza SVD, Rev. Fr. Francis Fernandes SVD. And after the Parish was erected canonically: Rev. Fr. Scaria SVD, Rev. Fr. Joy Thomas SVD, Rev. Fr. Bernard Rodrigues SVD, Rev. Fr. Solomon Reddy SVD, Rev. Fr. Richard Mathias SVD, Rev Fr. Jossie Fernandes SVD, Rev. Fr. Richard D’ Almeida SVD, Rev. Fr. Baptist Pais SVD, Rev. Fr. Lawrence Correa SVD, Rev. Fr. John Serrao SVD, Rev. Fr. Mervin Noronha SVD, Rev. Fr. Walter Mendonca SVD, and the present Parish Priest Fr. Evan Gomes SVD, the assistant parish priest Fr. Felix Lobo SVD