History: St Anthony’s Church, Hosanagar
Kalur, a small village which makes part of the present Hosanagar town was once a commercial centre. As trade grew very fast, the kings of Bidanoor levied taxes on the merchants. An office was built for the purpose of collecting taxes. Slowly this place began to be called Kalur Katte. The Kings found Kalur Katte a better place for a taluk headquarters than Nagar which was the headquarters then. Preparations began for the same in 1891 and the shifting took place in 1893. As the place grew, thieves and robbers grew along with it. So, the Kalur Katte became kallara Katte. Local people did not want this name for their place and on their suggestion it was renamed by the Government as Hosanagara in 1932. Hence we do not find any old revenue record in this name.
In this Historical place a chapel seems to had been built for the first time on 29-08-1895, when Hosanagar was a Substation of Sagar which it continued to be until 1950. On 27-10-1910, Rev. Fr P Picot was permitted by the Deputy Commissioner Shimoga District, K Srinivasa Rao to remove two thousand laterite stones for completing the constructions of the Catholic chapel at Kalur Katte. The Assistant commissioner was asked to issue necessary orders to the Nagar taluk Amildar in the matter.
Hosanagar was constituted into a parish on 01-04-1951, through Fr Augustine Fernandes began to reside there being put in independent charge of it from 16-11-1950. He renovated the Church which is dedicated to St Anthony of Padua and added to it a modest tower. Much later, Fr J A Pereira improved the Church to some extent. A pioneer Missionary that he was, Fr Fernandes took as much interest in his substations as he took in his headquarters. As a result the sub stations developed. In 1950 the parish had under it 106 families distributed as followes: Hosanagar 20, Nagar 30, Kable 40, Hulikal 4, Kodur 2, Arasalu 10. In 1959, Fr Fernandes built a little grotto of Our Lady of Fathima which was blessed by Bishop R Feuga. He had been staying in the out house of the Church. In April 1962 he added 3 rooms to that house and converted it into his presbytery. A completely new presbytery was constructed under the supervision of Fr J da P Sequeira of Shimoga and at the cost of the Diocese and blessed by Bishop Alphonse Mathias on 14-02-1972.
