A Wild Stream, A Planted Cross & A Makeshift Shed
Catholics crossing the Sanganur Pallam rivulet gathered under a temporary palm-leaf shed, courageously planting a Cross on the very site where the Main Sanctuary stands today.
About 50 years ago, the land north of the Sanganur Pallam rivulet was a rural expanse of fields and scattered dwellings that turned into impassable slush during monsoon torrents. As Coimbatore industrialised, migrant Catholic families—including traditional weavers from Kannuvakkarai, Gobichettipalayam, and Vellalas from Madurai—settled in Rathinapuri. Before a permanent bridge spanned the unpredictable stream (colloquially called 'Ellennai Pallam'), reaching Gandhipuram for Sunday Mass was hazardous. Bishop Savarimuthu, assisted by community elders including Mr. Paul Raj, acquired land and built a 50 ft × 20 ft temporary shed. When municipal authorities surveyed the eastern plot for potential acquisition, faithful parishioners courageously planted a holy Cross and erected a shed right where the Main Altar stands today, establishing open-air Calvary devotions under the Capuchin Fathers of Gandhipuram.
