With the growth of the parish a need was felt to have assistant parish priests, and Rev. Fr Sylvester Menezes, who was appointed as the first assistant parish priest, came to the parish on May 15th 1919.
At the very beginning Msgr Mascarenhas realized that good catholic education was needed for a good catholic life. Hence, he took over for the parish, a primary school that was existing at Kadri under a lay management, which was facing some problems. Rev. Fr James Mendonca who later became the Bishop of Tiruchinapalli worked as the headmaster of this school for some time. Very soon Msgr Mascarenhas took up the work of building a school in the church premises which was completed by the end of June 1919 and blessed on the first Sunday of July – and from Monday onwards the students of the school in Kadri started attending the school in this new building. Meanwhile the headmaster Fr Mendonca was appointed as school supervisor by the government and the first assistant parish priest Rev. Fr Sylvester Menezes took over as headmaster. After a year Mr James Fernandes a qualified and trained teacher was appointed as the headmaster. Meanwhile a school which was being run at Kankanady under the patronage of St Joseph, by a lay management was also taken over by the Bendur parish. Subsequently the school was shifted to its present premises at Kankanady which was a part of the Milagres parish but under a special Decree of the Bishop the building and the site was transferred to the Bendur parish. Over the years it was transferred to the Bethany sisters who have improved and upgraded it to a High School since 1987 with a new building.
In the beginning the parish school had co-education. Soon a separate school was started for girls and this school was dedicated to St Margaret Mary. The Management of the school was subsequently transferred to the Bethany Sisters, who shifted it to their present premises at Lower Bendur.
Meanwhile plans for the church building were in full progress. After selecting the site for the church building, though there were no sufficient funds, it was decided to start the construction relying on the assistance of the Lord and that of the Patron St Sebastian. Since the parish was formed with a few parts of Milagres and Rosario Parishes, the Rosario Parish gave Rs 6700/- and Milagres Parish Rs. 4290/- as their contribution towards the church building. The foundation stone was solemnly blessed on January 7th 1919, but due to lack of funds in spite of the generosity of the parishioners and outsiders the building work progressed slowly. Fr Sylvester Menezes was transferred from the parish on April 30th 1923 and in his place Rev. Fr Ligoury D’Souza came to the parish on May 1st 1923. Mr Piadade D’sa was elected as the Parish Administrator on February 1st 1925 and was re-elected till March 30th 1930. When the church building was almost complete the first Mangalorean Bishop-Rev. Dr Valerian D’Souza blessed the church on January 3rd 1930 and on the next day consecrated the big marble altar.
Rev. Fr Basil S. Peris came as the assistant parish priest on March 19th 1930 and Fr Ligoury D’Souza left the parish on March 30th 1930 on transfer. Rao Saheb X. Coloco was elected as administrator on March 30th 1930 and served till February 14th 1932. Rev. Fr Gaulbert Noronha was appointed as an additional assistant parish priest and came to the parish on April 1st 1930.
In May 1931 when the second Mangalorean Bishop Victor Fernandes appointed our parish priest Msgr Raymond Mascarenhas, as the Vicar General of the diocese. a solemn send – off was given to him on August 23rd 1931. Msgr Mascarenhas offered mass and Fr Marian Castelino preached the sermon highlighting the great works done by the Monsignor in the Bendur Parish. In the afternoon during the Holy Hour after the Te-Deum was sung the parishioners offered him a gift of Rs. 300/- which he gave back to the Parish. Msgr Mascarenhas thanked the parishioners for their wholehearted co-operation and requested that he be buried in Bendur, when and wherever he dies and he also requested the parishioners to extend the same co-operation that was extended to him, to all the parish priests who came after him. His advice is
followed even to this day. The people of Bendur reached him to the Bishop’s House at Codialbail in a procession accompanied by the brass band and great pomp.
On October 4th 1931 Rev. Fr Severine Tellis a devout priest leading an exemplary life took over as the second parish priest of Bendur. Though he was of frail constitution and of delicate health he simultaneously carried on the work of continuing the building of the church and the construction of a new parochial house which was essential, as till then the priests were living in an old soda shop at the main entrance near the road. Mr Joachim Lobo was elected as administrator on February 1st 1932. He served till May 17th 1936. In the meanwhile Fr Severine’s health kept deteriorating and he resigned as parish priest on January 31st 1933.
Rev. Fr Francis D’Souza the third parish priest took charge on June 1st 1933. He built a side- altar and dedicated it to St. Francis Xavier. During his time Rev. Fr Lawrence Monteiro took charge as assistant parish priest on April 10th 1934 and Fr Basil Peris left the parish on June 2nd 1934. The St Joseph Higher Primary School at Padav near calvary cross which was started in 1934 was later transferred to the catholic education board which in turn handed over its management to the Bendur parish. This school was shifted to its present site in 1935 & still runs at the same site in a new building. Fr Gaulbert Noronha was transferred from the parish on March 2nd 1935 and in his place Rev. Fr Joseph D’Souza came on May 19th 1935 as the new assistant. Mr A. Parameshwar was elected as the parish administrator on May 17th 1936 and served up to August 27th 1939. Fr Lawrence Monteiro left the Parish on June 26th 1936 on transfer. Fr Francis D’Souza died on June 26th 1936, and was buried in the Bendur church.
Rev. Fr Charles Lobo the fourth parish priest took charge on August 17th 1936. He started the women’s sodality in the parish and encouraged the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. During his time the church building was completed with a portico and the façade. He also built a belfry and put electric lights in the church. Fr Joseph D’Souza was the assistant parish priest till May 24th 1937 and Rev. Fr Joachim Pereira came in his place on June 5th 1937. The Silver Jubilee of the parish was celebrated in 1939 preceded by a retreat of seven days. Rev. Fr Marian Castelino preached sermons during the retreat. On the Jubilee Day, a Sunday, Msgr Raymond Mascarnhas celebrated the Solemn High Mass and exposed the Blessed Sacrament for Adoration from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. In the evening Msgr Mascarnhas preached the sermon after which a Eucharistic procession was taken out and finally the congregation was blessed from the newly completed church balcony which was illuminated with electric lights.
Mr T.M. Aranha who was elected as administrator on August 27th 1939 served till August 15th 1943. Rev. Fr Basil Fernandes came as assistant parish priest on May 18th 1940. Fr Joachim Pereira was transferred on May 31st 1942 and Rev. Fr Aveline D’Silva came as assistant parish priest on February 11th 1943. Mr U. Kannappa was elected as administrator on August 15th 1943 and he served upto July 7th 1946.
In 1944 Bishop V.R. Fernandes started the Padua High School at Nanthur under the patronage of St Antony of Padua to encourage religious vocations among the youth. Rev. Fr Fredrick Pais was appointed as the first headmaster and worked in the school for eight years. In the beginning the classes were held from standard VI to matric – only for boys. Presently the school conducts classes from std VIII to std X. The school had a boarding house up to 1985 and has produced many vocations for priesthood from among the resident boys.
Fr Charles Lobo was transferred to Bejai Parish on May 10th 1945 and in his place Rev. Fr Louis D’Silva from the Hospet parish came to Bendur as the fifth parish priest on the same day. Fr Basil Fernandes, who was the assistant parish priest was transferred on December 24th 1945. Fr Aveline D’Silva was transferred on June 23rd 1946 and in his place Rev. Fr John F. Rodrigues came as an assistant parish priest on June 24th 1946. Mr William J. D’Souza was elected as the administrator on July 7th 1946 and served upto July 17th 1949. Fr John F. Rodrigues served till his transfer on December 19th 1947.