Kneeler at the St. Thomas Church altar. A kneeler is a cushion (a tuffet or hassock) used for resting the knees in a kneeling position during Christian prayer. Seen in the background are the brass eagle lectern and the grand piano.
Another famous visitor to the St. Thomas Cathedral was Mother Teresa (1910-1997), who attended prayer services at the church on 8th January 1983. A commemorative plaque is now placed on the pew (a long bench, seat, or enclosed box) used by her on the occasion, now placed at the front of the congregation.
Memorial dedicated to Katherine Kirkpatrick, wife of Major General James Kirkpatrick, Commander of Horse, Madras Army. She was mother to James Achilles Kirkpatrick, who later served as a Company Resident at Hyderabad (Deccan) from 1798 until 1805. Another son, William Kirkpatrick, also served as a Company Resident at Hyderabad. Katherine was born at Fort St. George (Chennai) on 22nd September 1744 and died there on 27th January 1766, at age 22.
The original pulpit at St. Thomas Church was made of stone. The current pulpit is made of green Italian marble made by sculptors in Italy. It was donated by AK Leslie and his wife, Grace Emily Leslie, in loving memory of Emily's father, Sir George Cotton. The three figures on the pulpit are allegorical representations of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
Memorial dedicated to Robert Ashmead Billamore, Lieutenant and Adjutant of the First Battalion of the 10th Regiment of the Bombay Native Infantry. He died at Jalna on 7 May 1818, during the Third Anglo-Maratha War, which ended Peshwa rule in the Deccan. His late father, Robert Billamore, had served as a captain in the East India Company Marine Corps.
Till the mid-1950s, St. Thomas Cathedral had a huge British congregation headed by an English priest. With the steady departure of the British population and the emigration of Anglo-Indians from India, the congregation now comprised mostly Indian Christians. The church is headed by the Anglican Bishop of Bombay (Mumbai).
Glass panels at the apse of St. Thomas Church. The left panel shows the 'Risen' Jesus whose wound is inspected by 'doubting' St. Thomas. The central panel depicts Jesus on the cross, surrounded by angels. Below the crucifixion, Mother Mary holds the infant Jesus on her lap. The right panel shows the Ascension of Jesus to heaven, witnessed by the Apostles.
Among works commissioned by English sculptor John Bacon Jr. is this memorial dedicated to artillery captain George Warden, who served in the Bombay army and died on 16th October 1807 at the village of Choor-Verah at the age of 32. The mourning scene depicts Affection (left), grieving over the body of the captain placed on a bed, and Faith (right), seen holding a book and making a gesture to the departing soul of George Warden (top).
In 1788, Jonathan Duncan was appointed superintendent and resident at Varanasi (mentioned as Benares) by Lord Cornwallis, where he abolished the practice of infanticide (mostly female newborns). Later, he served as the Governor of Bombay from 1795 till his death in 1811. As Governor, he banned infanticide in Kathiawar (mentioned as Kattywar).