The Teresian Carmelites had established themselves in Goa and in Kerala in the seventeenth century. And since the region formerly known as the Carnatic, lies between Goa in the north and Kerala in the South, the Carmelites had inevitably to pass through Karnataka when proceeding by land from Goa to Kerala. And it is not surprising to find them residing at least on a temporary basis, in places like Bijapur, which form part of today's Karnataka.
In his ‘Viaggio alle Indie Orientali’ Fr. Vincent Mary of St Catherine, has left us interesting descriptions of the beliefs, customs, feasts of the Canara of his time, and even of the scenic beauties and the cultivation and other aspects of life. But he found the Christians greatly neglected. And, on his reporting the need of the Canara Christians to the Holy See, Mangalore secured its first Vicar Apostolic in 1677.
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