Over time, the church of St. Mary's at Blackpally had become a parish and has since overseen the construction of other churches in Bangalore, most prominently St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral (1851), St. Joseph's Church (1867), and Sacred Heart Church, Ashoknagar (1867). The church was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1973 through an edict issued by Pope Paul VI. It was the sixth church in India to be elevated to this status. An annual nine-day Novena is held between 30 August and 7 September, with Mass being offered in English, Kannada, and Tamil. The area of Blackpally is now known as Shivajinagar.