The '''Brahmavar (Goan) Orthodox Church''' is a self-governing branch of the [[Church of India|Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church]]. This is a uniate faction ''from'' group originated in the [[Roman Catholic Church]], formed under the leadership of Bishop [[w:Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares|Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares]] in 1889 AD. Formerly under the Mumbai Diocese,<ref group="note">The [[w:Mumbai|Bombay]] diocese spreads over the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, tail of Karnataka, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Diocese had grown to be a giant among the rest of the dioceses in many ways with more than 70 churches, schools, clinics, and hostels etc., efficiently managed by about 50 sincere and dedicated priests along with the lay representatives. (Malankara Orthodox TV. ''[http://moscdigitaldiary.malankaraorthodox.tv/Mumbai.html Mumbai Diocese and Parishes].'' '''A Digital Diary of Malankara Orthodox Church: Dioceses and Parishes'''. Retrieved: 2010-12-13.)</ref> it has now been constituted as its own diocese, the Brahmavar Diocese of the [[Church of India|Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]].