[2] St Michael's is known for its novenas addressed to our Lady of Perpetual Succour on Wednesdays, which has been frequented by thousands of devotees seeking mannats (blessings).

[4] Initially known as San Miguel, the original structure at St Michael's is said to have been built as a convent in 1534 by António do Porto, a church builder of the Franciscan Order.

[3][5][6][7] With the Mahratta Invasion of Bassein in 1739, Our Lady of Mount Bandra's chapel was destroyed by the Portuguese at the instigation of the British.

[8] From 1739 to 1761, St Michael's served as a refuge to the popular icon of the Virgin Mary which is now placed at the present-day Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount of Bandra.

In 1853, St Michael's Church witnessed a struggle of ownership between Bishop Anastasius Hartmann and the Portuguese padroado order.

[11] St. Michael's sees a large number of people on Wednesdays every week, when novena prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour are held throughout the day.

[13] The weekly Novena services were started in 1948, when Father Edward Placidus Fernandes from Bombay noticed a similar ritual celebrating Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Belfast, Northern Ireland, during his visit to Europe.

Not only Christians, but also Hindus and Muslims from Maharashtra and the neighboring states of Goa, Karnataka, and Gujarat, visited the Church to catch a glimpse of the picture.

The result of that study was released in the September archdiocesan weekly and it said that the tests "established that there are no traces of blood in the red rays emanating from the Heart of Jesus in this image of Divine Mercy".