Milestones

1834-46 – 30 Jesuits, mostly from the English Province, work in Calcutta.

1849 – Francis Roy (1825-81), first Bengali known to enter the restored Society of Jesus, joins Madurai mission (Ordained 1859, worked in Mauritius 1862-81).

1859 – Second group of seven Jesuits, from the Belgian Province (five Belgian and two English), reach Calcutta on November, 1859.

1860 – St. Xavier’s School, Calcutta.

1868-69 – Fr. Augustus Stockman’s pioneering Mission in Chaibasa and Ranchi.

1869 – Fr. A. Goffinet settles down at Koikhali village

1873-77 – Fr. Edmond Delplace founds Basanti-Khari-Boddipur-Morapai-Raghabpur Missions

1886 – Calcutta becomes an Archdiocese.

1888 – St. Joseph’s School, Darjeeling.

1885-89 – Fr. Constant Lievens starts movement in Chhota Nagpur.

1889 – St. Mary’s Theologate, Kurseong.

1893 – Papal Seminary, Kandy, started by Fr. Sylvain Grosjean.

1916 – St. Albert’s Seminary, Ranchi.

1922-46 – “Light of the East” (Editor: Fr. Georges Dandoy).

1924 – First Jesuits from the Sicilian Province. Up to 1947, 21 Jesuits were sent. From 1947 onwards, the Maltese Vice Province sent 57 Jesuits.

1924 – “Our Field” publication began (stopped in 1957)

1925 – First Jesuit from Yugoslavia. 18 were sent (1925-50).

1927 – Ranchi Diocese.

1935 – “New Review “-replaced by “Social Action” in 1950.

Belgian Province divided: Ranchi was entrusted to North Belgian Province and Calcutta to the South Belgian Province. From 1859 to 1935, some 675 Jesuits worked in the Mission of Western Bengal, (later called Calcutta-Ranchi Mission). In round figure: 400 from Belgian Province, 130 from India and Burma, 150 from other countries (Holland 24, Luxembourg 17, Germany 16, France 15, Ireland 12, England 10, Malta 10, Sicily 9, Italy 9, others 12).

1937 – St. Lawrence High School, Ballygunge.

The “Clergy Monthly” was entrusted to St. Mary’s, Kurseong. Circulation goes up from 900 to 4,000 in 1969.

1946 – “Notes on Islam” started by Fr. Victor Courtois: died with him in 1960.

1947 – First Canadian Jesuits. 41 were sent (1947-65).

1948 – Maryland Province takes over Jamshedpur from Calcutta and Ranchi.

1951 – Shanti Bhavan started by Frs. Robert Antoine and Pierre Fallon.

1956 – Calcutta becomes a Vice Province, including the two independent Regions of Darjeeling and Santal Parganas.

1962 – Assistancy of India and the Far East, Dioceses of Jamshedpur, Darjeeling and Dumka.

1963 – St. Xavier’s School, Durgapur. Shanti Sadan in North Calcutta.

1964 – St. Xavier’s School, Burdwan.

1969 – Prabhu Jisur Girja (Lord Jesus Church), Calcutta.

1970 – Shanti Nir Youth Center, Calcutta.

1971 – Fr. Emile Gales starts St. Xavier’s school, Haldia.

– Bangla Ghar – Temporary Linguistic School for the scholastics at Ballygunge Place, Calcutta.

1973 – Fr. Noel D’Souza succeeds Fr. Andre Bruylants as Vice-Provincial of the Calcutta Vice-Province. In September, Chitrabani (Communication Center) moves from St. Xavier’s to Prabhu Jisur Girja.

1974 – July 31, Archbishop L.T. Picachy inaugurates Dhyan Ashram Retreat House.

1975 – January 1, Dhyan Ashram Novitiate Begins with 8 novices.

– Premananda Ashram, (School, boarding and Grihini Traning), Chamrusai.

1976 – April 27, Archbishop L.T. Picachy is elevated as Cardinal.

– July 31, Calcutta Vice-Province becomes Province with Fr. Noel D’Souza as its first Provincial.

1977 – January 23, First Vows of the first batch of 6 novices at Dhyan Ashram Novitiate.

– August 18, Fr. Linus Nirmal Gomes is appointed Bishop of Baruipur Diocese.

1978 – July 19, ‘Chitrabani’ officially opens the Radio Veritas Asia (Bengali) Programme

1979 – Udayani Jesuit Institute, Prabhu Jisur Girja, Calcutta.

1980 – Fr. Aloysius Carvalho starts Shanti Sadan, Mirga.

1981 – Fr. Alphonse D’ Souza is appointed Provincial of the Calcutta Province on May 10.

1982 – Jisu Ashram (School and boarding), Pandua.

1984 – Juniorate, Dhyan Ashram with Fr. Cecil D’Rosario as Dean.

– November 21, St. Xavier’s Night School for working Boys, started by Fr. Raymond Pillette, celebrates silver Jubilee.

1985 – St. Xavier’s College celebrates 125th year of its foundation.

1986 – University Grants Commission’s Audio-Visual Research Center (AVRC) of St. Xavier’s College starts functioning at Chitrabani, Prabhu Jisur Girja. Inauguration of high School and Higher Secondary units of St. Xavier’s, Haldia.

1987 – The Golden Jubilee celebrations of St. Lawrence’s High School on January 25

– February 18, Fr. Alphonse D’Souza is appointed Bishop of Raiganj Diocese.

– October 31, Raghabpur St. Paul’s Junior High School upgraded into a High School.

– Fr. P.C. Mathew is appointed Provincial.

1988 – December 3-4, St. Xavier’s School, Durgapur celebrates Silver Jubilee.

1989 – September 8, St. Joseph’s Raghabpur is constituted a full-fledged Jesuit community.

– First Calcutta Jesuit from and for Bangladesh-Fr Ignatius Gomes is ordained priest by Archbishop Michael Rosario of Dhaka.

1990 – July 31, Fr. Noel D’ Souza, Regional Assistant for South East Asia, Inaugurates Loyola Jesuit Study House, Prabhu Jisur Girja the new Study House for Scholastics.

– Loyola Jayanti Vidyapith (Boarding for boys), Bankura is opened.

1993 – Maria Snehasadan, Gurap Mission Station & Boarding

– Fr. Aelred Gomes is appointed Provincial.

1994 – Jesuit Residence in Dhaka.

– St. Xavier’s Bengali Medium School, Gurap.

1995 – Residence St. Peter Claver, Ballygunge Place, Calcutta.

1997 – Parasmani, Bengal Regional Theology Centre, Santiniketan.

1998 – Udayani Social Action Forum, Ballygunge place.

1999 – Fr. Jerome Francis, Provincial.

2001 – Arunoday Residence and Pre-Novitiate, Barasat.

2004 – Jhantipahari Mission Station, Boarding.

2005 – Fr. George Pattery, Provincial

– Prabhu Jisur Girja becomes a Parish

2006 – St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata Becomes Autonomous.

2008 – Udayani Training Center, Pandua.

2009 – 150 Years’ Jubilee of the Catholic Mission of Western Bengal

– Retreat House and Formation Centre Kuchilabari, Bangladesh.

– Opening of Pre-Novititate.

2010 – Father General Adolfo Nicolas visits the Province

2011 – Fr. Jeyaraj Veluswamy takes over as the 7th Provincial of Calcutta Province

2014 – St Xavier’s College opens its rural campus at Raghabpur

2013 – Foundation is laid for St Xavier’s University New Town

2014 – St. Xavier’s College Burdwan was established

2017 – St. Xavier’s University Kolkata inaugurated by CM Mamata Banerjee

2017 – Fr. Raphael Joseph Hyde becomes the 8th Provincial

2020 – St. Xavier’s International School, Dhaka was opened

2022 – Fr. Ripon Rozario becomes the Mission Superior in Bangladesh

– July 2022, Arrupe Niwas, Novitiate opened in Mathbari, Bangladesh, with Fr. Ripon Rozario as the Novice Master. First Batch of Novices entered Novitiate on 16 July, 2022.

2023 – Fr. James Arjen Tete becomes the 9th Provincial

2024 – Jesuit Retreat House opened in Mathbari (in the Novitiate Campus), Bangladesh.

2025 – February 4, Fr. General canonically established the Jesuit Community of Britto House in University Campus.

– July 16, Fr. General canonically established the Jesuit Community of Arunoday (Pre-Novitiate), Barasat.

2026 – January 11, St. Xavier’s International School, Sapahar (Rajshahi diocese, Bangladesh) opened.