Pastrol Apostolate

When Fr Cherian Padiyara was the Regional Superior of the Darjeeling Jesuits, he requested Bishop Eric Benjamin, the Bishop of Darjeeling, to start a parish with a multi-ethnic community at Matigara. In response to this request Fr Thomas Vayalil, a diocesan priest, was sent as the first parish priest in 1992. He started the parish just with four Catholics who had settled in the area.

Fr Denis Truyen, S.J, an energetic and farsighted missionary, used to visit the Terai from 1921-31, travelling down from St Mary’s College, Kurseong, where he taught theology. Father was transferred to Calcutta at the end of 1931, but not before he had arranged, through Gayaganga TE, to have a small chapel-school building erected at Girja Line.

St Paul’s Parish had its name even before the Church was actually built. This is evident from the writings of Fr Josson, S.J. in his French Book “La Mission du Bengal Occidental (1, p. 97)”. But the records show that it was on March 19, 1904, that Rev. Fr Bernard, S.J., the Rector of St Mary’s College, blessed the first stone of the parish church when all looked forward to the day when for Sunday Mass the ‘Dak-Bungalow’ would not be needed.

The establishment of Sacred Heart Church, Singamari, is apparently connected with the establishment of St Joseph’s School. When the school started to function, a number of workers engaged in the school who had settled down in the surrounding area, embraced Christianity.

The Bijanbari Mission, made up of sixteen blocks, began in 1985 with two families, namely the family of Titus Rai from Tumpa and of R.M. Luxom from Kankebong.

St Joseph’s Church, before its bifurcation, was part of St Theresa’s Parish, 8th Mile, Kalimpong. In 1997 the area below Nagsay Busty up to Teesta River was separated from St Theresa’s parish and a totally new parish was created with Fr Jerome Singh as the first Parish priest with fifty-five catholic families.

Hatighisa Parish was created in 1967 in order to lessen the burden on the parish priest of Gayaganga and to bring the church nearer to the people in the nearby tea garden. Fr. Joseph Brennan, S.J moved out of Gayaganga to Siliguri from where he used to look after Hatighisa.

In early 1997 Rt Rev. James Toppo, the Bishop of Jalpaiguri, invited the Jesuits of Darjeeling Province to help him in pastoral and socio-developmental ministries in his Diocese. On May 1, 1998 Bishop James Toppo inaugurated the new mission.

The bishop of Darjeeling, Rt Rev. Stephen Lepcha, established St Xavier Quasi Parish at Damsang on March 22, 1999. This quasi parish was carved out of Pedong Parish. When this quasi parish was established, Fr Giles Goluckmu, SJ. Was appointed as the first Quasi Parish priest.