Catholic missionary activity in Kanpur dates back to the 17th century when Jesuits from Emperor
Akbar’s court visited the area. The first church was built in 1825 on the riverbank near
(Laththawali Kothi)what is now Police Lines, just north of the old cemetery, through the
generosity of Mr. Joseph Sampson. Unfortunately, during the 1857 uprising, both the church
and the priest’s residence were destroyed, as they were situated in the area of conflict.
Three years later when army cantonment was established in Kanpur in 1860, the present site
(Bungalow No. 36, Survey no 473 of the Cantonment, Kanpur, at Cariappa / Hasting Road,
Cantonment, Kanpur city Uttar Pradesh 208 004) was given to the Catholic Church and a
small one room chapel with the thatched roof for divine service was built and dedicated
to St. Patrick. The chapel soon proved inadequate for the growing congregation, and
with assistance from the military authorities, the present church was constructed. This
new structure featured a main nave, two side wings, and a sacristy.
Due to the presence of Catholic regiments in Kanpur, the priest was appointed as the military
chaplain, holding the rank of Major. A military caretaker was also assigned to maintain the
church. From 1860 to 1890, the church was administered by Capuchin priests from the Tuscany
and Ancona Province(Italy). After 1890, Capuchins from Bologna(Italy) took over until 1947,
when the church was handed over to the diocesan Indian clergy. Fr. B.J. Pereira became the
first Indian parish priest at St. Patrick’s Church.
Several significant missionary and pastoral developments took place over the years at St. Patrick's
Church, which is often referred to as the "mother of all churches" in Kanpur:
• 1899: The IBMV Sisters were invited by Bishop Hartman to establish an English medium
school for girls. This led to the founding of St. Mary’s Convent and a High School at 53
Tagore Road Cantonment, Kanpur
• 1909: The presbytery was constructed and dedicated to St. Anthony.
• 1947: St. Aloysius High School was built to provide education for boys in the area.
• 1953: The Ursuline Sisters of Mary Immaculate (UMI) were invited. They opened their first house
in North India, which was named after St. Patrick. They also established a small maternity
clinic called Fatima Clinic. Later they were engaged in teaching ministries too.
• 1968: The Missionaries of Charity were invited to Kanpur, where they established Shishu Bhavan,
an adoption centre which became adoption centre for the whole of U.P at Bungalow No. 50-B
Cantt., Turner Road, Kanpur
• 2022: The Missionaries of Charity were asked to vacate the Shishu Bhavan premises after their
90-year lease expired, and the Cantonment Board did not renew the lease.
• 2024: The UMI Congregation handed over their convent to the diocese due to declining number of
students in their school.
The Humble Beginning of St. Aloysius School, Kanpur:
Fr. Baltazar J. Pereira, the first Indian diocesan parish priest of St. Patrick’s Church, Kanpur,
who succeeded the Italian Capuchins, recognized the need for an English medium school. He observed
that that several boys who studied in St. Mary’s School (started in 1899 for the education of
girls which initially had co- education up to class 5), were struggling to secure further
education due to financial constraints that prevented them from sending their children
outside Kanpur.
In August 1947, Fr. Pereira presented his proposal for a boys' school to the newly appointed
bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Leonard Raymond, during his first official visit to Kanpur. The bishop
not only approved the idea but also encouraged it. However, he advised not to request financial
assistance from the diocese.
Fr. Pereira then called a meeting with parishioners, who generously contributed through
donations, interest-free loans, and suggestions for fundraising activities like fancy fetes,
balls. These activities were organized by the Legionaries of Mary of St. Patrick’s Church
under the leadership of Mr Peter C. DeNoronha. The amount of funds raised were used to
purchase furniture and other necessities for the school.
The Start of the school:
The school opened in January 1948 after converting a few rooms of the presbytery into classrooms. On
the first day, twenty pupils were enrolled across five classes, taught by teachers viz. Mrs.
Farrell, Miss Maurice Mona, Mrs. M. Peters, and Miss Sheila Franklin. Eight of these students
(all from poorer and distant homes) were brought to school and taken home by Fr. Pereira
himself in his old Opel car.
Crisis and intervention of Mother Mary through the prayer of Rosary:
Fr. Pereira prepared the blueprint for the school building on Bungalow No. 36, Survey No. 472,
Cantonment, Kanpur, at Cariappa/Hastings Road. This property, was leased to the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Allahabad requested permission from the Cantonment Board of Kanpur. Although the
Cantonment Board granted permission, but the Military Estates Officer in Lucknow rejected it
because a printing press was being operated by the church on that plot (survey No. 472). To
establish a school, they were demanding a fresh lease for the land with an annual rent of
Rs. 2,000.00, along with a premium of Rs. 1,000.00 The officer also insisted that the
school be shut down if these conditions were not met as it was started without the proper
permission from the Cantonment Board.
In this moment of crisis, a parishioner suggested seeking help from the newly elected Prime Minister
of India, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru. Fr. Pereira travelled to Delhi with a petition outlining his vision
to build the school in the military Cantonment area. Before leaving to Delhi, he asked the members
of the Catholic Club to offer part of the Rosary for his success. A few days later, he received
a telegram from Delhi stating that the school building had been sanctioned without any further
obligations to the Military Department. (This was seen as a miraculous intervention attributed
to the power of prayer through the Rosary and the intercession of Mother Mary).
Some of the Key Contributions by Various Principals/ Managers in the development of the School
1953: The building plan was sanctioned by the Military Estates Officer, Lucknow Circle, and the
ground floor was constructed by Fr. B.J. Pereira, the founder.
1956: The top floor to the building was added by Msgr. A. Rodrigues.
1966: The school obtained a no-objection certificate from the Government of Uttar Pradesh under Rev. Fr. Germain
Fereira.
1967: The school was affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE),
New Delhi (The school was earlier affiliated with Cambridge Board) under Fr. Germain Fereira.
1968: The school became Boys School (as the last admission of girls recorded in this year), during the
tenure of Fr. John of the Cross.
1998: The school was upgraded to ISC (Class XII) by Fr. Stany M. D’Souza.
2008: A Minority Certificate was obtained from the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions
by Fr. Edward Goveas.
2019: The primary block was renovated, increased the number of sections from two to three of each class and
co-education was reintroduced by Fr. Thomas Kumar.