DIOCESE OF VARANASI

Fullness in Truth

Gazipur



Deanery Ghazipur
Patron Saint Our lady of Lourdes
Year of Establishment 1942
Parish Priest Fr. Dilraj
Asst. Parish Priest Fr. Balasamy
Priests of the Parish Fr. Gurushantharaj, Fr. Antony Samy (Jr)
No. of Catholics 688
Address Lourdes Church Ghazipur City, U.P. 233001 0548-2221822
Religious Srs 20
About As early as in 1840, Ghazipur was a military station. Its first Chaplain was Fr. Vincent who died at Jamalpur. In 1848, Ghazipur was separated from Agra and annexed to the diocese of Allahabad. According to Fr. Clemente Terzorio the Church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But that church was nothing more than a barrack. Since there was no road facility it lost its importance and the catholics moved to other stations. Therefore from 1860 onwards it became a visiting station from Benaras and from Gorakhpur. In 1937, the Franciscan Brothers of Mount Poinsur were sent to stay there by bishop Angelo Poli of Allahabad. The first resident priest Fr. Charles Mascharenhas of Allahabad diocese was stationed there in August 1938. The present land was bought in 1940 and a Chapel was built and blessed in 1942. Missionary Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles started a Convent in 1949. The School for the girls, started with the arrival of Sisters, got its own building in 1954. On February 11, 1964 the new Convent and the Chapel were blessed. There is a boarding house for girls (class IX-XII). A need for one more English medium school was felt and Father Eugene was entrusted with this task. He started the school building on the land at Tulsipur bought by Fr. Jacob Kavalam. The school is up to class XII with more than three thousand students. To encourage, the Christian boys for English medium schools, a boy's boarding began in 2006 . They are given extra coaching and tuition in order to cope up with expected standard. CJ sisters have joined the staff of the school at Tulsipur. SRA sisters have a candidate house in Ghazipur. The new church was built and completed by Fr. Ivan Joseph in 2005. He also extended the mission work to other places like Gagaran.