Website
Website : http://www.fmakolkata.org/l/houses/house-of-auxilium-bandel-1951.html


Address
Address : Bandel – Hooghly P.O. & Dt. West Bengal 712103
Contact : 033 – 2590 1144

Who we are

Vision
We FMA, with Mary, transformed by the Word of God, living our consecrated life passionately like DB and MM broadening our horizons become missionaries of hope and joy with the young and for the young especially those in the periphery.

What we do
The FMA Calcutta reaches out to thousands of boys and girls, children and women in the Auxilium convent Schools and other promotional centres spread over the states of West Bengal, New Delhi, UttarPradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Sikkim, and the neighbouring country of Nepal.
Our educative and promotive mission invites children young girls and women to lead lives of dignity and honour through various humanitarian services, such as:

• After-school care and various free-time activities
• Centres for the advancement of women
• Health education and nutrition
• Literacy courses
• Parish ministry and catechesis
• Promotional centers
• Schools of every kind and level
• Shelters for young girls and women at risk
• Student hostels
• Summer camps and programs
• Youth ministry

The latest in the social ministry records a unique program for the non schooling and marginalized children of the neighborhood to ensure the Right to Education for all children of locality with the scope to reach them to the zenith of dignity of human life.

Today the Salesian Sisters serve the young in 134 countries

• 3150 schools
• 1890 Orphanages, street children and other such programs
• 650 professional, Industrial Trades & agricultural schools
• 220 Hospitals and clinics
• 860 Nursery and Day Care Centres

And the story goes on...

Major Intervention
• Nursery to Higher Secondary school
• Boarding
• Youth movements like YCS, Guides, LTS and NCP Girl Guides – YCS – LTS
• Past Pupils – Salesian Cooperators
• Parish Youth
• Teaching Catechism in the parish
• Oratory

Brief History
The Daughters of Mary Help of Christian also known as the Salesian Sisters came to Bandel on 05 January 1951 at the invitation of the then Archbishop of Kolkata, Most Rev Perier sj. The then Salesian Provincial Fr Mariano Uget SDB offered the sisters a small piece of land and a rented house. The Salesians provided the sisters with food and other essentials. The pioneers adapted the new situations with true missionary spirit placing all their trust in Our Blessed Mother.

The house of Bandel is situated in the district of Hooghly, in West Bengal and is in the Archdiocese of Kolkata. Bandel is a semi rural and semi urban area and the residents of this place maintain both rural and urban style of living. (It is in Hooghly District). Part of Bandel belongs to Chinsura municipality and other part belongs to Debanandapur Gram Panchayat. Bandel comprises the following places: Balagarh, Ballymore, Raibazar, Marypark, Kailashnagar, Olaichanditala, Kapsdanga, Kodalia-I, Naldanga, Debanandpur and Manaspur. Area of Bandel: North to South-4.5kms, East to West 2.5 kms. Bandel is a junction and it is one of the busiest railway stations in the Howrah line. People who go to Kolkata make ample use of this facility.

Bandel population consists of Catholics, a few Sikhs, Muslims and the rest are Hindus. There is religious harmony existing between the different religions. People of all religions come to the Shrine of Our Lady of Bandel, the Historical Shrine dating back to the time of the Portuguese, and pay homage to her and intercede her for favours. The first community thus consisted of :

• Sr. Clotilde Appiano - Superior
• Sr. Angela Daglio - In charge of the English medium school
• Sr. Alice Correa - In charge of the Bengali medium school
• Sr. Eugenia Cazzulli - In charge of the dispensary

The present community consists of eight sisters. The activities community carries out that are boarding. On 16 January 1951 the Sisters opened a Bengali Medium Primary School with one student. In course of time the number of pupils increased slowly. But the number was insufficient to continue the school. Therefore, the Bengali medium school was closed down in 1960.

An English medium school was also begun on 01 February 1951. The number of the students increased steadily. Parents wanted their children to be educated in English medium school. This necessitated the erection of a new building. Thus the foundation of the new building was laid on 19 August 1954. The building was blessed on 20 January 1955 by Most Rev Perier sj, the then Archbishop of Kolkata. In January 1960 the School was recognized as Junior High School having classes KG to class 6. In 1984 another block was constructed providing a hall on the ground floor and spacious Science laboratories and library facilities on the first floor.

In January 1971 permission was granted by the Governor of West Bengal to begin class 10 and the School was affiliated to the ICSE Board in the same year and the first batch of students appeared for class 10 Board Examination in 1971. In November 1999 the School authorities received the permission from the ICSE Board to upgrade the School to the Higher Secondary level with three streams – Arts, Science, Commerce. Through the competence and hard work of our Sisters and dedicated teachers the school always received excellent results.