Updated
Jan 2022

Website
Website : https://www.loretodarjeeling.org/

Address
Address : Loreto Convent, Convent Road, PO & Dist. - Darjeeling, West Bengal 734101
Contact : 03542255739
Email : loretoconventdarj@gmail.com

Name of the Founder Body
The Darjeeling Loreto Educational Society

Email of the Founder Body  
dlesacct@gmail.com

Contact of the Founder Body
9748570685

Loreto Convent Darjeeling is an English medium all girls high school in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. It is a Catholic institution under the management of the Darjeeling Loreto Education Society. The school is recognized by the Education Department of the Government of West Bengal and affiliated to the Indian Council for Secondary Education (ICSE and ISC).

The school was established in 1846 during the British Raj by a group of Sisters belonging to the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, at a temporary site. Loreto Convent was relocated to the current site by 1847. At the time of its foundation, it was the only educational institute in Darjeeling. Within a few weeks of their arrival the Sisters opened a school with provisions for residential and day pupils. For many years, the novitiate of the Indian Branch of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary was in Darjeeling and Mother Teresa made her noviceship here from 1921 to 1923.

(Academic year 2021-2022)

CLASSES
LKG – 12

Infrastructures
• Library
• Biology lab
• Physics lab

ADMISSION
For details please visit > www.loretodarjeeling.org Admission will depend on the admission test [wherever applicable] and interview conducted on scheduled dates.

A candidate who seeks admission must produce the following documents:
i) The Latest Progress Report (For students wanting to join classes KG and above).
ii) Aadhaar Card of the Child (if available)
iii) Birth Certificate.

HOUSES
• Mary Ward House
• Teresa Ball House
• Delphine Hart House
• Mother Teresa Mons House

RULES AND REGULATION
• Every pupil attending the school is obliged to take part in the choral singing, physical culture, class games and all school activities.
• The school has a good library. No books, periodicals, pictures or news papers, CD’s, iPads should be brought in the school without the permission of the Principal.
• Every student is expected to subscribe towards small school shows and local charity and pay the requisite fee for all school examinations.
• No mobile phones, iPad, iPod, cameras should be brought in the school, such gadgets will be confiscated.
• No jewellery except small ear-rings should be worn in school.
• The pupils of Loreto Convent are expected to behave in a lady-like manner on all occasions.
• They should address their teachers and all members of the staff with respect and politeness.
• They must show gentleness and courtesy to their champions. Refinement, of manners, uprightness and self restraint should distinguish every pupil of the school.
• Enrolment in Loreto Convent implies on the part of pupil and parents willingness to comply with the requirements and regulations of the school.
• No Loreto pupil will be permitted to take tuitions outside the school without the permission of the principal.
• Anyone involved in fights, drugs/alcohol, smoking and stealing etc will incur automatic expulsion immediately. The same is applicable for those who run away from the school.
• Pupils are answerable to the authorities for their conduct, both in school and outside. They ought to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of their dignity.
• The School uniform is a sacred and prized possession of a student; it symbolizes the ethos and culture of the school, of which the student is an integral part. Any violation of its sanctity calls for firm disciplinary action such as suspension, termination, etc. Visit to the restaurant, cinema, multiplex and other public places in school uniform is a serious breach disciplinary inviting actions.
• Hair colouring, using styling gel, mehendi, shaping eye brows & wearing fashionable hair cut etc, are not allowed in the school.

AIMS OF LORETO EDUCATION
• A lively concern for the individual vocation and moral formation of each pupil.
• Formation of women for their influential role in their family and in their society.
• A real care for the less-abled and the under privileged so that they can develop to their capacity their talents and gifts.
• Training in the making of personal decision and in the acceptance of leadership through genuine and a correct sense of values.
• Development of logical reasoning and critical judgment especially with regards to mass media.
• Appreciation and transmission of the heritage of language and culture.
• A Christian world view which transcends nationalism, class distinction and economic pressure.

HISTORY OF LORETO
The Loreto Sisters came to India in 1841 at the invitation of the then Archbishop of Calcutta, Dr. Carew. They came to Darjeeling in 1846 to begin their work of “quality education” in the beautiful hills of Darjeeling where the climate was not only healthy but would be convenient for girls who could not be sent to England for their education.

With the assistance of some lay gentlemen the land arrangements were made. Two choir Sisters and a lay Sister with their chaplain came up to start on 02 October 1846, “Loreto House Branch Boarding and Day School”. The party consisted of Mother Teresa Mons, Superioress, and Mother Mary de Chantel Kelly with two Novices. They were accomplished by Fr John Mc Girr. Their journey by land and water took two months. Their first residence was “Snowy view” prepared by Mr Loughnan, the other patrons being Major Samler and Mr William Moran.

The Sisters began with two students a Miss Ryves and Miss Emma Maron. The nuns moved from Snowy view to the new convent building on 01 May 1847 and the school building was added in 1853 which had particularly large playgrounds.

The nuns continued their work of education under Bishop Carew but in 1848 they were brought under the vicariate of Patna and Bishop Hartman. The Capuchin Ecclesiastical Superior paid his visit to the Convent in April 1848. This brought Loreto Convent to a new phase where it ceased to be connected with the parent house in Calcutta – this state of things lasted till 1881. The nuns had by now gained the passionate attachment of their pupils and the parents were satisfied with the admirable management of the school. The girls were getting quality education and were proficient in English, French and had a good taste for Music and Drawing. The numbers went up slowly, in 1852 there were 19 pupils and in 1855 there were 30 pupils. By 1875 there were 107 and by the Golden Jubilee year there were 173 pupils.

The convent also had a small orphanage from mainly soldiers’ children which existed till 1887 when the orphans were transferred to Calcutta i.e. Entally.

The Golden Jubilee of the convent was celebrated in 1896. In 1903 a new concert hall was built and Mrs Chapman (nee Forbes) contributed towards the building of this hall. In the same year a new novitiate was canonically erected and the novices came from Asansol in 1904. A new Novitiate building was erected in 1934, the present Loreto Hall. Mother Antionette played a major role in the lives of the soldiers and nurses during World War II as they were housed in the Novitiate building.

To keep in step with the educational developments, the Cambridge examinations were introduced in Darjeeling in 1905 and the first three candidates presented were successful. From the turn of the century, the number of boarders grew and by 1917 there were 211 students out of which 117 were boarders.

By 1926, Mr Arthur Forbes of Purnea had set up a line of fine buildings as the children began to grow in numbers. The Dining room, Dressing rooms, the Skating Rink and the Lytton Hospital were completed.

Students entered in the exams of the Trinity College of Music, London, by 1908. By 1922 the school had a well stocked library and an up-to-date laboratory was set up.

The school celebrated its centenary by 1946 - there was a solemn High Mass and Fr Weaver sj preached a sermon in appreciation of all that Loreto had done for the hills in the hundred years just ending. The children staged “Beata Maria” an oratorio in honour of Our Lady in gratitude for a century of grace and guidance.

The school expanded and developed and provided holistic education. The hostel was the home of children for many South-East Asian children and those from Calcutta, Purnea and other places. The children grew in their leadership skills and are now placed in many parts of India and the world in key positions of Civil Administration.

In 1988 the school hostel had to close because we were closing down all the hostels of our schools in India except Entally. Loreto Convent is presently a neighbourhood school with 1600+ pupils from every strata of society with the same benefits of “all round education”.

OUR FOUNDRESS
Mary Ward was born in Yorkshire, England in 1585 at a time of severe persecution of Catholics. Despite the sufferings, loss of property and even death of dear ones, many of her friends, relatives, and acquaintances remained faithful to their religion. Brought up in such an atmosphere of heroism and self-sacrifice, Mary grew up to be a woman of deep faith, steely determination and unswerving loyalty to the Church. Already at the age of 15 she decided to be ‘wholly God’s’ but it was only when she reached the age of 21 that she was allowed to follow her dream of becoming a religious. In 1606 she crossed the English Channel and went over to St Omer (Belgium) where she joined a Poor Clare’s Convent as a lay sister only to discover later that she was not to be a Poor Clare. She left the Convent; after a few more years of search and struggle she returned to England where she spent her time visiting lapsed Catholics and prisoners, helping and supporting priests and arranging for them to administer the sacraments. One day in 1609 God showed her clearly that she was to do something else ‘more to the glory of God’ the exact nature of which still remained unclear to her.

Attracted by her warm and charming personality and inspired by her heroic spirit and obvious love for the Lord, several young women of her circle of friends, relatives and acquaintances joined her. Together they went to the Continent where Mary opened a number of schools for children. Seeing the success and apostolic impact of her work, Church and Civil authorities invited her to open schools in their countries. Soon Mary began to think of establishing a religious order. But women religious of the time had to observe strict enclosure, a rule that limited their activities to little more than prayer and household chores. Mary Ward was directed by God through a series of mystical experiences to find an Order modeled on the pattern of the Society of Jesus. She wanted her Congregation to be directly under the Pope and be free from enclosure, the obligation of the choir and the wearing of religious habit. These were novel ideas and not acceptable to the church and Mary’s initiatives brought in a storm of protests from all sides because her attempt to begin an apostolic Order for women went against the norms and practices of the time. But Mary, realizing the great opportunities open to women in defending and protecting Faith, refused to bow down to the pressures. As a result she had to suffer much and was branded as a heretic and imprisoned and her Congregation suppressed. Only a faithful band remained loyal to her vision. Despite all attempts to discredit her and destroy her work, she remained firm, utterly convinced of her mission. Though later she was exonerated from all charges of heresy and given permission to live with her companions in Rome, the ban forbidding her foundation was not revoked. Despite the many hurdles in the way of obtaining the approbation of her Institute, Mary placed her trust in the Lord as she says, “What is not done in one year can be done in another. We must wait for God Almighty’s leisure, for we must follow, not go before Him.” The years of waiting and uncertainty took its toll on Mary’s health. In 1640 she returned to England where a civil war was raging. She and her companions sought refuge in Heworth, a village outside York. There she spent the last months of her life and on 30 January 1645 she breathed her last, pronouncing the name of Jesus three times.

Mary Ward is buried in the cemetery of the Anglican Church, Osbaldwick and her grave stone is still kept inside the church which bears the following inscription: The aim of the School is to help prepare the students spiritually, intellectually, morally and socially for their lives in the world today. Whatever the necessary changes in educational structures and methods, there are certain emphasis which the Loreto tradition seeks to value and retain:

A lively concern for the personal vocation and moral formation of each pupil.

• The preparation of pupils for their influential role in the family and in society, especially in the moral sphere.
• A real care of the less-abled and under-privileged so that they may develop to their capacity their talents and gifts.
• Training in the making of responsible personal decisions and in the acceptance of leadership through genuine conviction and a sense of right values.
• The formation of a Christian conscience regarding social justice.
• The development of logical reasoning and critical judgment particularly with regard to the mass media.
• The appreciation and transmission of the heritage of language and culture.
• The training of the aesthetic sense, especially through the creative arts.
• A Christian world-wide view which transcends religious differences, national barriers, social classes and economic pressures.
• “A genuine education aims at the formation of human person with respect of his ultimate goal and simultaneously with respect of the good of those societies of which as a man, he is a member, and in whose responsibilities as an adult, he will share."

The Loreto sisters belong to the Irish branch of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) founded by Mary Ward, an English-woman, at the beginning of the 17th century. The education of girls is the main work of the Loreto Sisters who now have schools and colleges in Australia, America, Bangladesh, England, Gibraltar, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, Spain and South Africa. In December 1841 the first Loreto sisters came to India. In January 1842 they opened Loreto House, Calcutta. Loreto presence is now in Asansol, Calcutta, Delhi, Lucknow, Shillong, Shimla, Ranchi, Trichy, Lolay, Pannigatta, Sadam, Sikkim and Nepal.

LORETO CHORUS
To East and West of that Fair Isle
Where the first Loreto stands
Loreto banner now doth fly in many distant lands
In sunny Spain, on Africa’s stands
Under the Southern Cross
And westward Ho, where the rainbow hued
Niagara’s water toss

CHORUS
Loreto’s banner gaily floats
In land both east and west
Loreto’s name each girl reserves
And holds it ever blest.
But first Loreto found a home beneath our Indian skies
Where now o’er plain and mountain peak
The well loved banner flies
Loreto’s standard bearers we
In girlhood’s spring time gay
O may we e’er be loyal and true
To the school friends of day
And when our school days ended are
And our varied paths divided
O may the ideals of our youth
Still ever be guide
High ideals of purity, of death and of truth,
Learnt while we bore Loreto’s flag
In the sunny days of youth