Visit to Patna, Bihar

Archbishop John and Fr. Martin (SCJ India District Superior)

From October 27th to November 1st, Fr Martin & Br. Leonard visited Patna, in the state of Bihar, North India (North of Kolcatta). Patna the imperial city, once called Pataliputra, is the capital of Bihar, and is among the world's oldest capital cities with unbroken history of many centuries as imperial metropolis. It is a very fertile arched stretch of land along the bank of the Ganga. A bustling city of 1,200,000 people, the city is approximately 15 km long and 5 km to 7 km wide.

Many languages are spoken in Patna. Hindi is the official language of the state of Bihar. Thanks to the British influence since early days, English is also spoken extensively. The native dialect is Magahi. Other dialects from other regions of Bihar spoken widely in Patna are Bhojpuri, and Maithili. Other languages spoken in Patna include Bengali, and Oriya.

When the state of Bihar was divided between Jharkhand (Ranchi) in the North and Bihar (Patna) in the South, the strong economic resources were centered in Ranchi, leaving Bihar (Patna) with huge poverty and few resources.

Sr. Amrita, provincial of the Patna Province of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, contacted Fr. Martin months ago because she was interested in a retreat on Sacred Heart spirituality. Fr. Martin sent her information about our congregation, including a copy of the SCJ Rule of Life. Sister was impressed with what she read and requested that we give them a retreat; which is now scheduled to take place in April 2006. Sr. Amrita invited Fr. Martin to visit Patna to get an idea of who they are, and to make some detailed plans for the retreat.

Arriving on Thursday, October 27th, we were introduced to the community. On Friday, Archbishop Benedict John Osta, SJ, was our tour guide for the day, taking us 4 hours away by car to the center of Buddhism, Bodh Gaya. During the journey, the Archbishop shared much about himself and the needs of the Archdiocese. At Bodh Gaya, we visited a convent of Sisters who are dedicated to the challenge of Religious Dialogue (they have a community in Varanasi, connected to the Hindu & one in Bihar, connected to the Buddhist.) They are working closely with the Jesuits nearby and will soon construct a parish church to serve the Christian community in that area. The parish church will be situated at the very entrance to Bodh Gaya, giving visible witness to the presence of the Christian community. The Bodh Gaya is one of the poorest areas of India. Archbishop Benedict pointed out that certain villages are Naxalite territories. He then gave us a personal guided tour of its shrines. The Archbishop said that he is open to our sending SCJ students to his archdiocese for immersion experiences / regency, but reminded us that knowing Hindi is a necessary requirement; suggesting the possibility of our sending a group in a couple years.

Over the next few days, we were taken around to some places where the Sisters are involved in ministry. Some of the Sisters are involved in visiting poor villages, and provide mobile health clinic services there. One sister is actively working with prostitutes that visit trucker rest stations. We were given a tour of two schools that they run in the Patna area, one in an isolated poor village on the outskirts of the city and the other, a city school, where most of the students are Hindu girls and boys.

The Sisters are dedicated to a simple, communal life style – their motto is “All for Christ.” Their founder, Bishop Louis van Hoeck. SJ, was a Jesuit Bishop of Patna, who wanted to begin a congregation of Indian Sisters that would work to better the lives of women in Patna, who live lives of poverty and oppression. Four years after founding the congregation, June 11, 1926, the Bishop was transferred to Jhansi, and the administration of the congregation was given over to another Congregation, the Sisters of the Holy Cross. During this time the Sacred Heart Sisters became disconnected from their original purpose; they now have been autonomous (with the Archbishop) for a number of years and are very interested in developing their own Spirituality, thus the reason for the requested retreat. Presently, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart have two provinces, one in Patna, Bihar, and one in Jamshedpur, Jharkand. All together they have more than 450 members.

A number of times Sr. Amrita asked us when we will begin a community in Patna; our response being that we are only there to educate ourselves about the reality of North India.

On Sunday afternoon, Fr. Martin & Br. Leonard were invited to give a conference to the Sisters who live at the Generalate and Provincialate, including their post-novitiate Juniorate students. As we presented some elements of SCJ Spirituality and spoke of ministry goals in India it was evident that the Sisters were very interested in understanding how they can develop their own Spirituality and find better focus in their ministries. They especially wanted to know how they can inspire and promote interest for social ministries among their young Sisters.

During our stay in Patna we also visited the Jesuit regional school of theology, whose curriculum is focused on ministry to Dalits, and then with the Jesuit Provincial, and novitiate. The Archdiocese of Patna was originally founded by the Jesuits of the Chicago Province, USA, and continue to maintain a close relationship with them. There are still of number of American Jesuits in Patna, in active retirement.


The evening before the Diwali celebration, Fr. Martin & Br. Leonard accompanied Sr. Amrita to the Little Diwali function held at the pastoral center of the archdiocese, run by the Jesuits. It was an opportunity for meeting various Priests, Sisters, and Brothers working in the Patna Archdiocese. In Patna there are several Jesuit institutions, including a major Environmental Center for Research and Study, and a Center for Prayer and Spiritual Development.


The Archdiocese is very much involved in the social issues of Bihar, in Inter-Religious Dialogue, and is active in service and justice ministry to Dalits, Tribals, and Women.