Nepal Jesuit School Expands to Meet Demand

Sixty years after establishing their first school in Nepal, the nation’s Jesuit community is expanding its educational program in the country.

The new four-floor wing of St. Xavier’s School in central Kathmandu on was blessed on December 3.

“The red color of my stole signifies the sacrifices of many well-wishers, parents, teachers, students and Jesuits that made it possible to see this day so more will carry on this school’s motto ‘Live for God, Lead for Nepal’,” said Jesuit Bishop Anthony Sharma, apostolic vicar of Nepal, who did the blessing.

Previously a boys-only school, St. Xavier’s began accepting female students ten years ago.

The Jesuit community opened two new schools targeting poorer students in Nepal’s east in 1999.

The schools in Deoniya and Maheshpur are located less than 10 kilometers from the Nepal-India border.

“Among 580 students we have 95 Catholics and over a dozen other non-Catholic Christians, making this Nepal’s foremost school in terms of the Catholic student ratio,” Jesuit Father Roy Sebastian, principal of St. Xavier’s School in Maheshpur said.

Located amidst fields of tea, the school draws most of its students from the families of tea garden workers, who earn about $2 (US) a day.

The Nepal Jesuits have also acquired several acres of land near the town of Pokhara (210 kilometers west of Kathmandu) where they plan to open new programs. [ucanews.com]