Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M.
Established: 1745
Catholics: 3000
Catholic Church
Bettiah 845438
West Champaran District, Bihar
Tel. (06254) 242955
Mass Centre: Victoria Mission (Gahiri Kothi)
History:
From 1707 till 1745 Capuchin missionaries worked in Lhasa, Tibet. They used to rest in Patna for some time on their way to and from Lhasa and for this reason a small church was built in Patna City which served the spiritual needs of the European soldiers and traders who came to the city from time to time. Among these missionaries was Joseph Mary Bernini who was adept at medicine. His fame spread as far as Bettiah 225 kms away from Patna City. In 1740 or 174l a member of the royal household in Bettiah was ill and no doctor was able to effect a cure. Having heard of Fr. Joseph Mary, the Raja, Drup Narayan Singh, asked him to come to Bettiah to see the patient. Fr. Joseph Mary came to Bettiah, and treated the patient who recovered. The Raja was so impressed by the priest that he asked him to start a mission in his kingdom. Fr. Joseph Mary told him that he could do so only if the Pope in Rome would give the order for this. Hence, in 1741 Raja Drup Narayan Singh wrote to the Holy Father in Rome asking that priests be sent to Bettiah to establish a mission there and preach their religion. On May 1, 1742 Pope Benedict XIV replied to the king and assured him that he would send Capuchin priests to work in Bettiah. Thus on December 7, 1745 Fr. Joseph Mary arrived in Bettiah and on the next day, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary the mission of Bettiah was inaugurated next to the royal palace on land which the king gave to the mission.
During the time of Fr. Joseph Mary in Bettiah forty adults embraced the Catholic faith, thus establishing the first indigenous Christian community in present day Bihar.
The first church was built in 1751. In 1830 a new church with three naves and three altars which could accommodate a thousand people was blessed. This church served the Christians of Bettiah till it fell in the earthquake of 1934. A new church was constructed in 1951 by Fr. Kevin Angelo, S.J.
In 1886 a middle school for Christian boys was built in the mission compound. In 1922 a school for girls was opened in the parish. In June 1926 it was decided to start a high school for boys and class eight was begun on January 4, 1927. Initially here were eleven boys but the number soon grew to twenty-five. The first teachers were Fr. Pettit, S.J., Fr. Alban, Mr. Seraphim Barno, and Mr. Lakshman Misra. In May of that year Scholastic Paul Dent, S.J. was added to the staff.
On March 25, 1922 the grotto was blessed by Bishop Van Hoeck, S.J.
On March 19, 1928 the foundation of the new Middle School building was blessed.
In January 1934 Bettiah suffered from an earthquake. The church fell and other buildings were badly damaged.
Fr. Kevin Angelo, S.J., the parish priest began work on a new church which was completed in 1951.
On July 10, 1955 a Credit Union was started which continues to benefit the people of the parish.
On November, 5, 1957 the new St. Aloysius Pathshala was inaugurated. Until this time classes for the small children were conducted in the priests’ old bungalow or in the old church.
On October 26, 1959 a new hall at the northern end of the compound was inaugurated and furnished with a number of tables and chairs.
Many priests have served the people of the parish but the two who are most remembered are Fr. Kevin Angelo, S.J., the parish priest, and Fr. Vincent McGlinchy, S.J. the headmaster of the Middle School. These two, working together for about thirty years, have made a lasting impact on the lives of the people.