St. Peter’s Girls Hostel In Sunderban Celebrates Golden Jubilee

The St. Peter’s Girls Hostel under the Diocese of Barrackpore, Church of North India celebrated its golden jubilee on April 25, 2009. The Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, General Secretary, Church of North India was the Chief Guest. The Rt. Revd. Ashoke Biswas, Bishop, Diocese of Calcutta and Mrs. Bina Lakumalani, Deputy Director, CINI, ASHA, Kolkata were the Guest of Honors. The programme was held under the dynamic leadership of The Rt. Rev. Brojen Malakar, Bishop, Diocese of Barrackpore.

Fifty dignitaries from the Diocese along with the Chief Guest, Guest of Honors lighted fifty lamps to inaugurate the programme. The Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, while congratulating the leadership, past and present for the tremendous work done in the past fifty years, encouraged them to build the future of the Church and the society at large through the children today. What you spend for the children is your investment for the future, he said. He further said that the Church has done commendable work through the hostels and the education ministry not only for its own community but for the country too. As some of the children lived in these hostels today are placed in higher places. There after the guest of honor and the President presented speeches of honor and encouragement. 

St. Peter’s Girls’ Hostel is one of the small units of women’s work in the Diocese of Barrackpore, Church of North India. It was established on April 10, 1959. The Hostel was initiated by missionaries from UK along with Ms Makal an Indian Bengali. Initially there were only five inmates. With the financial help from the missionaries the buildings were built. Besides this institution the missionaries also did some relief work in Sundarbans. In 1974, the missionaries left India, and the financial help also stopped. It was a struggle to raise funds, but today the institution is financially independent.

Since its inauguration this hostel has been serving the poor and illiterate people of Sundarban area. The aim and objective of this hostel has been to educationally build the girl child, so that they become the leaders of the Church and society in future. Keeping the aims of the hostel, “self-governance system” has been introduced. Today the institution has a name for itself, while serving nearly hundred girls.

The report of Mrs. A. Roy, Project-in-charge, highlighted the glorious and blessed moments of the hostel. A grand cultural program was performed by the hostel girls. There were about 100 alumni present who offered a melodious song which was widely appreciated. Bishop Malakar led the closing prayer and blessings. Thereafter a fellowship dinner at the hostel campus followed.