St. Francis Xavier

Deanery Varanasi Patron Saint St. Francis Xavier Year of Establishment 1934 Parish Priest Fr. Louis Braggs Asst. Parish Priest Fr. Sanjay Bharati Priests of the Parish No. of Catholics 65 Address St. Francis Xavier Church Atlas Pokhra Azamgarh, U.P. 276001 05462-220552, 220080 Religious Srs 04 About From the records of Allahabad, it is clear that Azamgarh was a visiting station by Bolognese Capuchin fathers. In 1906, it was visited from Gorakhpur. In 1912 and 1913, it was visited from Benares. But in the later years it was completely abandoned. In 1933 a property of Mr. Barber was bought which had two large houses with a large compound. Fr. Paschal Sinha was appointed the first resident priest. Fr. Sinha found the place very dry despite his hard efforts to have some people to be parishioners. In 1937 Fr. A. Rodrigues with the help of two Franciscan Missionary Brothers tried to do some mission work in the surroundings areas without much success. The short-lived diocesan congregation of Brothers was started here. For some time there was also a small technical training school. For some years Azamgarh also became the diocesan pastoral centre. In 1970 Jyoti Niketan School was started. Missionary Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles opened their house in 1971. Though it was the diocesan pastoral centre, evangelical and catechetical work did not find a fertile ground in Azamgarh. The school has picked up its popularity with a good number of students from the Muslim locality. The number of Catholics has got limited only to the school employees and a few families who came and settled there from other places. In the place of old presbytery a new one has come up and construction of a new church building is nearing completion.

St. Francis Xavier Church Atlas Pokhra Azamgarh, U.P. 276001