The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Golden landmark for Stella Maris

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 05, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Golden landmark for Stella Maris

Correspondent

Enduring: A view of Stella Maris School.

BANGALORE: A school that started with just 27 pupils on its rolls in 1957 in a small rented house, is completing 50 years of its existence. The year-long golden jubilee celebrations of Stella Maris School, Vyalikaval will culminate with a cultural extravaganza “Life – A miracle” on Wednesday. Fr. Melwyn Pinto kicked off the golden jubilee celebrations last September by unveiling the logo.

A series of fund-raising events and charitable activities were organised to mark the momentous occasion. Seminars, workshops, interschool cultural and sports competitions and vanamahotsava too were part of the celebrations.

The school is run by the Sisters of Charity Education Society, Mangalore. The congregation of Sisters of Charity was founded on November 21, 1832 in Lovere, Italy. Two young women, Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa dedicated their lives to the service of humanity, especially to care for young girls in moral danger, the sick, the old and orphaned children who were abandoned during the conquest of Italy by the French troops. Their noble service and sacrifice attracted many young girls to join them. As their number increased, they undertook several humanitarian works, which included educating the young. In 1860, the first four Italian Sisters of Charity landed in Krishnanagar in Bengal, their first area of activity in India. The sisters started a nursery school for the children of the surrounding area under the shade of large tree, later moving into a thatched hut. In 1898, four sisters came to Mangalore and started their service in Fr. Muller’s Hospital.

The school which was started with the sole objective of providing disciplined education to young children of the neighbourhood now has a student strength of 2,560. In 1960, the English medium sections for primary school and in 1962, high school sections were opened. It has classes from lower kindergarten to class 10, which are administered in four different departments. A Kannada medium school is also run on the campus.

The school has grown in the last 50 years and its alumni continue to serve society as teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers and scientists.

A mass was held on Tuesday which was officiated by the Archbishop of Bangalore Rt. Rev. Bernard Moras.

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