Holy Angels’, Sahibabad

In response to the wishes of Br. Hippolytus, the then Provincial of St. Joseph’s Province, Kerala, to have a house near Delhi but within the diocese of Meerut, Br. Hyacinth was deputed in May, 1971 to look for a place. He opened a small School in a rented building at Sahibabad in Ghaziabad district. A plot of land earmarked for school was procured and the ground floor of Holy Angels’ School was ready by 1978. The F. C. C. Sisters of Trichur Province joined the School in 1977. In 1981, Franciscan Clarist Sister’s convent and St. Patrick’s Parish Chapel were built. A commission set up by the election chapter of 1977 favoured the change of mission headquarters from Bilaspur to Sahibabad and it was done in 1980. Later in 1994, the headquarters was shifted from Sahibabad to Yamuna Vihar, Delhi.

In Sahibabad, there is a Capuchin Ashram, Shanti Niketan, a parish church and an English Medium High School (ICSE). In 1994, the name of the parish was changed from St. Patrick’s Church to Holy Angels’ Church. The friars look after the Air Force Hindon Church too. The parish was bifurcated in January, 1997 and the Surya Nagar parish was established. A new plot of land was purchased in 1997 through the efforts of Brs. Mathew Ullatt and Jose Kollannur for the school ground. A new church and a K. G. block were constructed in the new plot in the year 2000 under the supervision of Br. John Prakash. In the year 2014, the parish church had to be constructed away from the school near Mohan Nagar under the guidance of Brs. Thomas Pullat and Agin Edakkalathur due to various circumstances.

In 2014, the school got upgraded to a senior secondary school by Br. Benoy Joseph, the principal at the time.

TESTAMENT OF ST. FRANCIS

The friars must be very careful not to accept churches or poor dwellings for themselves, or anything else built for them, unless they are in harmony with the poverty which we have promised in the Rule; and they should occupy these places only as strangers and pilgrims