St. Francis Xavier’s Church has a significant place in the city of Kanpur. Surrounded by roads on all four sides, which is a rare thing in a Geographic set up gives St. Francis Xavier’s Church a special beauty as an Island, with splendour and glory of its own. It has various kinds of people all around its boundaries which gives the idea of unity in diversity. The Church is blessed with two Schools in its campus, i.e. St. Francis Xavier’s Primary School and St. Francis Xavier’s Intermediate College, which opens up for educating and forming the future of so many children in and around the Church with varied, culture, religion, caste, colour and race. The present form of the Church has been the fruit of the hard work of many people down eight decades. Many of them who are not present with us today. May their soul rest in Peace, Amen.
The building towards the North was the Priests residence attached with a big hall. The hall was used on week days for school and on Sundays the same hall was used as the place of worship and Holy Eucharist was celebrated in the same Hall. This practice continued till the new structure for the school came in to existence. Rev. Fr. Stephen was the most able and a competent successor of Rev. Fr. Andrew. In 1947 the Diocese of Allahabad was divided and new Dioceses such as Lucknow, Jhansi, Gorakhpur and Varanasi, four Dioceses came in to existence. Italian Missionaries under the leadership of rt. Rev. Condrad De Vitto made the presence of Jesus felt in Lucknow. Maltese Missionaries under the guidance of Rt. Rev. Fenece worked in the Diocese of Jhansi, Rt. Rev. Jerol Yalaf was a Canadian Missionary under whom the Mission work in the Diocese Gorakhpur began. Under the leadership of Rt. Rev. Raymond D Mello Bishop of Allahabad the Indian Priests and Missionaries started the work of spreading the name of Jesus in the Diocese of Allahabad. This was the time that Rt. Rev. Angelo Poli reigned from the post of Bishop after completing his term.
