The Vision of Loreto House is to empower the girl-child and create women of character and integrity who will
manifest the glory of God by striving for excellence and serving humanity. This continues to be the path shown
by our Foundress, Mary Ward, the Venerable, a dynamic English Catholic lady, a woman of heroic virtue who worked
tirelessly in very difficult times for the upliftment of women. Her spiritual daughters continue to walk in her
footsteps inspiring generations of women to prepare themselves holistically to lead meaningful lives for
themselves and for the betterment of society.
In response to the request made by Dr Bakhaus when he visited Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, Ireland in 1840, Mother
Teresa Ball sent 7 Loreto Sisters and 5 Postulates under the leadership of Delphine Hart to India to set up a
school to provide quality education to Catholic children in Calcutta. This group of pioneers landed at Babughat,
Kolkata on 29th December, 1841. Arrangements were made for a formal welcome and religious ceremony at the
Cathedral on Portuguese Church Street. A great civic reception was held the following day where they were
welcomed by the Ladies of the Nun Committee, a large gathering of the people of Calcutta and Bishop Carew.
They were then installed at the house in Middleton Row. The eminent Dwarakanath Tagore contributed Rs 10,000
towards the establishment of Loreto House.
The location of Loreto House has a history of its own. Earlier occupants of the property include Henry Vansittart, the
Governor of Bengal (1760-64) who used it as his garden house, Sir Elijah Impey, First Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court at Calcutta (1774-82) and from 1824, the Second Anglican Bishop of Calcutta, Bishop Heber. In 1841, the
construction of St. Thomas’ Church was started on the same premises. The Catholic Archbishop of Calcutta, Mgr.
Carew also constructed a residence for himself very close to Loreto House which came to be known as St. Thomas’
House. The only original buildings on the premises presently are St. Thomas’ Church and a part of the building
where Loreto College was first established. The Provincial of the Loreto Institutes in India resides within the
walls that first housed Loreto College.
It was on 10th January, 1842 that the Loreto Sisters began Loreto House School with 60 pupils. Over the years thousands of young girls have passed through the hallowed portals of the institution to lead successful and significant lives in various fields in India and abroad. Although its prime purpose was and remains the education of Catholic girls, students of other denominations have always been accepted.
From the very beginning, Loreto House became popular for all communities of aristocratic backgrounds. The young ladies of the illustrious Tagore family were admitted as students. Rabindranath Tagore’s niece Indira Devi Choudhurani (who became a renowned social reformer and activist) and later his own wife Mrinalini Devi were sent to Loreto House to be educated.
Loreto House has transformed the lives of countless girls by providing them with education, skills, holistic development, strong
values making them socially responsible individuals with hearts full of compassion for the downtrodden and the less
privileged. Annual social service initiatives of Loreto House include ‘We Care’, a programme for senior citizens
residing in old age homes in Kolkata city who are invited to the premises during the Christmas season, ‘The Rainbow
Christmas Party’ for the children of the Rainbow Home, the ‘Mentaid Programme’ for differently abled children
invited to the school premises, campaigns organized to raise funds for those suffering due to ‘Hunger and
Disease’. The students are encouraged to make a difference to the lives of the less fortunate and offer selfless
service in spreading joy and cheer. Also, on the premises- 7, Middleton Row, Kolkata- 700 071 we have the Loreto
Literacy Centre (earlier known as the Archana School) offering an education to underprivileged children who attend
school daily with Volunteer Teachers painstakingly conducting lessons for them. Loreto House is also home to
several less fortunate children who reside in the Rainbow Home on the premises.
The students in Loreto House are prepared for the ICSE and ISC Examinations. The medium of instruction is English. Bengali and Hindi are taught as Second Languages from Classes 1 to 12 and as Third Language from Classes 6 to 8. The curriculum includes Religious Instruction for Catholic students
and Value Education for Non-Catholics as compulsory subjects. Co-curricular activities are of great importance and students are encouraged to participate in diverse activities including sports.
Loreto House continues to be a beacon of light offering to its students, citizens of tomorrow, empowerment, excellence, exposure
and opportunities to be agents of social change. Our Venerable Foundress Mary Ward’s foresight that ‘Women in time to
come will do much’ comes alive in lives that are transformed within the walls of Loreto House to provide a better
tomorrow for all.