Paul Goethals

Paul Goethals (November 11th 1832, Courtrai, Belgium - July 4th 1901, Calcutta, India) was a Belgian Jésuite, Missionnaire in India and first Archevêque of Calcutta.

First years and formation

Born in a middle-class and influential family (her father was member of the National congress founder of Belgium, in 1831) Goethals made its humanities with the Collège of St Were used for Liege. After its entry in the Society of Jesus it made his Philosophie (1856-57) with Namur and the Théologie (1863-67) with Leuwen.

Vice-chancellor and Provincial

He was vice-chancellor of the Holy Collège Jean-Berchmans with Brussels (1868-1869) and provincial of the Belgian Jesuits (1870-1876). Then, again vice-chancellor, this time at the college Notre-Dame of peace to Namur. All seemed to it intended for a beautiful administrative career in the education institutions of Belgium. Its direction of the government and its knowledge of English pointed out it and it was named apostolic vicar of the diocese of Calcutta (the Bengal being a mission entrusted to the Belgian Jesuits)

Archbishop of Calcutta

Goethals arrived at Calcutta, like apostolic Vicaire, on November 4th 1878. When the catholic Hiérarchie was set up in India (September 1st 1886) he became the first archbishop of Calcutta. The 23 years of Goethals to the head of the Church in Bengal were a time of development and consolidation of the Catholic church in the area, with the foundation of the théologat Jesuit to Kurseong close to Darjeeling (in 1889), the arrival of many congregations nun missionaries which opened missions, colleges and schools. He is at the origin also of the first indigenous religious congregation (Girls of Holy Anne, in 1899).

Goethals encouraged actively evangelization and education in the area of the Chota Nâgpur (in the west of Calcutta) and was an unwavering support of Constant Lievens, the apostle of the Mundas, Ouraons and Kharias of the Jharkhand. Side of Darjeeling also (in the buttresses of the Himalayas) it opened stations missionaries and founded there the college Jesuit of Saint Joseph (North Point). In Kurseong a boarding school keeps its random access memory: the Goethals Memorial School .

In Calcutta it establishes a catholic printing works, created many parishes and gathered nearly 6000 pounds on India (religions, geography, voyages, culture and languages) which were the core of what today is known like the Goethals Library and Research center (attached to university faculties of St Xavier. in Calcutta. Very open and active in the life of the city also it was at one time the president of L Asiatic Society off Bengal , a learned society (founded by William Jones) dedicated to better a knowledge of the languages and Indian civilization.

External bonds

http://goethalsmemorialschool.com Goethals School Memorial, Kurseong http://goethals.org Goethals Indian Library and Research Center, Calcutta

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