St Xavier's Lupungutu

With the initiative of Sch John Guidera, Fr Nash started and became the first headmaster of St Xavier’s High School. When John Guidera went to study theology in Pune, he was succeeded by Sch John Bingham, whose initiative was to lead to acquisition of land near Lupungutu village for the high school.

The initial building in Lupungutu fell to Fr Walter Cook’s care. By June 1957 he had enough living rooms and classrooms ready so that the high school and residence for Fathers and Brothers could be occupied.

It was Fr Cook who, as parish priest in the parish center, continued to supervise all the Lupungutu building operations. The boarders were moved from Chaibasa to Lupungutu. With the very efficient help of Br Joseph Toppo of Ranchi, Fr Cook completed most of the faculty residence and the eight classrooms. The framework of the chapel, two wells, the kitchen wing and servant quarters for two families were also ready. Mass in the chapel was offered for the first time by Fr John Bingham who sang his first High Mass there on March 28^th 1958.

Br Andreas, also from Ranchi, came in late 1959 to help to build a water tower. In January 1960, Br Guy Ames of our Jamshedpur Mission started building work again in earnest, artistically finishing the work in the chapel and started and completed a large part of the main High School building.

Fr John Deeney became Headmaster of St Xavier’s Lupungutu in 1955. In 1962, he was succeeded as Headmaster by Sch Anthony Almeida who served for a year with Fr Joseph Hammet as Superior of the Community. In 1964, Fr Richard McHugh, who as Scholastic had spent two devoted year in the School (1955-57), returned as Headmaster. He became Superior in March 1964 as well as Headmaster until 1971.

Fr McHugh was associated with St Xavier’s, Lupungutu, longer than any other Jesuit had been. He brought to work a “soul” deeply attuned to the aspirations of the students and to their needs. His open, friendly, democratic manner, endeared him to the boys, the staff and the local educational authorities, and in the process he left a stamp on the whole school. He made a student-body more mature, more sure of itself, more open to experimentation, to change and to reaching out towards others in sympathy and help.

Associated with Fr McHugh was Fr Eugene Welch. He pioneered an agricultural programme which reached out through the School to help the nieghbouring villagers.