Notre Dame College, Dhaka

Higher secondary and degree college in Arambagh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Notre Dame College, Dhaka (Bengali: নটর ডেম কলেজ, ঢাকা) is a Catholic higher secondary school[a] as well as a degree college, in Dhaka. A society of priests named Congregation of Holy Cross started it in 1949.[2] According to the result of HSC exam, it is one of the best colleges of Bangladesh.

Notre Dame College, Dhaka
নটর ডেম কলেজ, ঢাকা
Former name
St. Gregory's College
Motto
Diligite Lumen Sapientiae
Motto in English
Love the light of wisdom
TypeHigher secondary school, university-affiliated college
Established1949 (1949)
Religious affiliation
Catholic Church (Congregation of Holy Cross)
PrincipalFr. Hemonto Pius Rozario CSC (2012–present)[1]
Vice-principalLeonard Sankar Rozario
Students6400 (As of 2019)
Location,
CampusUrban
NicknameNDC
Affiliations
Websitenotredamecollege-dhaka.com
A cinematography featuring Notre Dame College, Dhaka

History change

Notre Dame College was first established at Luxmibazar of Old Dhaka in November, 1949 with the name "St. Gregory College". In 1954-55, the institution moved to Arambagh, Motijheel with the present name – "Notre Dame", referring to Mary or Maryam, mother of Jesus Christ.[3][4]

Campus change

Buildings change

Name Picture Built Description
Father Harrington Building   1955 It is a 3-story building. Valerian Gracias (Cardinal of Bombay) laid its foundation stone on 17 January 1954.
Father Martin Building   1960 It is a 4-story residential building. There is an auditorium on its ground floor.
Mathis House   1964 It was built as a house for the priests in 1964. In 1972, Christo Dorshan Seminary was established here.[5]
Archbishop Ganguli Building   1997 It is a 6 stored academic building.
Father Timm Building   2016 It is a 6-story academic building.
Father Peixotto Building   2019 It is a 6-story building. Its ground floor is used as a canteen.

Administration change

The college is administrated by a governing body, led by the Archbishop of Dhaka.

Principal change

The college's principal is always a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The first principal was Father John J. Harrington and the current principal is Father Hemanto Pius Rozario. Since its establishment, ten priests have served as the principal of the college:

  1. John J. Harrington[6] (1949—1954)
  2. James L. Martin (1954—1960)
  3. Theotonius Amal Ganguly[7] (March 1960—October 1960)
  4. William Graham (1960—1967)
  5. John Vanden Bossche[8] (1967—1969)
  6. Richard William Timm[9] (1970—1971)
  7. Ambrose Wheeler (1971—1976)
  8. Joseph S. Peixotto (1976—1998)
  9. Benjamin Costa (1998—2012)
  10. Hemanto Pius Rozario[1] (2012—present)

Notes change

  1. In the Indian subcontinent, as in the UK, higher secondary schools comprising the 11th and 12th years of education are often referred to as colleges

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 "নটর ডেম কলেজের নতুন অধ্যক্ষ নিয়োগ" [New Principal Appointed in Notre Dame College]. Daily Sangram (in Bengali). 13 December 2012. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  2. "Notre Dame College, Dhaka - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  3. নবীনবরণ ও ছাত্র-অভিভাবক নির্দেশিকা (in Bengali). Notre Dame College. 2014. p. 20.
  4. "Notre Dame College (Dhaka)". Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. "Seminary and Novitiates of Dhaka". Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  6. Rich, Dan. "Rev. John J. Harrington CSC". ingenweb.org. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  7. "নটর ডেম কলেজের প্রথম বাংলাদেশি অধ্যক্ষ টি এ গাঙ্গুলীর গল্প". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  8. "Rev. John V. VandenBossche, C.S.C." Holy Cross USA. 2014-11-09. Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  9. "Timm, Richard William". Ramon Magsaysay Award. Retrieved 4 December 2020.

Other websites change

Church of Bangladesh