Vidyabhavan, Beed

Beed is situated in the North-East side of the extreme limits of the Pune Province, bordering Ahmednagar District close to Marathawada, which was originally the territory of the Nizam of Hyderabad. With its accession to the Indian Union, the 7 districts of Beed were part of Maharashtra after the reorganization of political States. Since many Catholics were serving in the Nizam’s army, a priest from Hyderabad, came to minister to them. Beed belonged to the Amravati Diocese but the distance was too great for the Fransalians to minister to the Catholics.

With the creation of the Aurangabad Diocese, Fr. John Haldner, SJ considered the possibility of ministering to the Catholics in Beed. Fr. Haldner succeeded Fr. Gerard Baader, SJ in Harigaon (Estd. 1948), where he built the Church, first high school for girls in the Ahmednagar Dt., Parish Residence, and Primary School for boys and conducted mission work after Valan (Estd. 1878) was stopped due to the floods in which the mission was washed away.

In 1973, Fr. Haldner thought of expanding his work in Beed and so he bought land and entrusted the building work to Bro. Otto Widmer, SJ, who built the Parish Residence, and a hostel for boys, which was completed in 1980.

Fr. James Shelke, SJ succeeded Fr. Jacob Gaikwad, SJ in Beed. He began mission work by visiting the village Mass Centres to revive them. He invited the Sisters of St. Anne to help in the school work with the establishment of an English-medium school. Five acres of land was bought, and a separate school building was erected in 1998. Meanwhile in Georai land were purchased for a boys’ boarding. The Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo started a girls boarding in June 1999. From June 2000, the Sisters live in Georai and start mission work and have also started a health clinic.
ADDRESS:

Fr. Prakash Bhalerao SJ (Parish Priest)
Vidya Bhavan, Jalna Road,
Beed 431 122, Dt. Beed
Tel (02442) 223753