Bishop Hartmann remembered

He was appointed the first bishop of Patna Vicariate and got ordained as a bishop on March 15, 1846, at Agra.

Patna:  Thousands of Catholics from various parts of Patna Archdiocese gathered at the St Michael's Primary School next to the Queen of the Apostles Church in Kurji on April 23 to remember Bishop Anastasias Hartmann, the first prelate of Patna.

The prayer service was led by Cardinal Telesphore P Toppo with 12 other bishops, including the Archbishops of Agra and Patna, and more than 150 priests. Cardinal Toppo thanked Patna archbishop for taking part in the event and urged parishioners to serve people.

Bishop Anastasias Hartmann was born on February 24, 1803, in Switzerland. He had joined the Capuchin congregation after completing his secondary education. He was appointed the first bishop of Patna Vicariate and got ordained as a bishop on March 15, 1846, at Agra. At that time, the Patna Vicariate comprised Bihar, Nepal, Tibet and Darjeeling.

In his welcome address, Archbishop William D'Souza of Patna recounted the contributions of Bishop Hartmann to Bihar in general and to the church in particular.

"Bishop Hartmann was aware of the importance of education for the development of Bihar as well as for building of the Christian community. Hence, he established St Joseph's Convent High School, Bankipore, for the girls and St Michael's High School (SMHS), Digha for boys," Archbishop D'Souza said.

Bishop Hartmann breathed his last on April 24, 1866 in his room at SMHS, Digha.

A bust of Bishop Hartmann was unveiled by Fr William D'Souza in front of Hartmann Girls' High School. The prayer service was followed by a cultural programme, which included a welcome dance by students of Hartmann School, the wheel of time by students of St Joseph's School, Nawada, and a dance drama on the life of Bishop Hartmann by Fr Saju George and his team from Kolkata.

Source: The Times of India