St Fidelis Ashram, Lucknow
(1970, Lucknow Diocese)

              St. Fidelis Ashram, originally constructed in 1970, has a rich history as a multifaceted religious and educational center. Bishop Conrad de Vito, OFM Cap., who served as the Bishop of the Catholic diocese of Lucknow at that time, donated it to the Indian Capuchin Province. The house was blessed on February 1, 1970, by Br. Paschal Rywalski, OFM Cap., the then General Minister of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. One of the lay friars Br. Julian Crasto, OFM Cap., supervised its construction. The house was intended to serve various purposes; the facility includes a friary, a novitiate block, a retreat block, and a parish church dedicated to St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen. The church, known as St. Fidelis Parish, continues to support at present approximately 75 Catholic families.

           From June 1973 to May 1978, St. Fidelis Ashram functioned as the initiation house for the Holy Trinity Province. Additionally, a section of the building served as the Vice Provincial Curia from 1981 to 1996. Since 1996, part of the building is beeing operated as the Provincial Curia. Following the official establishment of the province in 1996—after the suppression of the vice-province—a portion of the ashram was repurposed as a formation house for postulants and novices. Specifically, it acted as a postulancy house from 1996 to 1997 and as a novitiate house from 1997 to 2001.

       An English-medium school was founded at St. Fidelis Ashram in 1976. It was elevated to the status of an Intermediate College in July 1991 and renamed St. Fidelis College. Today, the college is notable for its high-quality education and emphasis on human development, serving approximately 3,500 students from kindergarten through pre-university levels.

           St. Fidelis Ashram also runs an evening school for underprivileged children who cannot access formal education due to financial constraints. These children typically spend their mornings collecting rags to earn a living and attend classes in the evenings for basic instruction. Students who show strong academic potential and a genuine interest in pursuing further education are provided with ongoing support throughout their academic journeys. The entire campus of St. Fidelis College belongs to St. Fidelis Province North India.

Members of the Fraternity

Our Location

Br. John Alwin Dias, OFM Cap. : Provincial Minister

Br. Rakesh Ekka, OFM Cap. : Provincial Secretary

Br. Dileep Toppo, OFM Cap. : Provincial Treasurer

Br. Abias Soreng, OFM Cap. : Provincial Deputy Treasurer, Treasurer of Franternity & College

Br. Alwyn Noronha, OFM Cap. : Guardian, Manager & Parish Priest

Br. Seraphin Ekka, OFM Cap.: Vicar & Asst. Parish Priest

Br. Paul Masih, OFM Cap. : Principal

Br. Ranjit Baidya, OFM Cap. : School Ministry

Br. Joseph Pinto, OFM Cap. : Member

Br. Rockey Dayanand Furtado, OFM Cap.: Member

Br. Boniface Vijayan Menezes, OFM Cap.: Member

Br. Thomas Quadros, OFM Cap.: Member

Br. Yesudas George Kalicharan, OFM Cap.: Member

Br. Richard Placid Mathias, OFM Cap.: Member

Br. Paulus Kujur, OFM Cap.: Member