Vidya Sadan, Samlong, Ranchi, is a formation house of the Province closely linked to St. Albert’s College, Ranchi, dedicated for several decades to the intellectual and spiritual formation of our friars.​

       From 1977 to 1983, the theology students of our Province who attended St. Albert’s Seminary, Ranchi, were accommodated in a rented house at Kumhar Toli, Ranchi. As the number of students increased, there arose an urgent need for a quieter and more spacious residence suitable for study and religious life, where the student friars could grow not only intellectually but also in prayer and fraternal life.​

       In 1983, through the efforts of late Br. John Joseph D’Almeida and other friars, a small plot of land with an existing building known locally as “Bhoot Bangla” was purchased at Samlong. This structure was renovated and extended with two new wings, and in 1984 the house received the name Vidya Sadan, under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Ranchi.​

       Late Br. Arnold Rebello was appointed the first Rector of Vidya Sadan. The student friars pursuing their theological studies at St. Albert’s Seminary resided here, and the house functioned as the theology house of the Province until 2001.​

       In 2001, the Province decided to send the theology student friars to South India for their studies, and Vidya Sadan was then erected as the House of Novitiate. This novitiate remained at Vidya Sadan until 2014, then it was shifted to Jivan Deep, Khunti.​

       After the transfer of the novitiate to Jivan Deep in 2014, Vidya Sadan once again began to accommodate the theology student friars of the Province. From 2025 onwards, philosophy student friars are also housed here while they attend classes at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi, making Vidya Sadan a joint residence for both philosophy and theology students.​

       Along with the Rector, other friars reside in Vidya Sadan, generously make themselves available for spiritual ministries in the surrounding areas. The Catholic faithful of the neighborhood, as well as nearby religious brothers and sisters, draw spiritual nourishment from this house and from the presence and service of the Capuchin friars, as the student friars and the community bear witness to the Franciscan Capuchin charism, walking in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.​