The Beginnings of St. Aloysius High School
Bandra, Mumbai
St. Aloysius high school, Bandra, was begun in 1910 by father Jose da Gama, the parish priest of Mount Carmel Church, as a pre primary school in a very simple structure. It evolved into a middle school in 1943 and a full fledged high school in 1951, when its students appeared for the S.S.C. examination for the first time.
In 1942, Mount Mary Chapel (now Basilica) donated a plot of land measuring 4000 sq. yds to Mount Carmel Church for a playground and a school building. Gradually a ground floor structure was built and was blessed by Bishop Valerian Gracias,
Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, on the 4th May 1947. This ground floor structure was incorporated into the present imposing and impressive building which was completed in 1964 and inaugurated by Shri S.K. Patil, Union Minister for Railways and blessed by His Eminence, Cardinal Valerian Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay. The building, which is a beautiful blend of solidity and symmetry, was constructed through the efforts of Monsignor Sylvester Pereira, Manager and Parish Priest who had the necessary expertise and experience in the construction of buildings.
Over the decades the school has not only grown structurally and numerically but also academically and in other areas which will be described in the souvenir which will be published when the school celebrates its centenary in January 2010. This brief Sketch is only limited to the early decades of the existence of the school.