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Christians
The Christians are commonly seen in Ranchi district, Singhbhum district
and in the district of the Santhal parganas. Their missions, which are
found throughout the state not only engage themselves in evangelistic
work but also maintain schools and colleges, manage several well equipped
hospitals and have many orphanages at Patna and else where. At Patna alone,
the Roman catholic Mission has five boarding schools, two for boys and
three for girls, and a woman's college.
The first Jesuit priest to have
come to Patna was father Simon Figuieredo. The Capuchins followed early
in the eighteenth century and succeeded in establishing stations
in Bengal and Bihar. The most fruitful field for missionary activities
has not been the plains of Bihar but the hilly region of Chotanagpur-especially
in Ranchi. The aboriginal races of Chotanagpur, especially in Ranchi have
shown greater sensitiveness to Christian influences.
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