Our History
Reminiscences- at
a mile stone!!!
St. Capitanio School owes its origin to the Congregation of ‘Sisters of Charity of Sts. B. Capitanio and V. Gerosa’, which was founded in Lovere, Italy, in the year 1832. Hence, the school is placed under their patronage and named after St. Capitanio.
Ms. Capitanio, (1807-1832) was a young girl, extremely intelligent, enthusiast and dynamic and an excellent teacher, who received a great calling from God to serve humanity at the back drop of the French Revolution in Italy. She cared for the wounded shoulders, educated the orphans and took care of the poor and the destitute in Lovere and in surroundings villages. The spark of the love of God spelt out in service to the needy was inflamed into a great fire. Many young girls, who shared the same vision, were inspired by her and branched out to different parts of the world serving humanity as educators, social reformers and health care workers. For the first time the Sisters of Charity set foot in Nepal in the year 1999 at the invitation of Msgr. Antony Sharma, the then Apostolic Prefect to Nepal. The pioneer sisters providentially chose Tansen, as their first ever service station in this beautiful land. Among other services, the sisters considered to meet the pressing demand of the public, a school for the poor and middle class children of the locality.
Thus, St. Capitanio School came into existence in the year 2000. It was first housed in small rented building with 120 students on roll from Class Nursery to 1. The pioneer team of sisters under the leadership of Sr. Bernard was the first teachers.
With the kind support and cooperation of the Education Department and under the proficient guidance of the members of the Nepal Karuna Sewa Samaj the school grew by leaps and bounds with increased strength and vigor. Sr. Bernard, a great visionary and with the eye of an architect masterminded the massive structure of the School, making the great dream in reality. We bow in gratitude to the congregation of the Sisters of Charity who magnanimously provided funds for the land and building that we have today.
Every growth is a crisis well managed. The school had to undergo severe roadblocks and challenges repeatedly. However, the determination commitment and courage of the pioneer team are responsible for setting sail on smooth water across the turbulent sea. We are indebted to each one of them.
The structure grew year by year, along with the first batch of the students. Setting up a well-equipped Science Lab, Computer Lab, Library and spacious classrooms made the school full-fledged. The added facilities and the aesthetic setting of the whole campus, given the landscape that is, are the result of intelligent planning, dedicated work, consistent and skilled supervision of the management.
While all these stand as mute witnesses to the invaluable contribution made by the pioneer sisters, I sing on a higher note the praises of the self sacrificing, energetic and enthusiastic team of the teachers over the years. It is their silent and hidden services that made St. Capitanio what is is today. There are teachers who made Capitanio not just the place of work, but a home with ardent love and sense of belonging. They, I believe, build up the legacy of the School. If the crew has to be operative, they need to be steered and triggered by those at the helm. For these 22 years, Capitanio has been fortunate to have persons with insight, vision and farsightedness.
Over the past 22 years, 12 batches of the students left the portals of St. Capitanio, with not only excellent academic results, but also as fully prepared human beings ready to face the world. Like the fragrance of the blooming flower, the fame of St. Capitanio has spread everywhere with every added year. The beauty and nobility of the mission lies in the fact that no one wishes to cling to what one has achieved. Having toiled hard, each one has made one’s exit, handling the torch over to new ones, heeding the call of God to make their service available elsewhere.
As I raise my heart in thanks giving to God for the marvelous ways He has accompanied us, we ask God to bless and reward and every person who has been instrumental in the melody of St. Capitanio School, in ways both small and big. Looking ahead, I envision a future more challenging than it ever had been. What has made Capitanio great is not its structure, nor its academic excellence but an ardent effort to mould every individual student into integrated personality- persons who cherishes eternal human and social values. At this moment, I place St. Capitanio School and its future vision of a society based on love, leadership and service into the hands of God Almighty and to the patronage of St. Capitanio the ideal educator of life.