St. Ignatius Loyola, the revered founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in 1491 into a prominent Basque family in Spain. Loyola, the name derived from his ancestral castle, carried the weight of his family's legacy. Growing up in the milieu of courtly life, Ignatius initially pursued a military career, only to be halted by a grave injury during a battle with France in Pamplona. It was during his convalescence at Loyola that he delved deep into the Gospel Narratives and the lives of saints, a period that ignited within him a profound transformation, leading him to renounce worldly pursuits and dedicate his life to poverty, sacrifice, and service, following the examples set by the saints.
At the age of 31, Ignatius embarked on a solitary journey of prayer and penance in a cave near Manresa, an experience that gave birth to the Spiritual Exercises, a cornerstone of Jesuit spirituality. Recognizing the crises within the Church, Ignatius envisioned a clergy characterized by learning, virtue, and selflessness, devoted to serving the marginalized.
To realize this vision, Ignatius pursued education rigorously, eventually gathering a group of like-minded individuals, including St. Francis Xavier, molding them through the Spiritual Exercises to form the Society of Jesus, popularly known as the Jesuits. St. Francis Xavier spearheaded educational initiatives in India, exemplifying the Jesuit commitment to spreading knowledge and serving communities.
St. Xavier’s College, Mahuadanr, the only college in the tribal-dominated backward sector, affiliated to the Nilamber Pitamber University, Medininagar, Palamu, is located in Latehar district still considered an extremely as underdeveloped region of the State of Jharkhand to increase the access to quality higher education for the tribals. The institution was established in 2011 in 24.46 acres of land under its possession. The college has separate wings for Science, Arts and Commerce. The science wing has a well furnished Lab. The College library has a good collection of books on literature, arts and science and it is also subscribing to a large number of national and international journals. In order to provide a healthy environment for imparting high quality education and skill development, a Computer Lab is set up for students and for the staff separately. The college has its own playgrounds which provide excellent sports infrastructure to experience a healthy atmosphere to impart practical training and theoretical knowledge effectively. The college has established a separate hostel for girls with the capacity of 150 students. The college is owned and managed by the Hazaribag Jesuits. The college has been certified by ISO 9001:2015, Recognized by UGC and accredited to NAAC with 'B' grade.
St. Xavier’s College, Mahuadanr is primarily a Christian Minority College committed to the educational and spiritual traditions of the Hazaribag Jesuits Education Society. The ambition of the college is to inspire students to learn, lead and serve in the diverse and changing world. The college has been granted affiliation from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Jharkhand Government (cf: 5/S1-12/2011-881 dated: 17/08/2011) as well as Nilamber-Pitamber University, Medininagar (NPU/R/1103/ 2011 dated 02/09/2011).
