Notre Dame Academy Odisha
Orissa Mission
“All works are begun and done for the glory of God, for He is very good.”
As Jesus said to His disciples to go forth and spread the Good News, so the Sisters of Notre Dame with dedication and determination hastened to Orissa for a new mission, a dream come true.
When we venture into the unknown, we believe that God’s hand will be there in everything that happens. On a fine day, after much prayer and discernment, Sisters Sandhya and Kripa travelled to Orissa to purchase land to begin a new mission. The Sisters, with the help of Fr. Joseph P.T, SJ, Sr. Cletus, JMJ, Bishop Lucas Kerketta of Sambalpur, and parish priest of Deogarh Fr. Johny Antony, looked for a satisfactory property.
In the meantime, Bishop Kerketta sent a letter of invitation in response to our intention to begin the mission, advising us to go to the village Tileibani. Though the Sisters went to Tielibani and saw prospective property, they were not satisfied because Tileibani is a very isolated area with very few people around; neighbouring communities are far away. And there is no possibility of Mass except on Sundays occasionally. The collector of Deogarh District also advised the Sisters not to settle in Tileibani as developmental activities will begin there only after 20 years. Moreover, this is a Naxal affected area.
So the Sisters, Fr. Johny and Sr. Cletus looked further for an appropriate piece of land and found property measuring 8.2 acres in Deogarh. Fr. Johny began working in earnest to dig bore wells and construct compound wall as well as erect a transformer for electricity connections.
The willing and generous Fr. Johny also agreed to host the two pioneer Sisters in his parish hostel since no other accommodations are available.
The foundation of the school will be laid on September 14th 2013 so that one wing will be completed by June 2014, when we anticipate beginning the school with Nursery and Std. I.
We praise God for His wonderful deeds and faithful love with which He carries us and provides for us. We pray that God who has begun this good work in us will continue to guide us along the road less travelled….
Our Lady of the Visitation, Make Us Joyful Bearers of Christ to the World.
It was a day 
of joy and excitement. This day marked the feast of St. Joseph and the inauguration of the Academic year. We welcomed 19 ND buds to our school. We had a meaningful prayerful service, during which the lamp was lit by the Rev. Fr. Johny, our parish priest, and Sr. Navya, the Principal of NDA, and Mr. Pradhan a parent representative. The children were welcomed with an ” arati” and a “tika” The school emblem reveals the theme ‘Lead me from the darkness to light’ symbolic of entering into the light of truth and knowledge. After the prayers Fr. Johny introduced the staff to the students and encouraged them to grow wise.
In the evening, Fr. Johny and Fr.Anup came with us to buy a two whe
eler. We bought a two wheeler for the school. We also need to learn to ride.
Each day new students along with their parents came and took admission. Class 1 started their classes on the first day itself. Srs. Navya, Swarnalatha and Mrs. Kalyani take classes for them. Thank you for accompanying us through your prayers.