Three Irish Redemptorists Frs. Mathew Hickey, Gerard McDonell and Leo O’Halloran from the Province of Dublin with great zeal and missionary dynamism set out on a task to proclaim the Good News and arrived in the Island country of Sri Lanka in the year 1938. The long-cherished dream of the Redemptorists to establish a foundation in India was actualized in the year 1940 when the first Redemptorist community was established in Bangalore in 1940. In 1865, Pope Pius IX entrusted the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help to the Redemptorists order and asked them to “make her known throughout the world”. As both custodians and missionaries, this original icon is enshrined at the Redemptorist Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Rome.

It was Fr. Hugo Kerr, the Provincial Superior of the Province of Dublin who obtained permission from Monsignor Despartures, the Bishop of Mysore to establish a foundation in Bangalore. In the Lent of 1941 St. Gerard’s House at John Armstrong Road became the First Permanent residence of the Redemptorists. On 1st October 1945, the Indian Redemptorist mission became a Vice-Province and Fr. Mathew Hickey was the first Vice-Provincial. The next ten years (from 1945 to 1955) saw great structural developments with Mt. St. Alphonsus (MSA) being builtwhich would be the permanent house of the Studentiate (7thJune 1951). It was during this time St. Alphonsus School with the help of Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes, began in the Students’ wing of MSA. The school has since been shifted to Davis Road and continues to cater to the education of the poor children. In July 1964, Sadupadesa-a college to house students of Philosophy was built to house the students. It is now turned into a Juvenate which is the first stage of formation (as of 2015). In July 2010, Holy Redeemer Parish was established.

Holy Ghost Church in Bangalore is the first Redemptorist Parish in India. It is built on by the Redemptorist Congregation on their Davis Road property by the Redemptorist Congregation. It was erected on 24th May 1953 by His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Pothagamury, Bishop of Bangalore, and declared a Parish. The Parish was named after the Holy Spirit (Ghost) and is dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This magnificent church attracts thousands of people to this day and has over 4,250 families with 17,000 Catholics and continues to grow.

The Vice-Province of Bangalore grew steadily and became the Province of Bangalore on 15th August 1972, The Bangalore Province took a momentous initiative in the year 1990 by establishing a Redemptorist community in Kenya, Africa. The mission now has 7 indigenous priests along with the members of the province who serve the Kenya Mission. Two more units stemmed out of the Province of Bangalore – the Liguori Province of Kerala and the Vice-province of Majella along the western coast of India.

The Redemptorist priests have served in the parish church and have strived for the wholistic development of the people –Spiritual, Education, Economically and Socially. Apart from their mission of preaching and providing pastoral support and care to the faithful and parishioners, the Redemptorists’ are dedicated to helping the poor and underprivileged in the surrounding areas by providing education through St. Alphonsus School now St Alphonsus Academy and Perpetual Help Institute for Technical Training.

Lay Associations such as the Society of Vincent De Paul & Ladies of Charity led by the Parishioners of Holy Ghost Church Parish also support and adopt poor and under privileged families through their dedicated charitable work. Several commissions & groups such as the Minority Cell, Women’s Commission, Counselling Centre, AA Support, Employment Bureau and Marriage Bureau have been started to help support and reach out to the poor and needy.