Fr. Shajumon Chakkalakkal, SJ, has been appointed as the first Provincial of the newly constituted province.
The historic merger of the Darjeeling Province and the Nepal Region will formally come into effect on July 31, which is also the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) sends its warm congratulations to the new Province of Darjeeling-Nepal. On April 12, 2025, Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, issued a decree uniting the Darjeeling Province and the Nepal Region. The decision establishes a new administrative unit within the Society of Jesus: the Province of Darjeeling-Nepal (DAN).
“CJI has had a long history of partnership with both the Jesuit Province of Darjeeling and the Jesuits in Nepal. It started over 70 years ago when many Canadian missionaries went and started schools, parishes, and helped to establish the new independent Jesuit provinces,” said Jenny Cafiso, CJI Executive Director. Since then, CJI has supported their efforts to provide quality education, pastoral care, and health to poor and marginalized communities, she said. Jesuits from Darjeeling and Nepal have come to Canada for studies and to work in the various ministries of the Canadian province, she added.
“The roots of our relationship run deep and are based on a spirit of partnership and a commitment to our common mission. We look forward to strengthening this relationship with the new province,” said Cafiso. “The Darjeeling Province and the Nepal Region have always made serving the poor and marginalized people a key priority with services to tea estate workers, women, Indigenous people, migrant workers, and more.“
Fr. Shajumon Chakkalakkal, SJ, has been appointed as the first Provincial of the newly constituted province.
Born in Kerala Fr. Chakkalakkal entered the Society of Jesus in 1985 and was ordained a priest in 2001.
Over the years, he has undertaken a variety of significant roles in Jesuit ministry and governance. He was rector and principal of St. Joseph’s School, Darjeeling, before serving as Socius to the Provincial of Darjeeling from 2018 to 2020. Most recently, he held the position of Socius to the President of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA) until his appointment as Provincial of Darjeeling in December 2023.
