In 1835 Fr. Goiran Calcutta arrived in Hazaribag as the chaplain to the Ramgarh Battalion stationed at Hazaribag. In 1837 he was succeeded by Fr. Backaus who inspired the Irish Loreto Sisters to come to India. From 1842, the chaplaincy was taken over by the Capuchin Fathers from Patna. In 1860 a Church was built in Hazaribag which is now used as the Chapel of the St. Joseph’s Apostolic Carmel Community. In 1871 the chaplaincy responsibility was given to the Calcutta Jesuit community and Fr. Van der Stuff took charge of it in 1872. At that there were 230 Catholics in Hazaribag district. In 1874 the Loreto Sisters established a Convent and a school in Hazaribag and continued it till 1893.The Convent still stands today and now it is the Police Training College (PTC).

Father Constant Lievens the great missionary of Chotanagpur reached Hazaribag on Sunday 15th March 1885. By Push - Push. In Hazaribag the Jesuit Fathers had a Church and a Novitiate and the Loreto Sisters had a small boarding School. Father Lievens stayed for three days with the Jesuit Fathers, visited the Convent and old barracks of the soldiers and rested. Then he proceeded to Doranda in Ranchi.

From 1903 – 1930 occasionally priests from Ranchi visited the faithful here. In 1930 Fr. Soeneus from Mandar was sent here to reestablish the parish and to make a survey to find out the Catholic residents. There were 276 Catholics belonging to Oraon and Munda communities in the districts of Hazaribag, Kodarma, Giridih and Chatra. He began the present St. Robert’s Primary School in the parish compound and another one in Pirtanrand reached out to the Santhals of Giridih district. He was succeeded by Fr. Benne, Fr. Turkenburg, Fr. Saubolle and then Fr. Edward De Meulder in 1949 who invited the Carmel Sisters to open a school and built parish Church in 1951 known as the Transfiguration Church. He invited the Holy Family Medical Sisters to open a Hospital in Koderma in 1956 and in 1968 it was handed over to the Franciscan Clarist Congregation. From 1939 onwards the Holy Cross Sisters served at Sadar Hospital as nurse Sisters which continue till this date. A new chapter of Hazaribag mission begins at the arrival of the Australian Jesuit Fathers in 1951 who were encouraged by Fr. De Meulder to open St. Xavier’s School at Hazaribag. He also invited the Holy Cross Sisters from Bettiah. In 1953 Fr. Kevin Grogan took over the duty of the parish priest from Fr. De Meulder who was then transferred to Maheshmunda. During the following fifty years of time Bhurkunda, Gomia, Jarangdih, Bokaro Steel City, Balidih, Ramgarh, Chandrapura parishes were established in industrial Sector and Chatra, Danto, Sitagarha, Charhi, Kajarkillo (Dhudhmu), Hario, Khondhar, Mandair, Tarwa and Patra in the urban / rural Sector. Meanwhile the Catholic population grew from 276 in 1930 to 35875 in 2010.

On 12th May 1995, Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Hazaribag bifurcating it from the Diocese of Daltonganj and it comprises the civil districts of Chatra, Hazaribag, Koderma, Ramgarh and Bokaro excluding the Chandankiyari Block of Bokaro together with a portion of Chas block which lies to the East of National Highway 32 in the State of Jharkhand. Bishop Charles Soreng, S.J. became its first Bishop, transferred from Daltonganj Catholic Diocese who was installed on 23rd July 1995. The present Catholic population of the diocese belong to the Scheduled tribes (Chiefly Oraon, Mundas, Santhals and Kharias), Scheduled Castes and groups of Catholics migrated from various parts of India. The diocese has 43 diocesan priests, 65 religious priests 14 religious brothers and 375 religious Sisters involved in the missionary work of pastoral, Social educational and health apostolate of which six are men Congregations and 21 Women Congregations. The contributions of the Jesuit Province for the upgrading and making the diocese to the present form have been great and are praiseworthy.

The tiny mustard seed sown with the arrival of Fr. Goiran in 1835 has grown to a wide spread tree. The birds have its nests on its many branches. Its roots have taken firm hold and its fruits are abundant. For all this “Let us praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to Him be the Highest glory and praise for ever” (Canticle Dan. 3).