It was the time, after the partition of the Indian Subcontinent, in 1947, the Archbishop of Dhaka, Lawrence L. Garner, CSC, requested this establishment of a Girls' College by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. This task was asked of Augustine Marie. On 1 November 1950, Holy Cross College officially began its journey in Dhaka, the Capital of the then East Pakistan. Rose Bernard, (who had just arrived that year) was also called upon to help Augustine Marie in this endeavour.

Augustine Marie, the founder and first principal, is remembered as a woman of great vision, humanity and passion. She wanted each student of Holy Cross College to become a mature and responsible woman... one who could contribute to society with her own knowledge, moral values, and achievements. The initial motto of the college, as indicated in our earliest Scribe, was:

“Gentle in manner

Strongly in deed.”

The college started with 5 students and now it has about 2500 students. Presently, the faculty consists of 47 teachers. At its opening, it began with the Humanities Group. Later on, the Science Group was added and very recently, in 2005, the Business Studies Group was opened. A six-storied building with an auditorium was built within the last ten years.

During these 60 years there were five principals:  Augustine Marie, Joseph Mary, Mrs. Gerty Abbas, Marian Teresa and the present one, Shikha Gomes. There were three acting principals: M. Rose Bernard, Joseph Mary and Joann Havelka.

Holy Cross College, Dhaka

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