A Bishop’s dream and a Maharaja’s munificence culminated in the establishment of St. Philomena’s College on October 9, 1946. His Excellency, Rt. Rev. Dr. Rene Feuga, the first Bishop of Mysore, vacated his mansion to make room for classes. The Wodeyars, of the Mysore Royal family, encouraged the Diocese in its maiden venture into higher education.

The College was declared open by His Highness Sri Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, a rare honour and privilege for any institution.

It was history in the making in more ways than one and the first group of 380 Philomenites were aware of it. They knew that they were stepping into the very first private First Grade College in the Royal City, affiliated to the University of Mysore. Even more importantly, St. Philomena’s was the first private Degree Science College in the erstwhile Mysore Region.

Before its foundation, the college received its motto from His Holiness, the Pope. The Holy Father chose the maxim “Caritas vestra magis ac magis abundet in scientia”  May your love grow richer in knowledge. Caritas in Scientia  the first and the last words of the quotation became the motto of the college.

All through her fledgling years, the college’s future was shaped by teachers of outstanding calibre; among them were, the doyen of the Modern Movement in Kannada poetry, Prof. Gopalakrishna Adiga and the renowned space scientist and former Chairman of ISRO, Prof. U.R. Rao and a host of other great pioneering Principals and teachers.

Now, 75 years later, the student strength has multiplied manifold, new buildings have been constructed and courses and infrastructure have proliferated. Each year, St. Philomena’s College re-invents itself to adapt to the needs of  fast-changing world, harmonizing the new with the old. Old blocks, new blocks, the process continues, adding to the diversity of the campus. Traditional courses co-exist with the newer, more challenging and contemporary courses such as Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Electronics, Computer Science, Social Work, Communication and Journalism, UGC sponsored vocational course in Functional English, Bachelor & Masters Business Administration (BBA , MBA), Bachelor & Masters of Computer Application (BCA, MCA), Food Science and Nutrition,Criminology and UGC Add-On courses in Biotechnology, Industrial Chemistry, Electric and Electronic Equipment Maintenance and Computer Networking.  Click Here to Read More