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The foundation and growth of the Congregation of the Poor Sisters of Our Lady continues to be a journey in faith. From the beginning, each step has been taken with total trust in God, believing in His Word and He has not failed us.
In the 1930s, the requirements of the Archdiocese of Bombay were peculiarly its own and these could best be met by the skill and devotion of women religious, drawn from and based within the Archdiocese. Conscious of these needs, some members of the Diocesan Clergy along with a few prominent lay persons approached the Archbishop of Bombay to start a new Diocesan Congregation of Nuns.
The actual groundwork for the commencement of this congregation was spearheaded and undertaken by our Founder, Msgr. George Fernandes. His indefatigable efforts saw the congregation of the Poor Sisters of Our Lady come into being on September 15, 1939, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows by the decree of the Most Rev. Thomas D. Roberts, S.J., the then Archbishop of Bombay, and a band of seven eager postulants.
This was a landmark event in the life of the Archdiocese – a coming of age in the religious development of her people; and palpable proof of the practical mind that Archbishop Roberts brought to bear on the social problems of the parishes.
The formation of the first seven members was entrusted to the Sacred Heart Nuns at Sophia College, Mumbai. The pioneer group took their First Vows in 1942 and their first residence at Stephen Hall , next to Archbishop’s House, Fort. This residence has been, since then, the Generalate of the Poor Sisters of Our Lady.
The first works undertaken were the instruction of poor children in Gloria and Sacred Heart Schools, Sankli Street, belonging to the Parish of Gloria Church, Byculla; supervision of the Sacristy of the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Name, Fort; rescue and preventive social work; and the Employment Bureau of the then Catholic Women’s Welfare Society which operated out of Stephen Hall.
The 1940s were war years and stress was laid more on social work because of the problems of extreme poverty, unemployment and the influx of refugees and migrants to the city. To equip the Sisters for this apostolate, they were lovingly trained by the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King from Karachi, who had wide experience in this field.
By 1945, the fledgling group was ready to take their final vows which they did on March 27 of that year. They also announced the election of the first Mother General – Mother Patricia Frank – which had taken place on March 19, 1946. The congregation was well on its way to fulfilling the purpose of its foundation.
The Constitution was approved and the Rule of Life was
presented to the congregation by Cardinal
Valerian
Gracias on June 29, 1956. The first General Chapter
was held in 1957 when Mother Patricia Frank was formally elected Superior
General – a post which she had held in trust from 1945. It was her determination
that saw the Poor Sisters of Our Lady grow and spread, from her final vows till
her death on February 2, 1999. This vision and mission has been ably discharged
by her successors – Mother Antoinette D’Souza, Mother Cecilia D’Souza
and our present Mother General, Teresa Pinto.
As years passed, the Congregation grew under the patronage of His Eminence
Cardinal Valerian Gracias, who took a very personal interest in its life and
growth . He encouraged the Sisters to start convents not just in other parts of
Bombay, but also in other dioceses in India. The then Archbishop of Vienna,
Franz Cardinal Koenig, while visiting Bombay in 1960 was so impressed by
the Sisters’ work that it moved him to request Cardinal Gracias to send a group
of Sisters to Vienna, Austria to take charge of different works such as nursing,
kindergarten, care of the aged, etc. This was our first footprint abroad, soon
to be followed by households
in Italy,
Austria and now in Africa and the Netherlands.
The 38th International Eucharistic Congress which Cardinal Gracias was instrumental in hosting in Bombay in 1964 was also a milestone for us. Stephen Hall was the headquarters for many of the activities which were integral to the Congress. Visiting prelates and dignitaries, indeed Pope Paul VI himself, were able to see firsthand, the work, capability and prayer life of our congregation.
At the General Chapter held in December 1996 a decision to seek Pontifical recognition was taken. The decision was approved by Cardinal Simon Pimenta, Archbishop of Bombay, and we were granted the status of a Religious Institute of Pontifical Right on December 8, 1999. We see this as a crowning moment in our apostolate and also as an indicator that we must dedicate ourselves more fervently to our mission.
We are now known as the Institute of the Poor Sisters of Our Lady.
The strength of the Institute today is 163
professed members, 18 novices, 4 postulants and 16 candidates.
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FOUNDER
MONSIGNOR GEORGE FERNANDES
FOUNDER – THE POOR SISTERS OF OUR LADY
“He
dreamed the impossible dream,
He fought the unbeatable foe,
He bore with unbearable sorrow,
He ran where the brave dared not go.
He righted the unrightable wrong,
He loved pure and chaste from afar,
He tried when his arms were too weary,
He reached the unreachable star!”
It is fitting to apply these words to the late Msgr. George Fernandes for he indeed dreamed the impossible and reached the unreachable.
Born in Goa on April 23, 1903 to John Luis Fernandes and Isabella Ratton, Msgr. George was the second child of his parents. He studied up to Matriculation at the Goan Union High School and later joined the Papal Seminary at Kandy, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Bombay on September 23, 1929.
Fr. George’s first assignment was as Assistant at Our Lady of Salvation, Dadar, Bombay where he served for twelve years. His last Parish was St. Andrew’s, Bandra where he was Parish Priest and Dean of South-West Salsette from June 1961 till his sudden death in June, 1970. He was also a Diocesan Consultor and member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission. He was appointed Domestic Prelate to the Pope with the title of Monsignor in 1961. In all, he served in eight Parishes in the Archdiocese during the 41 years of his priestly ministry.
A creative organizer, an excellent musician, a great educationist, a renowned preacher, a lover of the poor and needy, a pastor first and last – and above all a man of God - the memories of Msgr. George remain ever fresh, for the traits which endeared him to all.
It was typical that he founded the Sunday School at his first Parish – Dadar. He was its guide and stay in the years of its infancy. He gave it a name and a stamp and many other Parishes took the cue from his example. It was due to his initiative, ardent zeal and contagious enthusiasm that Sunday Schools grew and flourished.
But his crowning achievement must surely be the founding of a religious congregation – The Poor Sisters of Our Lady. Very few are given the grace for such a mission – and of those who are given the grace, very few have the courage of conviction to see it through. Msgr. George gently persuaded and prayed with those whom he felt were blessed with the vocation for the religious life, to form a diocesan congregation that was ‘home grown’; and soon he had a core group of seven young women who were eager to make this a reality. He approached the Archbishop of Bombay, The Rev. Thomas Roberts for approval to establish the congregation, which was readily granted. Msgr. George was assisted in this work by Very Rev. Fr. J.J. Dias, Vicar of Salvaçao Church, Dadar, Rev. Fr. Justin D’Souza, Chaplain at Orlem and a few lay people. Msgr. George continued to harvest vocations for our Institute, which had pride of place in his heart, till the time of his death.
Well known for his humility, simplicity, prayerfulness and forgiveness, he wore himself out in the service of the Lord – his attention was most particularly for the poor and the little ones. He suffered a massive heart attack and went home to God on June 2, 1970 at the age of 67. His mortal remains lie in front of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Andrew’s Church, Bandra.
Truly, the best flowers are
plucked at full bloom for our Father’s garden.
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OUR LADY OF SORROWS
Our
Lady of Sorrows holds a special place in our professed lives. She is the
Principal Patroness of our Institute. The evangelist John records, “But
standing by the cross of Jesus were his Mother . . .” (Jn 19 : 25).
Immortalised in the exquisitely moving and evergreen hymn Stabat Mater,
the words of this Gospel tell us that Mary stood at the foot of the cross,
steadfast till the end, gazing at our crucified Saviour. Mary continues to show
us how to stand by that Cross – resolutely, firmly and with unwavering faith.
Standing docile at the foot of the Cross, Mary does not give the impression of weakness but rather that of a woman of strength, of courage, of determination of purpose. The title ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’, given to Our Blessed Mother focuses on her intense suffering and grief during the passion and death of Our Lord. Mary is sometimes depicted with hear heart exposed and pierced with seven swords.
Our Lady of Sorrows is our model and guide. Her feast is celebrated on September 15 which is also the Feast Day of our Institute.
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Our spirituality is Marian, with special
emphasis on Our Lady’s role in the passion and death of our Blessed Lord.
Our
Lady of Sorrows is honoured as the Principal Patron and holds a unique and
cherished place in our spiritual life. St. Joseph, the caring and devoted
guardian of Our Lord Jesus, is our second patron.
Mary’s was a life of deep faith, of unfathomed
humility, unbounded love, complete dependence on God, total surrender to His
holy will and a continuous YES to all that He asked of her. Mary uttered her
FIAT not only at the Annunciation and at Calvary, but at every moment of her
life – in word, deed and prayer. This is our purpose.
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The
Cross symbolizes the mysterious relationship between renunciation and joy,
between sacrifice and magnanimity, between discipline and spiritual freedom.
Mary’s YES dominated her life from the Annunciation till her final surrender at the foot of the Cross at Calvary.
We entrust ourselves and all that we do to
Mary, who became our Mother at the foot of that same Cross. From her we learn
total surrender to God’s will with ardent love and unwavering faith.
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In prayer, which is a gift from God, our lives
are interlinked with His. In prayer, we become a communion of souls; we share
life’s values and walk together in love.
Our prayer life revolves around the Eucharist from which flows abundant nourishment for the faithful living of our consecration. We join the whole Church in that prayer of adoration and supplication that Christ continually offers ‘for the whole world to the Father’. Here is the source of sanctification for the community and a life-giving dedication of the whole world.
We celebrate Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer
in community as far as possible.
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Our chief apostolate is the living of our religious consecration through deep personal prayer rooted in scripture and the Liturgy; filial devotion to our Blessed Mother; personal asceticism; a life of sacrifice and a close sharing in the mystery of the Cross.
In the choice of apostolic work, we keep attuned to what the Holy Spirit desires through directives of the Catholic Church and in ourselves through our charism - in the circumstances of time and place and person. Because of this, the nature of our apostolate has evolved over time to serve the necessities of today.
Our current focus is apostolic work in
education, service of the poor and marginalized, nursing, care of the elderly
and pastoral work.
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We
share in the mission of Christ through our Institutions or through collaboration
with others. Our Sisters work in the following schools (Our institutions
have been highlighted in red). In those schools where our sisters are Principals, this has been
indicated by (P) :
1. Divine Child High School, Andheri, Mumbai
2. St. Anne’s Girls High School, Dabul, Mumbai (P)
3. Holy Name High School, Colaba, Mumbai
4. St. Anthony's Higher Primary School, Sirsi
5. St. Thomas High School, Goregaon (E), Mumbai
6. St. Joseph’s High School, Kandivli, Mumbai(P)
7. Holy Cross High School, Kurla, Mumbai
8. St. Mary’s High School, Uran(P)
9. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Korlai, Raigad District(P)
10. St. Xavier’s High School, CIDCO, Aurangabad
11. St. Clara’s High School, Goa
12. Don Bosco High School, Sirsi, Karwar
13. St. Aloysius High School, Yavatmal (CBSE)
14. St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Bhopal (CBSE)
We make special efforts to motivate our
students towards building a more just and peaceful world by imparting Christian
values.
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We
bring the healing presence of Jesus to our world by devoting ourselves to care
for the sick and aged through health care centres, clinics and homes for the
elderly.
We have health centres in Bidkin and Paithan (Aurangabad)
and in Sirsi. In our homes for the
elderly, our Sisters help the residents renew their trust in God, to realize
the salvific value of their suffering and prepare them for their final encounter
with God.
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The social apostolate is concerned with transforming the
structures of human society into an expression of justice and love. By choice,
we work for the marginalised and downtrodden; the abandoned and lonely through
boarding houses, hostels for girls and shelters for street girls. With love and
respect, we accompany them in their search and discovery of God’s plan for them,
restoring to them their sense of dignity and their rightful place in society.
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PASTORAL WORK &
EVANGELISATION
We share in the vision and mission of the
local Church .
Our Sisters help the Parishes in which we work, to gather as community to
celebrate the joy, struggle and hope in the Word, in the Eucharist and
Sacraments – in well planned, creative and inculturated ways.
Our Sisters are engaged in
Sunday School Catechism classes, preparing children for their First Holy
Communion, and Confirmation and Adult Baptisms. Sisters serve as
Eucharistic Ministers and supervise care of the Sanctuary and Sacristy.
The primary focus of our evangelization is
building up the local Church in communion with the Universal Church.
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