The Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Quilon is the first group of indigenous women religious in Asia.
The order was established in Pondicherry, India on Oct. 16, 1844 by Father Louis Savinien Dupuis, a French missionary, for the education, social awakening and emancipation of women. The founder inculcated in the members life principles such as simplicity and love for the poor.
To be faithful to the congregational charism, the sisters devote themselves to educating children of different ages; healing the sick; caring for orphans, the abandoned, the aged and the mentally challenged; and in uplifting the poor and needy through socio-economic projects.
The sisters also serve the spiritual needs of rural populations through counseling, religious instructions and faith formation among Christians. As Pope Francis reminds us: “Once more we realized that no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together.” (Fratelli Tutti, 32)
We carry out our missionary activity by implementing preferential love for the poor. We have 11 free boarding houses for more than 700 children who would otherwise be left in unstable family situations or outcast in society.
We cover all the expenses for education, housing, food and clothing. We help poor families who cannot afford school fees for their children.
We provide girls with safe accommodations and faith formation to help them lead a disciplined life. We are rendering moral, social and spiritual values to students.
We provide free boarding for 150 girls in our district, Kollam, as there is a school in the vicinity to provide secondary education for these girls. The existing free boarding for girls is 75 years old.
We hope to provide new housing for the girls, but recurrent cyclones have caused much erosion, and water enters the houses during high tide. Our aim is to bring up these girls, shelter them and educate them. Four convents of our sisters are providing services among these underprivileged people.
The Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church says, “The whole Church of Christ is missionary, and the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the people of God.” (DMA, 1:35)
We provide quality education in various schools, from lower level to higher level, to children of all castes, creeds or religions. We promote values in the children. We believe that every educated woman is the light of a family.
We also foster vocations to religious life for the work of Gospel and to bring about the salvation of souls. We also run two schools for children with special needs.
And, in our higher education ministry, we provide financial help for families who hope to enroll their children in a university without taking on loans.
On behalf of our congregation and our missions, thank you for your response to our mission appeal. And our sincere thanks to Bishop Earl Fernandes. Our various ministries are possible because of the many generous people who live in the light of Christ by the truth of the Gospel. We thank God for you who have been faithful to the Church and its prophetic vision.
In all our ministries, we hear the exhortation of Pope Francis: “How many luminous faces, how many smiles, how many wrinkles, how many tears and scars reveal love around us.” (Angelus, March 5, 2023)
Rev. Mother Rexia Mary, FIH is the Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.