OUR HOUSES & MINISTRIES
MOTHERHOUSE AND GENERALATE
Our Founder explains: “It was obvious that upon my acceding to the fatherly and personal desire of His Eminence Cardinal Fumasoni Biondi, Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith on that 12th day of December 1948, in Rome, to start all over, I took upon myself the entire responsibility of what was to be the new Institute of the Catechist Sisters of Mary Immaculate Help of Christians.”
Upon his return to Krishnagar, our Founder’s prime concern was to build the first house of our little congregation: a humble building with a corrugated iron roof. It was to be the Motherhouse and novitiate of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, which consisted of the office, dining room, classroom and sewing room. He thought it would serve its purpose for at least 20 years. In May 1950 the house was inaugurated. In June 1950 the little community of sisters and new candidates took possession of the new house. Then in 1953 - 54 the new three-storey building went up at the side of this building. It holds the second chapel, (the present library). Father Bishop blessed it on June 1, 1953 at 5:30 am before the Holy Mass.
Later in 1958 when the new Junior Don Bosco building (a furlong south of the Motherhouse) was completed, we took possession of the old Junior Don Bosco [present novitiate] to which in the meantime had been added a second storey by the Founder. In 1957 the new laundry, kitchen, and quarters for our house maids were built.
Due to the rapid growth of the congregation, the Founder felt the need to build a larger chapel, a third one, within sixteen years of its foundation. He designed it after his own heart highlighting the centrality of the Eucharist, while attending the Second Vatican Council in Rome in 1963 -1965.
On 20 March 1964 Father Bishop blessed the foundation stone. On Easter Monday, 19 April 1965 he blessed the new beautiful and spacious chapel, and also the adjacent offices, infirmary, dormitory and portico.
In 1992 our first tin-roofed house was demolished and a two-storeyed building was constructed on the site. It was blessed on 24 December 1992 to commemorate the Birth Centenary of our Founder.
Ministries of the Motherhouse
Organizing the following at congregational level:
Annual Meeting of major superiors, formators, Sisters engaged in various ministries,
- Courses and Retreats for superiors, formees, Junior Sisters, Ongoing Formation, etc.
- Updating and Publishing of Founder’s Catechetical books, as well as other works;
- Conservation and Reproduction of Founder’s recorded Teachings, Documentation,
- Novitiate staff,
- Care of the Sick Members, Transit arrangements for Members outside of India;
- Home Visitation, Village Apostolate, Parish Ministry, Teaching Catechism,
- Collaboration with the diocese of Krishnagar for:
- Small Christian Communities,
- Proclamation of the word of God and Inter-Faith Dialogue.
Contact:
Superior General
Sisters of Mary Immaculate Motherhouse and Generalate
Krishnagar P.O., Nadia Dist.
West Bengal, India 741 101
TeleFax: +91 3472 – 252459
Email: smisupgen@bsnl.in (Superior General)
smi.generalate@gmail.com (Generalate)
Sisters of Mary Immaculate Motherhouse
Krishnagar P.O., Nadia Dt.
West Bengal 741 101 03472 – 252296
Email: smimhk@gmail.com and kshsmimhk@gmail.com
NOVITIATE
In late January 1950, our Founder laid the foundation of the first building of our congregation, a humble building with a corrugated iron roof. It was to be our Motherhouse and Novitiate. The first group of novices began their novitiate in 1950. As we increased in number, in 1958 the novices were separated from the professed Sisters and candidates. They were shifted to the former Junior Don Bosco School building which existed in the same complex.
Ever since it has been our novitiate in India. The little boys were moved to the larger and spacious school our Founder had built for them.
Novice Mistress
Mary Immaculate Novitiate
Krishnagar P.O., Nadia Dt.
West Bengal, India 741 101
