HISTORY OF THE INDIAN MISSION OF THE CONGREGATION

[Translation of an article found in the Souvenir published by our sisters on the occasion of the 125 year jubilee of the St. Joseph’s hospital at St. Vith, Belgium.]

The Congregation of the Cellittinnen Augustinians was founded on 19th November 1838 by a group of Augustinian sisters in the Diocese of Cologne, Germany. The Congregation follows the Rule of St. Augustine, who is the heavenly patron of the Congregation. The Congregation honours also St. Elizabeth of Hungary as the Patroness of the Congregation since it is on her feast day, November 19, that the sisters have received a written request for their service in the Government Hospital. Having discerned divine providence and the will of God in this invitation, the pioneers of our Congregation started to render their service to the needy in the hospital. In this move they identified the Charism of the Congregation: “Moved by the compassionate love of God, we respond to the signs of the time.” In those days they were mainly involved in the nursing care of the sick.

The Congregation is affiliated to the world wide community of the Augustinian Order and thus we add ‘Order of St. Augustine’ (OSA) to our names. All professed members of the Congregation add “Mary” to their names, out of gratitude to Holy Mary, Mother of God, for the manifold blessings we have received through her. It was a diocesan congregation. The congregation is declared as a congregation of Pontifical right from 25th January 2011.

The Indian Mission

Although the Congregation had developed and flourished rapidly, it rooted itself only in Germany and Belgium until 1964. Responding to the call of Vatican II, our Congregation also began to dream of opening its doors to the missions. The providential meeting in 1963 between Mother M. Cleta Höschen, the then Superior General of the Congregation, and the then Archbishop of Changanacherry, Mar Mathew Kavukattu, led to the decision that the Congregation would extend its roots to the Indian soil.

As a first step, a group of 16 girls were interviewed and recruited for the Congregation by Archbishop Mar Mathew Kavukattu in 1964. They spent a period of three months at the Generalate of the Sacred Heart Sisters, at Parel, Changanacherry. During this time the late Fr. Engelbert Zimmermann SVD and the late Fr. Cyriac Kocherry, a priest of Changanacheery Archdiocese, gave them some orientation about the Congregation, religious life, prayer life, the country Germany, etc. After three months they were sent to Germany. Then in 1965, 1966, and 1968 three groups of girls went to Germany and pursued their formation along with the German formees in Heisterbach, the formation house of the Congregation. The sixteen girls of the first batch having completed their 3 years of formation, made their first profession in 1967.

It was the common decision of the late Archbishop Mar Mathew Kavukattu and the Superior General of the Congregation that the young professed sisters would return to India after their formation and professional studies to establish the Indian mission of the Congregation. In view of this, in 1965 Mother Cleta, accompanied by Rev. Fr. Ignatius, the Spiritual director of the Congregation, Sr. Eustachia, and Sr. M. Domitia, made a planning trip to India. Mother M. Cleta met the Archbishop and requested him to find some suitable place for the Congregation in Kerala.

The Archbishop bought a few acres of land for the Congregation in the highranges at Kumily, in the Nazranipuram Parish, in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry, Kerala. Although the initial intention was to build a formation house there, a thirty bed hospital was also built along with it. In 1967, Sr. Barbara, Sr. Sigmunda, and Sr. Domitilla came to India as missionaries accompanied by Sr. M. Wilma, and stayed with the Sacred Heart Sisters at Parel. After a few months they moved into their own convent, although the construction of the house was not yet completed. The formation house and the hospital building were blessed in 1968.

The Cellittinnen Augustinians are known in India as Augustinian Sisters.

In November 1967, Mother M. Cleta visited India for the second time, accompanied by Sr. Wiltrud. They brought with them Sr. Rudolfa Pulickal and Sr. Lucida Thadathanayil to help the German sisters to establish the Indian mission. In February 1968 Sr. Gabriela came along with Sr. Francis Mannarkulam to stay at Kumily. However, Sr. Gabriela had to return to Germany after a week. The three German sisters were called back to Germany by the end of 1968. The 3 young Indian sisters were supported by Sr. Priscilla and Sr. Mary of the Cross, members of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross from Bombay. These sisters were entrusted with the responsibility of guiding the Indian sisters for a few months.

In 1969, Mother M. Cleta came to Kumily for the third time, accompanied by Sr. M. Wiltrud, Sr. Justinia and Sr. Emily. This time Mother M. Cleta Höschen came to an agreement with the Medical Mission Sisters to hand over to them our convent, the hospital and the land for three years. Sr. Stella and Sr. Vineetha did their General nursing in Germany and returned to India in 1970.

They were sent for Mid-Wifery Training in St. Marthas Hospital, Bangalore. In 1971, Sr. Stella and Sr. Vineetha returned to Kumily. They worked together with the Medical Mission Sisters in the hospital for some time to acquire an all round experience. Sr. Suma joined the two sisters at Kumily in 1972.

A new mission was started in 1972 in Sendhwa, M.P. in the Diocese of Indore. In 1972, Mother M. Cleta came to Kumily and Sendhwa, her fourth and the last visit to India. She was accompanied by Sr. Wiltrud, Sr. M. Ilma, Sr. Josua and Sr. Isabella. Sr. Isabella and Sr. Josua stayed for some months at Kumily. Mother M. Cleta terminated the agreement with the Medical Mission Sisters.

The Augustinian Sisters of Cologne took over the administration of the Indian mission under the guidance of the Superior General. Sr. M. Vineeta was appointed as the first Superior at Kumily. Though the Indian mission had to struggle very much in its initial stage, God in his providence kept the Indian mission as the apple of his eye and protected it in his own divine plan to spread out to the different parts of India.

In 1972, Sr. Nikodema Rützenhoff was elected the Superior General of the Congregation.

In the course of these years, some of the sisters made their final commitment in their respective mission stations. More and more of our Indian sisters returned to India to pursue their professional training. They also spread out and dedicated their service to other parts of India. The last Indian sister returned to India in 1981.

Sr. M. Domitilla joined the Indian mission in 1978 and was a pioneer of the Andhra mission. She opened two mission stations in the interior villages of Andhra Pradesh.

The sisters focused mainly on nursing care. However, at later stages they entered into the field of education, catechetical work and social work to respond to the signs of the time and needs of the people in keeping with the Charism of the Congregation.

Sr. Wiltrud arrived in India on 11 July 1979 and stayed on for ten long years as the Delegate Superior and later on as the first Regional Superior of the Indian Region.

The Indian Mission started its formation programme for its sisters in 1975. The Aspirancy was at Kumily and the Novitiate in Bangalore.

The Superior Generals and the Superiors of the Congregation in Germany and Belgium showed great care, interest and concern for the young and growing mission in India at the various stages of its development. They opened mission stations and institutions in various states of India under different dioceses. A keen interest was taken to train sisters for different professions. The Indian mission was raised to a region in 1981. Our great dream was fulfilled when thirteen years later in 1994, the Indian region was erected as a province.

Regions: All our convents in Kerala were brought under a region: Marian region was erected on 19th November 2005 under the Oriental Rite. The regional house was initially at Kumily. It was shifted to Aduvasserry, Ernakulam diocese in 2014. It serves also as a centre for children (boys) who come under prison ministry. The convents in M.P and Gujarat were brought under a second region: St. Monica was erected on 24th April 210. The convent Suklia at Indore is the regional house of M. P. These fast developments are living symbols of the maternal care that the Indian mission has received from the Mother Congregation.

At present the Congregation serves the Church in India in Seven States: Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam and Odisha. We work in 13 dioceses. At present we are 173 sisters, of whom 16 are working in Germany. We have 27 communities in India and 3 communities in Germany.