Educational Ministry in Missions
who have instructed many in uprightness as bright as stars for all eternity". Daniel 12:3.
On 15th Oct 1872 the Society Of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate was bloomed in France by Fr.Henri Chaumont, a Diocesan Priest. In the year 1889 the first missionary group was sent to India from France. They reached India being called by Msgr.Riccaz MSFS, the Bishop of Nagpur. Unfamiliar with any Indian language except the language of universal love, they began their ministry amidst the poorest section of that area. To begin with they opened a Dispensary to give Health care and started a home to shelter the women who were abandoned. It was least thought of the founder or the pioneers to start a school.
A Hebrew proverb says,” The child is not a vessel not to be filled with but a lamp to be lit”. At all higher levels with adolescence we keep this very much in mind. We aim at helping the students to organize their physical, intellectual, emotional, moral, social and spiritual activities, aptitudes, tendencies and habits.
We the SMMI are engaged in multi-faceted apostolate. One of its main wing is Education. We usually run primary schools in the village in remote areas. The population of the students is mostly poor from the weaker sections of the Society. In the tender hearts of this age group we try to implant lasting values while they learn Alphabets and Arithmetic and other sciences. The rapport is well established with the parents, the dropouts are sought after the long absentees are solicited and the inner self is discovered by closely following them. All this prepares in the ground for their future building up of their persons.
In one of our missions Akkarapalayam in the diocese of Pondicherry, the little ones used to run away seeing the sisters when we opened the mission in the year 1991. Today out of this village nurses and teachers are carved out, boys and girls have answered the call of God to be religious and priests. It is undoubtedly the motivation and the enthusiasm of the sisters’ way of leading them in the right direction. They acknowledge and acclaim this event to this day.
We use number of methods to achieve and also through competent skilled persons to make this possible. The net result is that the students coming out will turn out to be mature and wholesome personality. Excellence of intellectual achievement is well balanced along with forming and shaping them to be persons of sound character. The students coming out of the portals, bloom later in life as doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, social workers and lawyers etc. They definitely, with the value based education received in turn try to transform the society. We are grateful to God for having “witnessed” a number of them in their work area stamped by such values and convictions.
We ask the Almighty to bless all those who were under our care for their basic education. As we continue our work, dream of further higher level of education, may his guiding hand, guard, guide and protect us all through our onward journey.