During the month of October, we have been focusing on becoming attentive to God's mission for us in our lives. We have also been looking at various missionary activities being carried out and have been praying for missionaries in a special way. As we come to the end of the month let us look at a missionary congregation that is reaching out the poor and the underprivilleged—The Dominican Sisters.
The Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary are serving in 22 countries. These sisters came to India on the request of a Jesuit priest, Fr. Espasa, who visited them in Spain and invited them to work in Gujarat, India. And so, five sisters came to India and began their work in Gujarat. From there it spread to different parts of India.
Currently, the sisters are working in Ahmedabad (St. Mary’s Community), Balasinor, Ghatkoper, Baroda, Kawant, Bhopal, Manjeshwar, Jabalpur, Pune (Novitiate), Ahmedabad (Christinekunj community), Sohenkheda, Noida and Khandwa, with their provincial house in Pune.
The 13th century saw a great personality and a seeker of Truth in the person of St. Dominic De Guzman. Following in his footsteps, a Dominican Bishop Msgr. Ramon Zubieta O.P. (founder) entered the Peruvian jungles to spread the Good News. He knew that if tribal women were educated, they would bring about positive change not only in their families but also in society. Blessed Mother Ascension Nicol Goni (co-founder) accepted the invitation of Msgr. Zubieta to venture in the jungles to empower the tribals, specially women and children and took on an adventurous journey in the year 1915 beset with umpteen number of hurdles. They founded the congregation of Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary in 1918.
The Founders pronounced the charism in the following words: “To Proclaim the Good News to the poor in those missionary situations where the Church needs us the most.”
The activities of the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary include non-formal and formal education, health care services, social work, skill development training and pastoral care.
Non-Formal Education: The sisters run boardings for girls, where underprivileged girls stay and study and even learn livelihood skills. Literacy programmes for women are conducted in different villages. Coaching classes for the slum children are arranged to enhance their learning.
Formal Education: Seeing the need to impart quality education to children, the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary have got involved in formal education. The tribal children have the right to compete with the society. To make this a reality, the sisters recently opened an English Medium School in the tribal belt of Kawant. Here, nursery and kindergarten are conducted in English as well as in vernacular language.
Health-care: Health is wealth. But the poor people are ignorant about the importance of health and are paralyzed due to their economic conditions. The Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary run dispensaries to provide medical care at minimum cost. Nursing Homes run by them also provide the facilities of pre and post natal care. The sisters also impart formal knowledge and training of nursing assistance in hospitals.
Social-work: The world is progressing but the marginalised, caste-based discriminated people, illiterate, poor, slum dwellers, street children, widows, prisoners and many more do not witness this progress. The mission of the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary is to help them live a dignified life with self-respect. Thus, the sisters reach out to them through various projects. Awareness programmes are organised to help them know their rights so that they can benefit from various government schemes they are ignorant about. The self-help groups empower women to animate not only their respective groups but also their families.
Skill-Development Training: It is important that women and drop-outs stand on their own and make themselves and their families, financially stable. Thus, the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary conduct various skill development programmes in the field of tailoring, embroidery, beauty parlours, computer, art-craft and fashion designing.
Pastoral care: The Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary are involved in a number of activities of the parishes. They teach catechism, visit families, counsel the distressed, animate the youth and women, participate in the Parish Pastoral council and in different activities of the parish and the diocese As the month of October fades away into history with a little less than 2 days to go, let us keep our Missionary Spirit alive. May the Good Lord continue to work through the Dominican Sisters and through all congregations, sodalities, associations of the Catholic Church including all of us who are baptised and sent. May we all be true Missionary Disciples after the heart of Mary and in the footsteps of Jesus.
A Brief to Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary
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