Daughters of St. Anne Embrace Foundational Charism, Launch Pastoral-Educational Renewal in Ranchi

Ranchi, August 5, 2025 – In a bold step towards reclaiming their original charism, the Daughters of St. Anne (DSA), Ranchi, held a transformative three-day seminar from 1–3 August at their Generalate. The gathering brought together over 125 sisters to confront the growing separation between academic excellence and pastoral ministry within their mission.

Fr. Valerian Lobo, Regional Deputy Secretary of the Regional Bishop's Council JHAAN (Jamshedpur Diocese), led the sessions, addressing what he termed the rise of "educational institutionalism." Over time, he noted, the congregation had shifted focus away from holistic ministry—assigning sisters solely to schools, cutting back family visitations, and measuring success purely in academic terms. “Holy efficiency without Gospel intimacy,” he warned, was becoming the norm.

At the heart of the seminar was a call to return to the vision of their tribal foundress, Mother Mary Bernadette Prasad Kispotta. A woman of Oraon Lutheran background, Mother Bernadette believed education and pastoral care must go hand in hand. Her approach, deeply rooted in tribal values, emphasised community, family-centred spirituality, and the integration of education with health and social well-being.

Fr. Lobo underlined that Mother Bernadette had anticipated the Church’s call for integral human development decades before it was formalised. "She saw the need for teachers who could step into homes and ministers who honoured everyday sacredness," he said, citing Vatican II's Perfectae Caritatis and Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium in support of a ministry that is “poor and for the poor.”

A key outcome of the seminar was the creation of a “Pastoral-Educational Integration Model,” aimed at transforming schools into “community centres of hope.” Immediate steps include mandatory weekly hours of family visitation for all sisters and direct service programmes in every school to support impoverished families through authentic relationship-building.

Further, the congregation will revise assignment policies to ensure dual pastoral and educational engagement, restructure formation programmes to include pastoral training, and introduce evaluation systems reflecting both academic and spiritual impact.

Fr. Lobo acknowledged likely resistance but urged urgency: “Delayed renewal becomes denied renewal.” He challenged the community to shift from a middle-class mindset to a Gospel-centred witness that values presence over performance.

The sisters pledged concrete actions—documented increases in family ministry hours, integrated service models, and pilot programmes to lead structural change. Fr. Lobo’s final charge echoed powerfully: “The success of this seminar lies not in reports but in transformed lives.”

As they return to Mother Bernadette’s vision, the Daughters of St. Anne offer a courageous model of holistic ministry—choosing the Gospel zone over the comfort zone.

Compiled by Sr. Anupa Kujur DSA

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