MSMHC

MISSIONARY SISTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

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MSMHC Provincial Chapter – 2026

The Congregation experienced a significant and historic moment of the Provincial Chapters, which was held across the six Provinces during the span of May to July 2026. The event was prepared with prayerful discernment, careful deliberation, and tireless effort. Guided by the theme “Be Really Eucharistic Souls for the Glory of God and the Salvation of Souls,” drawn from an exhortation of the Founder, Venerable Stephen Ferrando, to the Sisters, the spiritual retreats and the preceding Chapter deliberations were deeply centered on this theme.

Rev. Sr. Christine Mynsong, Superior General, through her orientation talks, reflections, and guidance encouraged the sisters to enter into the Chapter with openness, and a spirit of prayerful discernment. She underscored that the Chapter is a moment of grace, renewal, communion, and discerning the will of God for the Province and the Congregation. Along with the Superior General all the provinces had one General Councillor present with them for the Chapters: Rev. Sr. Brigid Diengdoh, General Councillor for Evangelization participated the Provincial Chapter of St. Therese Province Bangalore, Rev. Sr. Sisily Cherian, General Councillor for Formation participated the Provincial Chapter of Mary Immaculate Province, Kolkata, Rev. Sr. Lisa Elavunkal, General Councillor for Social Apostolate participated the Provincial Chapter of Mary Help of Christians Province, Shillong, Rev. Sr. Katherine Joseph General Councillor for Education participated the Provincial Chapter of Ferrando Province, Guwahati, Rev. Sr. Daisy Jacob, Economer General attended the Provincial Chapter of Sacred Heart Province, Tinsukia and Rev. Sr. Mary Thadavanal, the Assistant General attended the Provincial Chapter of St. Joseph’s Province, Tezpur.

In all the Provinces, Rev. Fr. Jose Varickasserril, SDB, the spiritual director of the Congregation gave a session on the theme “Be Really Eucharistic Souls.” His spiritual conferences prepared the sisters to enter into the Chapter experience with deeper faith, openness, and a renewed Eucharistic spirit. Rooted in the Eucharistic spirit, the Chapter journey called the Sisters to renew their commitment to Christ in the Eucharist and to move forward in their consecrated life and mission with renewed faith, hope, and love, animated by a fresh missionary zeal for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.

EVENTS - AT A GLANCE

MISSIONARY SISTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

The Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC), the first indigenous Congregation in North East India was founded on October 24, 1942, at Guwahati, Assam by His Excellency Stephen Ferrando, SDB, the then Bishop of Shillong. The Congregation has six provinces in India and a delegation in Italy and Africa. The provincial headquarters are at Bangalore, Guwahati, Kolkata, Shillong, Tinsukia and Tezpur and the delegation headquarter is at Africa and Italy. It has over 1400+ members belonging to 83 ethnic groups working in 244 centres in India and in other countries.

MSMHC - MOTTO 2026

BE REALLY EUCHARISTIC SOULS

PROVINCES & DELEGATIONS

COUNTRIES

ETHNIC GROUPS

CENTRES

MEMBERS

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RELIGIOUS & LAY PEOPLE INVOLVED

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From the Superior General's Desk

84^th FOUNDATION DAY OF THE MSMHC

“Let the chain of Christ bind us in one heart and soul to form a community of faith, hope and charity” (Venerable Stephen Ferrando).

With a heart filled with profound joy and limitless gratitude to God, I send you my warmest greetings and prayerful wishes on the 84^th Foundation Day of our beloved Congregation, the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC). Today, we remember with awe the humble beginnings of our Congregation on 24 October 1942, when our loving founder Venerable Stephen Ferrando, guided by the Holy Spirit and under the maternal protection of Mary Help of Christians, planted a small seed that was destined to grow into a missionary family serving God and His people across nations and cultures. Today 1446 sisters belonging to 83 ethnic diversities serve in 18 countries around the world.

As we celebrate this grace-filled anniversary, the words of our Founder invite us to constantly return to the very heart of our identity and charism. He reminds us that our Congregation was born in the simplicity as that of Bethlehem, in humility and poverty, to reach out to the humblest and most neglected of God’s children. Our first six Sisters, with hearts burning with missionary zeal, went from village to village, catechising, caring for poor children and serving the needy. Their lives were a living witness to the Gospel, marked by prayer, work, sacrifice and love. They had little in their hands, but were blessed with a deep faith in God, an undivided heart and a generous willingness to spend themselves for souls.

Eighty-four years later, the call continues to resonate in our hearts. As we celebrate our history, we are called to renew our commitment to the missionary spirit that gave birth to our Congregation. In a world undergoing rapid change, with new challenges and emerging needs, our mission remains rooted in Jesus Christ, our living rule and practical model. Our Founder’s exhortation, “Simplicity means to seek only God,” challenges us to examine our hearts and ask ourselves whether God remains our greatest treasure and whether our lives truly reflect the simplicity, availability and selfless love of our first Sisters.

Dear Sisters, the strength of our Congregation lies primarily in our fidelity to the Gospel, in the quality of our sisterly communion and in the authenticity of our missionary witness. Let us strive to build communities united in one heart and soul, where prayer nourishes our service, forgiveness heals our relationships, and mutual love becomes a living proclamation of Christ. May every mission station, school, health centre, formation house and community entrusted to us become a place where people encounter the tenderness, compassion and hope of Jesus.

May this anniversary awaken in us a renewed missionary enthusiasm and a deeper sense of responsibility for the precious legacy entrusted to us by our Founder. May it make us march ahead with immense hope and radical faith. Let us remain close to the poor, attentive to the cries of the vulnerable, courageous in responding to new missionary frontiers, and faithful to our consecration as chaste, poor and obedient followers of Jesus Christ. Above all, let us allow the chain of Christ’s love to unite us beyond differences and difficulties, making our Congregation a true family of faith, hope and charity.

Entrusting each of you, our communities and our mission to the loving protection of Mary Help of Christians, I pray that she continues to guide our steps, strengthen our fidelity and help us to carry forward the vision and missionary dream of our Founder with joy and generosity. Happy 84th Anniversary of our Foundation Day to each of you, my dear Sisters! May the God who has begun this beautiful work in us continue to bring it to fulfilment for His greater glory and salvation of souls.

Sr. Christine Mynsong
Superior General

Bishop Stephen Ferrando - Our Founder

“Rejoice always in the Lord and fear nothing”

Stephen Ferrando was born as the second of the three children to Mrs. Josephine Salvi and Mr. Augustine Ferrando on 28th September 1895 at Rossiglione in the Province of Genova, Italy. He had an elder sister named Maria who was two years older than him and a younger brother John Baptist who was three years younger to him. Born and brought up in a pious and hardworking middle class family Stephen Ferrando acquired those traits in his life. He said “From my family I received a rich heritage; a great love for God and Madonna, spirit of sacrifice and a temperament inclined for joy”. Being very simple and serene, though smart Stephen was a victim of the pranks of his companions who loved to make fun of him in his childhood days. He was able to laugh at his own follies and never took offence when he was laughed at. Often he sought to be alone and reflective. He appeared to be an ordinary boy that no one speculated on what he would become in the future. He did his early schooling in his own village, Rossiglione. On 9 October 1904 he was admitted to Salesian boarding school at Fossano. He was enrolled to Don Bosco’s own Oratory, at Valdocco, Turin for the Middle School Education. He was admitted to the Salesian School at Valdocco on 24 October 1907 and remained there till 24 July 1909. He was a person of great discipline and etiquette. His teachers loved him for his calm and simple nature and for his obedience and cheerful disposition. He was much sought after by his companions for fun and humour. While at Valdocco he had the opportunity of knowing personally some of the outstanding Salesians like, Fr. Paul Albera, Fr. Philip Rinaldi. Here he entered cheerfully and generously into the round of the various activities that bound him and his companions together. His close contact with the Salesians at Valdocco most of whom personally knew Don Bosco, possessed the warmth and love infused by Don Bosco and enthused by the challenging motto of Don Bosco “Give me souls and take away the rest” he expressed to his superiors his desire to become a Salesian priest. Later when he went home he expressed his desire to his parents too who were very happy to support their beloved son to pursue his desire and encouraged him in his studies. Though they had to put up with financial constrains and make lot of sacrifices…

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV

MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS

Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, signed on 15 May and published on 25 May 2026, addresses the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, automation and robotics. It applies Catholic social teaching to the digital age, placing human dignity at the centre of technological progress.

Using the biblical contrast between Babel and Jerusalem, the encyclical warns against technological pride and the misuse of AI, calling instead for a society built on solidarity, truth and the common good. It highlights four areas of concern: truth, education, work and freedom. It also raises serious ethical questions about autonomous weapons and calls for international cooperation to ensure that technology serves humanity rather than controls it.

Drawing a parallel with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum (1891), which addressed the challenges of the Industrial Revolution, Magnifica humanitas calls the Church and society to ensure that technological progress never comes at the expense of human dignity.

OVERSEAS MISSION HIGHLIGHTS

SERVICES WE PROVIDE

EVANGELIZATION

HEALTH CARE

SOCIAL APOSTOLATE

Being true to the vision and mission of our Founder and the congregation as a whole the sisters engage themselves in various ministries and reach out to people of all walks of life irrespective of caste, creed, age, gender and linguistic barriers and notwithstanding the heat and cold, oppositions and rejections, with the sole aim of spreading the Word of God and His Kingdom. In collaboration with the parish priests, the Sisters visit the families and bring solace to the people.

Following the exhortation of our Founder, “care of sick is the ‘fifth Gospel’ we engage ourselves in holistic healing through health centres, dispensaries and mobile clinics. Attention is given to preventive measures through immunization and awareness programmes on health and hygiene and encourage the use of herbal home grown medicines. We extend our service to the remotest areas, where no access to primary health centres, and reach out whenever emergency calls.

Social Apostolate is to make Healing Ministry and Social Action creative and effective. The role of Social Apostolate in the Mission of Evangelization is that, we are evangelizing persons, who are subject to social and economic condition. We have Dispensaries, Vocational Training Centre, Rehabilitation Centre for the physically challenged, Rehabilitation Centre for the Drug Addicts, Women Development Centre and we are dynamically involved in the Domestic Workers Movement.

PUT GOD FIRST (PROV.3:6)

EDUCATION

CARE FOR DISABLED

YOUTH MINISTRY

Through the apostolate of education the Congregation aims at imparting value- based education for the harmonious development of the physical, moral and intellectual endowments of the children, forming them to be integrated persons to emulate in every strata of life. The students are given quality education irrespective of their caste, creed and economic background so that they can become a better person in their future.

We give special care for the differently abled – providing educative, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services to persons with various disabilities. At present, we have two schools meant for the hearing impaired. The extra love and care the children receive help them bloom beautifully despite their physical disabilities. The children are also trained with vocational skills to help them stand on their own.

The YAC Movement plays a vital role in the life of a young student where students from our schools enroll themselves in the Movement. The YAC under the guidance of the Animators share much in our mission of evangelization by attending and conducting prayer services, participating church Choir, play the role of leaders in schools, tour villages, visit families and even get involved in preaching.

RESOURCE CENTRES

BETHEL PRAYER CENTRE

Bethel Prayer Centre, established on 16 February 2006 is run by the MSMHC. It is located in the beautiful bank of the Umiam Lake in Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya. The Centre has a wonderful ambience for prayer and reflection. Constructed amidst the awe-inspiring environment, the Centre has pleasantly fashioned rooms with balconies, porches and walkways. It provides facilities for organizing prayer services, retreats, workshops and seminars. The Centre is set up mainly to meet the spiritual and faith education needs of the religious and lay people of the region.

CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES (CDI)

The Centre for Development Initiatives (CDI) is a social wing of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC) committed to empower the marginalised communities of the society, especially women and children. The task of CDI is to act as the co-ordinating body in the social and development work of the entire Congregation, providing expertise, guidance and facilitation to the Provinces and Delegation. Registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, it works for the development of the exploited and voiceless women, girls and children, that it bases its activities on the foundation of human and social values.

FERRANDO INSTITUTE OF SPIRITUALITY (FIS)

Ferrando Institute of Spirituality (FIS), founded on 20 June 2009, a daring venture of the Congregation is the first of its kind in Northeast India. Its first Director was Sr. Philomena Mathew. It has a programme of studies meant mainly to prepare missionaries, Formators, educators and leaders. It also provide opportunities for the on-going formation of the sisters.
Ferrando Institute of Spirituality consists of the following five departments: Department of Diploma in MSMHC Spirituality, Department of Master’s Degree in MSMHC Spirituality, Department of History, Department of on-going Formation, Department of Publication