In the African Mission

Mar Joseph Kundukulam being a man of great missionary zeal wanted to expand the services of the Nirmala Dasi Sisters to other poor mission countries, especially to Africa. He received an invitation for the services of our sisters from Rt. Rev. Dr. Ambrose Ravassi of the Diocese of Marsabit, Kenya. With the consent of Bishop Kundukulam and encouragement of Msgr. Vilangadan our sisters started their service in the Diocese of Marsabit in the year 1983. Today our sisters serve in 5 Dioceses of Kenya.

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Name of the Diocese & Number of Houses/Institutions                                                                                          

• Marsabit & 02

• Maralal & 01                                                                                      

• Isiolo & 03

• Muranga & 01

• Ngong & 01 

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Services 

Home for the Physically Challenged; Home for the Aged Woman; Home for the Terminally Ill Children; Home for the Destitute Woman; Study Home for Boys and Girls; Pastoral Work. 

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Historical Background

In the year 1983, the Society of Nirmala Dasi Sisters has extended our service to the Northern parts of Kenya-especially to Korr. It was by hearing of the hard work done by the sisters in Kukkatpally-Hyderabad, that Rev. Fr. Mathew Vadacherry SDB who was working at Korr, visited the sisters at Kukkatpally along with his brother Rev. Fr. Benedict. It was he who introduced our Society to his provincial superior Fr. Tonny D’souza SDB and to Bishop Ambross Ravassi the Bishop of Marsabit. In the ’80s there was no priest or religious in the Desert-Korr. The people there were mostly of Rendille and some were Sambooro tribes. They were very simple and friendly. But they have no particular religion as their own. Their lifestyle is something like that of the Jews of the Old Testament.   They were of Nomadic type following their cattle. There were no facilities of any kind. Korr Desert was 600 Kilometers away from Nairobi City.  For shopping, official matters and for flight journey, we had to reach up to Nairobi.

Responding to the invitation of Fr. Tonny D’sSouza SDB the provincial superior of Salacians of Don Bosco, East Africa, and of Bishop Ambross Ravassi the Bishop of Marsabit we started our first mission in Korr on 17.04.1983 with four Sisters. We started our service in a dispensary, nursery, pastoral activities and work with the women. Now the situation of Korr and the people are changed. They began to settle down in small groups around the Catholic Church.

Again Bishop Ambross Ravasi invited us to start another community in Wamba, to care for the mentally and physically challenged children and also to work in Wamba Hospital. We commenced our service in Wamba in the year 1987 with four sisters.

Observing our work at Wamba, Fr. Mario Cuscusa the then in-charge of Ngaremara mission invited us through Bishop Silas S. Ngiru Bishop of Meru, to work in Ngaremara Mission for the physically challenged children and to run a dispensary. In 1992 we started our mission there.

Fr. Vincent a Conzalata Missionary introduced in St. Mary’s Village, a home for the elderly women run by Consalata Missionaries and managed by some lay African volunteers. They expressed their desire to reallocate the management to our society.   We wrote our wish to serve in St. Mary’s Village to Fr. Francis Viotto IMC the regional superior of Consalata fathers and very willingly he invited and entrusted us the home on 02.02.2001. With three sisters we started our work there.

On 02.02.2005 with permission from Bishop Peter Kihara, the Bishop of Muranga, we started our novitiate formation in Sagana in a rented house owned by Consalata Fathers.  In the beginning, there was one novice and two postulants with their mistress stayed there. 

Again Bishop Ambross Ravassi invited our society to Marsabit, to start a home for the physically challenged children called ‘Fatima Home’ and to run a dispensary.  In all these centers we are engaged in pastoral activities like a catechism, preparing the faithful for mass, attending small Christian communities, faith formation, etc.

All our service centers are situated in very interior and in semi-desert places except Sagana.  When we come to Nairobi city for shopping (600 Km away from the center) and official matters like a renewal of work permit, alien registration, etc, and coming and going after leave we can’t return to the community on the same day. Since staying in a lodge is too expensive our sisters always depend on Salacian Fathers. This situation enforced our sisters to look for a house of our own near Nairobi City. It was too late then and we could not find a place near Nairobi because of the high price for the Land. Anyhow, we managed to buy a land of 1.8 Hectors in Ngong Diocese 28 Km from the airport. Now with the help of the Almighty and with the help of well-wishers, we managed to build a two-storied building. The ground floor of the home is reserved for the elderly ladies and the first floor for the convent. A long-cherished dream was realized on 06.06.2011 when the house called ‘Bethsaida’ was blessed and inaugurated by His Eminence John Cardinal Njue.  

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European Mission - In Hungary

Bishop Joseph Kundukulam continued receiving invitations from many European countries for the service of our sisters. He, in consultation with Msgr. Vilangadan, selected Hungary for the field of our service because of the poor condition of the people there and the difficulties they had to face in order to preserve their Catholic faith, because of the communist regime.  He came to understand the situation in Hungary in greater depth though his conversation with Rev. Dr. George Kish of Hungary while on his visit to Germany. At first, our sisters started working in an orphanage at the invitation of the Malthecian Charitable Society of Hungary. Today our sisters are working in an orphanage of our own in Adony, in the Diocese of Szekesfehervar. They are taking care of the aged and destitute ladies in the orphanage.

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In Germany

Three of our sisters are rendering service in the Haus St. Hildegard, in Oberdischingen, Germany, in view of working in a Home for the elderly people.