Introduction

The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary (DM) is a missionary congregation of Pontifical Right according to canon law CCEO can. 505 ? 2. It is founded by Monsignor Joseph Kuzhinjalil in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church during the early days of the re-union movement in 1938 at Marthandom, Kanyakumari District to proclaim the Good News among the non-Christians and to work for the Christian unity.

1. Reasons And Motivation For The Establishment

The pioneer of Syro-Malankara Catholic Church His Grace the late Archbishop Mar Ivanios, after the historic event of the communion with the Universal Catholic Church in 1930, made an extensive appeal and sought help from the Syro Malabar and Latin Catholic Churches by means of clergy and religious personnel for the spiritual benefit of the people. Mar Ivanios visited St. Joseph?s Seminary, Aluva and requested assistance of the future priests. Brother Kuzhinjalil who intended to become a retreat preacher in his own diocese was attracted to choose the new field. Thereby Mar Ivanios of Holy Memory had written to Deacon Joseph Kuzhinjalil enquiring if he would like to work in the Archdiocese of Trivandrum after his ordination. Thus, after ordination the young dedicated zealous missionary priest, Fr. Joseph Kuzhinjalil, of the Archdiocese of Changanachery, born in the village of Pravithanam, Palai, in a traditional Syrian Christian family and ordained on 17 December 1933, came to the Archdiocese of Trivandrum with the determination to carry on the mandate of the Divine Master to preach the Word of God to the poor and marginalized. The young Fr. Joseph left his hometown, family, friends, native culture and material belongings, with the intention of serving the people of God of the newly erected rite of the Universal Church, the Syro Malankara Catholic sui iuris Church.

As he came to Trivandrum in 1934, Mar Ivanios asked him to take up the responsibility of being his secretary, and also to be the Pro-Cathedral Vicar. But he boldly replied that he was invited to the mission field to spread the Kingdom of God. So he was sent to Marthandom, the Southern section of the Archdiocese where had no establishments, structures or erudite members in the society. Majority of the people in the region were Hindus, believing in many gods, socially backward, unemployed, destitute, illiterate, ignorant, slaves of local landlords and indulged in superstitions. They frittered their limited remuneration of hard labor on black magic and devil worship believing to get protection from famine, drought, poverty and sickness.
However, once Fr. Joseph entered into the Lord?s harvesting field he resolutely committed his life, and resided in a small rented mud hut in the midst of the poor inhabitants, having no friends or assistance from any human beings, and started the missionary endeavors with a profound faith, good will and trust in God.
Fr. Joseph managed to rent a bicycle and went around to visit individuals and families of several villages. He visited them in their homes, counseled, prayed over the sick and suffering and gradually invited them for prayer gatherings in various places. They shared with him personal, family, social, employment difficulties and social oppressions; he touched them with the message of Gospel, healed their spiritual wounds and became a light and guide to the underprivileged.
Within a short period of time several hundreds of people received baptism and spiritual centers were established in various remote villages. Administrating sacraments and faith education to the increasing number of people became impossible for him alone. He was restrained to provide effective pastoral care to female members due to the barriers of cultural and religious uninfringeable traditions. He was inspired to start a religious congregation of women religious to assist him in the work of the Lord. Therefore he went to his home town looking for zealous missionary women. Two zealous devoted and eminent traditional Syrian Catholic members expressed their desire to dedicate their lives for the people of Marthandom. In addition Mar Ivanios asked Soosamma, the member of the Malankara Catholic Church and a candidate of the Bethany convent to join the other two. Bethany (SIC) sisters were assigned to train the candidates for the new congregation

Thus a missionary congregation, named Daughters of Mary was founded on 8 May 1938 at Marthandom, with the approval of the late Archbishop Mar Ivanios and the permission of Pope Pius XI. Mother Mary Kallarackal, the Co-foundress, Sr. Agnes Vadakkan, and Sr. Theresa Kochukalayil were the founding members who initiated a dedicated life of sacrifice, prayer and evangelization among the people of South India, Kanyakumari District. They adopted the Franciscan spirituality, practicing the virtues of poverty, purity, humility and simplicity.

The Motto
I.The motto of the congregation is ?That all may be one?.

II. Charism
The charism of the DM Congregation is ?Be Pure And Poor For The Kingdom Of God?.

III. Establishment and Growth

There was rapid growth of mission stations and many zealous young missionaries joined the Congregation.
On 15 July 1968 the DM Congregation was affiliated with the order of Franciscan Friars Minor Capuchins.
This congregation has happily grown and extended itself widely so that it is able to exercise its activities in all the dioceses of the Syro-Malankara Church, extra territorial areas outside Kerala, and India also in various dioceses of the Syro-Malabar Church, the Latin Church, and the Byzantine Church.
On 1 May 1987 the congregation was bifurcated into Saint Joseph Province, Marthandam and St. Mary?s Province, Pongumoodu, Trivandrum. Pope John Paul II elevated the congregation to Pontifical Status on 15 October 1988. In 2002 the two existing provinces were restructured into four provinces and two vice-provinces due to the increase in the number of members and mission areas so as to concentrate the mission areas effectively and for the sake of effective administration.
A prayer house, named tabor, was built on May 1987 in memory of Mother Mary, our co-foundress at Trivandrum, for spiritual oasis for the members of the congregation. Currently, a house of contemplation is under construction for those who desire to lead a contemplative life for a short span of time.
Currently the congregation has 150 houses and 12 service centers, serving in 35 dioceses in India and abroad. Congregation is having 996 professed sisters. Our sisters are committed to live the Gospel, maintaining a life of prayer, and proclaim the Word of God, in all the possible ways.
After his dedicated pastoral ministry for a long period of fifty years in Marthandom Fr. Joseph, the founder was called to eternity on 23 August 1983 and Mother Mary, the co-foundress on 30 July 1985. Both are interned at Marthandom where they spent their life selflessly and whole heartedly for the people of God whom they loved so ardently. We truly believe that their intercession is very powerful to the congregation.
Through the tiresome work of the founder father and sisters at Marthandom, the soil was made fertile even to the position of erecting a diocese for the Malankara Catholic Church.

IV. Formation
The early members were trained and formatted under the eminent leadership and guidance of the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ (SIC), Bethany Sisters (Mother Basim) SIC. Mother Basin prepared and trained the early members to be faithful missionaries of the Church.
A ten-year period of formation and study would take for an individual to become a finally professed nun.
As part of the ongoing formation there is a Central Renewal Team of trained sisters for annual retreats and renewal programs. They function as a resource team for the congregation.
The different stages of our formation are Aspirancy, Postulancy, Canonical Year Novitiate, II Year Novitiate, Juniorate and on-going formation. We get vocation from different states in India.

V. Pastoral Ministry (Apostolate)
Proclamation of the Word of God through various apostolates is our charism. Among the various forms and dimensions of our apostolic ministry, house visiting enjoys a prominent role. Catechetical teaching, family prayer, music ministry, active involvement in various pious associations, preparation of children for the first Holy Communion, marriage preparation, adult sacramental education and visitation of the sick and suffering are the main parochial ministries our sisters involved in. Summer camps for children, annual retreats for youth and adults, preparation for the local and regional religious conventions, preparation for parish feasts, Christmas, and Easter, are also part of the activities of DM sisters. The congregation runs, orphanages, old age homes, palliative care centers, leprosy, TB and aids rehabilitation programs, primary, secondary and professional colleges, health care institutions, employment training centers, day- care centers, facilities for mentally and physically disabled persons.

E. Ministry in Abroad
With the request of the local bishops and other religious agencies of various countries, the DM sisters are currently serving in Italy, Germany, Egypt and the United States, involved mainly with health care, parochial and education ministry. The massive migration of Malankara Catholic outside India is also included in the pastoral care ministry of DM sisters.

VI. Superior Generals
For the first thirteen years, Mother Mary Kallarackal, the co-foundress, was the superior general. Her tact, clear-sightedness, simplicity and zeal for souls brought the congregation to its current status. She had preserved a faithful record of all that Fr. Joseph had said or written on religious life and missionary endeavor. To date nine superior generals have governed the congregation.

Mother Mary Kallarackal, Foundress (1940-1953)
Mother Margaret (1959 May -1965 Nov.)
Mother Scholastica (1965 Nov- 1968 Dec)
Mother Monica (1968 Dec- 1975 May)
Mother Veronica (1975 May ? 1978 Dec)
Mother Immaculate (1978 Dec,-1984. and 1990 Dec-1996Dec)
Mother Felicita (1984 Dec.-1990 Dec)
Mother Felix (1997 Jan ? 2002 Dec)
Mother Francina (2003 Jan ? to date)
Today, the members of the DM Congregation strive to preserve the spiritual patrimony of the Malankara Catholic Church and continuing the mission and proper works of the Congregation everywhere and persistently following the charism of the founders, fulfilling the Divine mandate to preach the Word to every person until the glorious coming of the Savior