About us

Who we are?

We are Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, popularly known as Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, founded by Don Bosco in 1872 as a living monument of his gratitude to Mary, the Mother of God whom we honour as our mother, teacher and guide… We belong to a vast movement known as Salesian Family. Our Institute is the fruit of a love that was born of the great heart of Don Bosco and of the simple and creative fidelity of Mary Mazzarello. The Salesian Sisters continue to keep alive the flame of this love lit in every continent. They share Christ's mission in the Church especially through Christian education in the style of the Preventive system – a system of loving kindness, drawn from the heart of Christ Himself.

History

In the world  Our congregation was born on 5th August, 1872 through the direct intervention of Mary and as a response to the profound hopes and aspirations of young people. Don Bosco's 2nd religious family was born on this day when St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello and her 10 companions from Mornese, a hamlet in Italy, committed themselves to God for the service of the poor girls. The tiny seed sprouted and grew into a gigantic tree and today we are about 14000 Sisters living and working in 86 countries of the world.

History of FMA INDIA

The first six pioneers from Italy arrived in India on 22nd November, 1922 at Tanjore, Tamilnadu. Today our presence in India has grown into six provinces – Chennai (1946), Shillong (1953), Mumbai (1982), Kolkata (1987), Bangalore (1993),and Guwahati (2000). At present we have over 1250 sisters in India. The Salesian Sisters came to North East India in 1923.

Our Pioneers of NE India: Sr. Innocenza Vallino, Sr. Cecilia Da Roit, Sr. Guilia Bera, Sr. Clotilde Appiano, Sr. Maria Bricarello Our Province The Province of Guwahati (Mater Ecclesiae) was constituted in 2000. Today the Salesian sisters of Mater Ecclesiae work in 27 centres and 6 sub- centres, spread across 4 states ( Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland) and 8 Dioceses (Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Miao, Tezpur) of North East India.   Our Vision Witnessing and dynamic communities, living the primacy of God and journeying the path of holiness in the Church together with the young and the educating community in docility to the Holy spirit under the guidance of Mary, giving a creative response to the cry of the poor and marginalized in the spirit of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello   Our Mission To walk in the footsteps of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello, becoming signs and bearers of God's foreseeing love for the young, the poor and the marginalized. For Whom we Work The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians share with love, dedication and creativity in the mission God has entrusted to the Institute through Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello and one finds them working with: • Children and youth in schools and colleges (rural and urban) • Marginalized children and youth (Street children's home) • Drug addicts and alcoholics in drug addict and rehabilitation centres • Drop out youth in vocational education centres • Marginalized Women in rural and urban areas http://fmaguwahati.org/about-us.html