OUR IDENTITY
The legacy of our Congregation forms the foundation of our identity. However, as the world continues to evolve and new societal needs arise, we strive to innovate our approaches to be creative, competent, and community-oriented. The spirit of our commitment is both generative and empowering, particularly for the vulnerable. These traits are inherited from our Foundress, Mother ThatipathriGnanamma, who responded to the plight of illiterate women in Kilacheri by offering spontaneous and liberating assistance. She was solely inspired by the Spirit of the Lord, who bore the cross to liberate the oppressed.
As needs evolve, we persistently address the challenges of our times with trust and courage. We reaffirm and uphold the core values that define the identity of our Congregation in both our life and mission.
Sensitive towards reality
We remain attuned to the cries of the people, grounded in the Charism of the Congregation and guided by the vision of our Foundress. Our God listens to the pleas of the people and stands alongside them in their struggles. He observes, listens, and empathizes with the pain of the people, intervening to deliver them, and calls upon them to both proclaim God’s intervention and to share their pain with Him. Therefore, our mission is to address the suffering of those who strive for justice. Through our unity with the Lord Jesus Christ, we are empowered to take action to alleviate the suffering of the people.
We recognize the importance of making our religious life relevant in an age marked by the secularization of sacred traditions. The world is rapidly changing, propelled by advances in technology that reshape human lives and activities. Media influences how people lead their lives, and the inundation of advertisements and cinematic visual culture challenges our cherished traditions, cultures, and value systems. In this context, we are called to make our lives meaningful. Such relevance can only be achieved by fostering a Christian counter-culture that opposes consumerism. We have become women on the move, prepared to journey anywhere in the world, akin to the disciples sent forth by Jesus.
Welcoming the changes
Creativity forms the essence of our existence and actions. We deeply commit to fostering creative changes, inspired by our Foundress’s vision to transcend the limitations of Kilacheri in the 1880s. She aimed to empower girls, enabling them to break free from the confines of their homes and escape lives of servitude for lives of freedom. If we resist moving beyond our current life and mission, we will undermine the very purpose of founding our Congregation. The transformations we bring about in people’s lives are inherently creative, generating vitality in places once plagued by a culture of death. We concentrate on nurturing life-affirming activities, seeking to infuse hope and positivity wherever we go. In addition to our skills, we strive to become individuals who cultivate life amidst death, illuminate darkness with light, foster peace amidst conflict, and disseminate knowledge to dispel ignorance.
The fundamental characteristics of our identity as the Sisters of St.Anne - Madras
01. Rootedness
Rootedness in our Charism of “Fullness in God” explicitly refers to our connection with God. Christ discovered a distinctive fullness in the Father and fully revealed Him in his life, declaring, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:10). Similarly, we attain fullness in God by embracing an awareness of God as our loving Father. Our foundation lies in the original Charism of our Congregation, which calls us to be women who commit to living a consecrated life grounded in the abundance of God and dedicated to service with simplicity.
“Fullness in God” serves as our vision, while “Service in simplicity” constitutes our mission. ‘Fullness’ denotes our complete communion with God, wherein we perceive His presence in our thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. This communion naturally translates into “Service in simplicity,” wherein we dedicate ourselves to the liberation of women. We engage in their struggle by empowering them through education, enabling them to assert control over their own lives. In doing so, we aid in freeing them from the oppressive structures of society that seek to manipulate and exploit them.
02. Involvement
“Service in simplicity” urges us to strive for complete engagement in our ministries. Our rootedness in Charism compels us and heightens our awareness of the plight of the people, particularly women, who endure daily struggles to break free from the shackles of domination and manipulation. Listening to their cries entails more than just hearing the sound of their distress; it means empathizing with their suffering and recognizing their need for our assistance. This requires engaging our hearts, and our emotions, rather than just our minds, and our intellect.
In our solidarity with the poor, we immerse ourselves in their world, sharing in their suffering. We carefully discern and analyze the situation, guiding people to take collective action to confront structural injustices. We advocate for and empower those who are denied full human dignity. Our efforts may require lifelong dedication with no assurance of immediate success.
Each endeavor originates from the depths of our hearts, fostering an emotional connection with the people we serve. This was the approach of Mother Gnanamma, who felt the pain of the girls and women of Kilacheri village in her heart, inspiring her to establish the Congregation.