The year 1898 was a year, of grace in the history of the Sisters of Charity of St Bartholomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa. It was the year when four of our courageous missionaries set foot on the soil of Mangalore and planted the precious sampling institute in this fertile soil.
Fr Augustus Muller SJ, a German Jesuit who being proficient in homeopathic medicine tried this remedy to cure leprosy and did succeed to a great extent and many leprosy patients were healed.
Fr Augustus Muller tried his remedies for other ailments as well and soon his dispensary was shifted from St Aloysius College premises to the present Father Muller Medical College Hospital campus, Kankanady.
Fr Augustus Muller felt the need for qualified and reliable personnel to work in this newly opened hospital. When Bishop Abbondio Cavandini SJ of Mangaluru went to Rome in 1896, he was asked to make enquiries about religious nurses who would be prepared to help. Several distinguished persons in Rome who were consulted in this matter proposed the name of Sisters of Charity of Lovere and accordingly the bishop made an official request to Mother Angela Ghezzi for the Sisters, giving details of the work for the sisters and the life style that they would have to live in India. The Bishop also assured Mother General that the nuns would be taken care of about that they must be ready to suffer much for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accordingly Mother Ghezzi complied with Bishop’s request and sent three generous nuns from Italy, as the first band of brave pioneers with Sr. Franceschine Luraschi of Bengal as superior of the new community at kankanady in January 1898. Once having settled down greetings and good wishes reached the sisters from ever side. Sisters were assigned bedside nursing of patients which they carried out with motherly care; with the leprosy patients were especially loving and compassionate. Yet God had some other plans for them, the time had not yet ready to render service at Father Muller. So they moved to St Joseph’s Asylum, Jeppu. Like Christ the stone that was rejected became the corner stone, for Sisters were called back to take up the apostolate at Father Muller in 1912 and Sr Franceschine Luraschi the provincial had the joy of re-accompanying them to Kankanady on October 13.
Today, the Sisters of Charity render their services in nursing education, nursing services department, medical store and Hostel. These sisters are proud and thankful to be able to continue extending its humble co-operation to a charitable institutions that is so well deserving and cordially wishes those who are at the head of it that the noble courageous goals, they are aiming at today may soon become a happy reality.
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