Our Visionaries

Father Francis Arokianadhar, I.C.F.T.

Fr. Francis Arokianadhar, I.C.F.T. , a Parish Priest from Kilacheri, a Francisan Monk and Rector of the Institute of Immaculate Mother of God was one of the visionaries behind the origin of our Congregation. A chance meeting between Father Francis and Smt. Gnanamma culminated in the setup of our congregation, an institute primarily meant for women catechists devoted to the task of evangelization. Fr. Francis Arokianadhar became the spiritual mentor , guide and counselor of our Congregation. He is rightly referred to as “ The Great Inspirator of the Congregation”.

Mother Joseph Pagadala

Superior General From: 1875-1897

Sr. Joseph Pagadala was instrumental in the rejuvenation of the Congregation. Tactful, prudent, foreseeing and resourceful, Sr. Joseph Pagadala was appointed as the Head of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne, Royapuram , Chennai. A role model for all sisters of St. Anne and an instrument of revival, she enlisted many new recruits and established the first branch of the Congregation at Phirangipuram, Guntur in October, 1882. With the aim of imparting education to the Telugu girls, an elementary school was formally opened in 1883 along with a boarding house to take care of orphans and abandoned widows. A chapel and a convent were also established by her, for carrying out catechetical work.  Under her leadership, the Congregation of Sister’s of St. Anne was set up as an independent and autonomous  Institution in 1897.

Mother Joseph Pagadala worked tirelessly for 16 years as the Superior General , and her intellectual and spiritual qualities led to the development of the convent at Phirangipuram.

Mother Maria Rose Desam

Superior General From:1897-1908

Mother Maria Rose Desam  was the Mother General of the Convent for a period of 12 years and was instrumental in establishing new convents at Rentachintala, Guntur and Patibanda.  She was especially known  for her kindness and piety towards poor girls. Under her able guidance, the institute grew to consist of sixty six sisters and over 2000 benefitted from the new schools opened.

Mother Mary Alphonsa Putti

Superior General From: 1909- 1914

Mother Mary Alphonsa was elected the fifth Superior General of the Congregation. She extended the educational Apostolate of the institute with three new Convents and Schools. Very pious and intelligent by nature, she promoted the publication of Telugu books inspired by Christian Doctrine and Piety.

 

Mother Mary Joseph Pamisetti

Superior General From:1915-1920

Elected as the Sixth Superior General of the Congregation, Mother Mary Joseph was admired for her simplicity and her great musical talents.. Under the guidance of Fr. A. J. Grand, she did her very best to bring up the Congregation.

Mother Mary Vincent Kuppala

Superior General From: 1921-1925

Mother Mary Vincent Kuppala, the Seventh Superior General of the Congregation was a person of great punctuality. Her vision to improve the Spiritual life of the Sisters guided her to appoint a Novice Mistress for the Congregation. Sr. Mary Rosalia was appointed by her to be the first Novice mistress of the Congregation and was trained under the Sister’s of T. Joseph, Annecy, Waltair.

Mother Mary Francina Thumma

Superior General From:1926 - 1931 & 1934-1936

Mother Mary Francina Thumma was elected Superior General for terms, eighth and tenth. Under her tenure, the Congregation saw lots of development owing to the shift from  Archdiocese of Madras to the Diocese of Nellore. Mother Mary Francina took great interest in the formation of the novices and devised new methods of training with the aim of bringing about a higher degree of genuine spirituality among the members. New works under her tenure included the orphanage at Phirangipuram, Upper Primary School, Higher Grade Training School  and a Hostel for Children.

Mother Mary Immaculate Madanu

Superior General From: 1932-1934

Elected as the Ninth Superior General of the Congregation, Mother Mary Immaculate Madanu’s tenure celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Congregation. Work also began on atraining school and a memorial for the Golden Jubilee. Ill health forced her to resign after a period of two years.

Mother Mary Sacred Heart Boyapati

Superior General From:1937-1942 , 1949-1954

Mother Mary Sacred Heart Boyapati was elected as the Eleventh Superior General and was once again re-elected as the Thirteenth Superior General of the Congregation.  Greatly devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus whose name she bore, and often seen in prayer, she is said to have combined tact and generosity towards people with firmness, fidelity and courage regarding principles and matters. In 1951, inspired by the Sacred Heart of Jesus whose love is Universal, she opened with courageous foresight , the doors of the institute to vocations from Kerala and Tamilnadu. She was devoted to the promotion of spiritual growth of memebers as well as beneficiaries of our mission through instituitions like ‘Legion of Mary’, and ‘Holy CHildhood’. All these instituitions flourished under her benevolent care .

Mother Mary Francis Lucy Pamisetti

Superior General From: 1943-1948

Mother Mary Francis Lucy Pamisetti was elected as the  Superior General of the Congregation during the twelfth General Chapter and was highly devoted to Mother Mary who helped her through all her trials and tribulations. Two new Convents namely, St. Mary’s Convent at Guntur and St. Ignatius Convent at Mutlur were started to accommodate the huge number of pilgrims and sisters within the Diocese of Guntur.

Mother Mary Ignatius Allam

Superior General From:1955-1966

Mother Mary Ignatius Allam was elected as Superior General for two consecutive terms , during the fourteenth and Fifteenth General Chapters  of the Congregation. She brought about a paradigm shift in both the administration and types of apostolates by opening English Medium Schools and launching the medical apostolate. there were nine institutions at the time of her election and by the end of her term, she had doubled this number. Convents at Kottapalli, Anantapur, Macherla,Thubadu . Vijayanagar Colony,Pidugurallu , Our Lady of Health Hospital at Narasaraopet and various new English Medium Schools were established in her tenure.

Mother Margaret Mary Aduri

Superior General From: 1967-1978

Mother Margaret Mary was elected as the 11th Superior General of the Congregation in the 16th General Chapter and was re-elected in the 17th General Chapter. Her creativity, dynamism, vitality and sincere dedication propelled the Congregation to identifying and answering the call of the Church and to respond to the sign of the times. She brought about a newness in prayer and formation  with introduction of Divine Office and Eucharist in English. She established fourteen new foundations covering all the ten Dioceses of Andhra Pradesh along with many associated Telugu, English Medium schools, Dispensaries and Hospitals. Under her tenure, he Institute was registered as the Society of St. Anne under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.

Mother Stella Allam

Superior General From: 1979-1990

Mother Mary Stella Allam was elected as the 12th Superior General at the Eighteenth General Chapter and was once again re-elected at the 19th General Chapter. Greatly admired for her deep commitment to God in Prayer, serene demeanor and her silent work, she devoted her time and energy in helping and educating the poor and needy. one of the important achievements during her tenure included the shifting of the Generalate from Phirangipuram to Guntur in 1985. In her tenure, lot of additions and upgrades were carried out under various convents like setting up high schools, junior colleges for girls,  hospitals, Home for aged sisters, orphanages and a multipurpose health workers Female training Institute.

Mother Mary Ignatius Loyola Mekala

Superior General From: 1991-2002

Mother Mary Ignatius Loyola Mekala was elected as the 13th Superior General and was re-elected as for a second term . She was firm willed, tenacious, hard working and affectionate and yet a taskmaster who insisted on things being done right. She fostered in her heart burning zeal for God’s work. She brought a new meaning and a new hope to the Congregation and helped it gain Pontifical status. The growth of the Congregation was very rapid in her tenure with 35 new convents set up in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well. The educational, health care and Social service Apostolates were further developed with many new schools, colleges and health care centers being set up under the new convents.

Mother Fatima Mary Boyapati

Superior General From: 2003-2014

Mother Fatima Mary Boyapati was the Fourteenth Superior General of the Congregation and her humble, committed and dutiful nature helped the Congregation to initiate many new ventures. The Congregation was bifurcated into the provinces of Guntur and Hyderabad keeping in mind the evolving needs of people. Some of her initiatives include setting up a Formation house for Aspirants and Postulants, Residential schools, Post graduate College, Sister’s Quarters at various cities in the country and outside like Bangalore, Akola, Kansas ( USA), and Vinukonda, HIV/ AIDS &Community Care Centers. She was also instrumental in deciding to shift St.Anne’s Generalate to the Archdiocese of Hyderabad and accordingly laid the foundation for the new Generalate building at Bandlaguda Jagir in Hyderabad city.