The first Provincial Chapter of St. Clare's Province was held from May
21-31, 1994 at St.Mary's Convent, Clement Town, presided over by Most Rev.
Mother Emmanuel Falleira. Besides the 15 elected members, there were the
Provincial Council of St. Francis Province (Sr.Gemma Kanipilly, the
Provincial Superior, Srs. Gratia Noronha, Helen Mankanthanam, Benjamin
Quadros and Laura Panachikavayalil), Sr. Adele Ciarlante, the General
Councillor, Sr. Valeria Aikara from the Provisory Team and Sr. Teresina
Athazhapadam, the Provincial Secretary - the last three with consultative
votes. On May 28, the Chapter proceedings had to be suspended as Srs. Gemma
and Helen left for Delhi on receiving the news that Sr. Sarita Sebastian –
a junior who was on dialysis due to kidney failure - had become very
critical. Within a few hours the Assembly was informed of her death. Sr.
Benjamin too left for Delhi along with the tertians who desired to pay
their last homage to their departed companion. On their return, the
proceedings were resumed on 30th morning.
On June 2nd, the newly-elected Council headed by Rev. Sr. Karuna
Kuruvanthanam, the Provincial Superior, was installed at St. Mary's Convent
- the seat of St. Clare's Provincial Government. Thus on June 2, 1994 a new shoot sprouted on the tree of the
CFMSS: a fine blossom shooting forth in the octaentenary of the birth of
St. Clare of Assisi, its Patroness.
Guidelines for mutual collaboration between the two Provinces, especially
in the sphere of formation of the members, were drawn up on the last day of
the Chapter so that the bond of fraternal union could be strengthened among
the sisters. Clara Sadan was to continue as the novitiate house in common
till alternative arrangement was made by St. Francis Province. Besides
organizing programmes for the juniors in common, the novices after their
year of canonical novitiate were to be allotted to both the Provinces up to
the year 1997.
Thus St. Clare’s Province began its journey with slow, but determined steps
under the guidance of the enthusiastic Provincial Team: Sr. Karuna
Kuruvanthanam, the Provincial Superior, Srs. Julia Kachappally, Rita
Thazhathuveetil, Ferdinanda Ottaplackil and Teresa Vadakkedom (Provincial
Bursar too) the Councillors and Sr. Nisha Lobo, the Provincial Secretary.
Today members of St. Clare’s Province serve 3 Archdioceses (Delhi,
Kanjirapally Thalassery) and 12 dioceses (Simla- Chandigarh, Jalandhar,
Meerut, Lucknow, Raigarh, Jashpur, Jhansi, Mumbai, Neyyatinkara, Alleppey,
Vijayawada, Belthnagady) spread across 11 States. At present the Province
has 30 houses of which 6 are exclusively at the service of the dioceses. In
January 2014, the Indian provinces have opened an Inter-Province Mission in
the diocese of Ambanja in Madagascar.