History of the Congregation
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne of Tiruchirappalli (S.A.T.) — a legacy of courage, compassion and service since 1858.
Rev. Mother Annammal
Born in 1836 at Varaganeri, Palakarai, Tiruchirappalli, she heard the divine call to offer succour to widows — and sowed the first seed of a reform unprecedented in the history of Indian womanhood.
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne of Tiruchirappalli (S.A.T.) had its origin in the 19th century, when child marriages and the consequent early widowhood were rampant, even among Catholics. Widows were treated as outcastes and inauspicious, and were subjected to untold suffering and inhuman treatment besides the social stigma stamped on them.
A journey of faith and service
-
1836
Birth of the Foundress
Rev. Mother Annammal was born at Varaganeri, Palakarai, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Owing to cholera, many young girls, including our Foundress, were widowed and treated worse than slaves by their families; society did not permit them to remarry.
-
The Call
Service to widows and the poor
Hearing the divine call to offer succour to widows, she courageously went about begging for the sick and the needy, educating the little ones and praying with the Sakkiliar community. Inspired by her service, many young widows joined her.
-
Permission
An appeal to the Bishop
As their number grew, she approached the Bishop of Tiruchirappalli, His Excellency Bishop Alexis Canoz S.J., to start a community for widows. Permission was first denied owing to financial difficulties; she assured him she would ask for no financial aid, and permission was later granted.
-
2 Feb 1858
The first community
Trusting totally in Providence, Rev. Mother Annammal established the first community with four widows under the patronage of Saints Anne and Joachim — to liberate Indian women from inhuman and irrational social practices and to empower women.
-
Growth
Across India and the world
With the support of the local Church, the ministry expanded to several dioceses in India and to various parts of the world — evangelical, educational, social and medical, with a special commitment to differently abled persons.
-
2003
Annai Velankanni Polytechnic College
The polytechnic at Anguchettypalayam grew rapidly under the management of the Sisters of St. Anne, Tiruchirappalli.
-
2009
St. Anne's College of Engineering and Technology
Extending the mission through job-oriented technical education with an option for the poor, SANCET was established in the academic year 2009 – 2010.
The power of the human spirit that stirred in the heart of our Foundress for this noble cause was the marvellous beginning of a reformation. Her ministry among the poor, the sick and the downtrodden revealed an other-centred life: she discovered the face of God among the poorest and the suffering, and relied totally on God's bounty and power rather than her own capabilities — bearing bountiful fruit for more than 168 years in the annals of the Congregation.
The members of the Congregation have always striven to live up to the charism of the Foundress, who wished to commit herself to the cause of the socially marginalised. Concerned with the upliftment of the poor and the socially outcast, our ministry has taken various dimensions — evangelical, educational, social and medical — with a specific involvement in working for differently abled persons.
