Our Congregation was founded on 19th November 1838 and was approved as a religious institute of Diocesan Right in the Archdiocese of Cologne. The roots of our Congregation go back to the 13th century, a time, when there had been numerous Begine Convents, available for works of charity. Later they called themselves ‘Cellitinnen’. The official name of the congregation is: The Congregation of the Cellitines according to the Rule of St. Augustine. However, we in India call ourselves as Augustinian Sisters. We add OSA (Order of St. Augustine) to our names.
Our Founder sisters are:
• Sr. Dominica Katharina Barth
• Sr. Xaveria Christine Lüssen
• Sr. Aloysia Katharina Tychon
• Sr. Antonia Katherina Sporken
Our charism began with the call of our founder sisters to care for the neglected sick patients in the Government hospital. They were working under Government lay administration which caused them much to follow the Lord. They practiced patience, tolerance, endurance, perseverance with the administration and suffered much for the love of the Lord and practiced compassionate love for the suffering patients. It took them 30 years to begin on their own.
We celebrate August 28 the feast day of our Patron as the feast day of our congregation.
Our Mother house is in Germany. Besides Germany we are in Belgium and in India. In India we bagn in 1967. We have a province and two regions in India. In India we have 27 convents. In India we have sisters from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Odisha.
We were a diocesan congregation. On January 25, 2011, we were declared a Congregation of Pontifical right.
Marian region in kerala consist of the following convents
St.Augustine convent., Kumily
St.Augustine hospital., kumily
St.Joseph convent., Anavilasam
Jeevan Jothi Anavilasam
St.Augustine Girls Hostel Annakara
St.Augustine., Convent karavaloor
Karunalayam., Karavaloor
St.Augustine covent .,aduvassery
Snehadhan., Aduvassery
St.augustine covent adackathode
St.augustine convent., Perinkari
St.augustine convent .,kuttimoola
St.augustine Aramam oldage home/Senior Citizen home ., Payipaddu
OUR EMBLEM
The heart represents love of God and all humanity.
The cross represents the desire to bring glory to God through faithful following of Christ by seeking and doing his will.
The openness of the seal is intended to reflect openness of heart and mind to God, to brothers and sisters, to neighbors and to the signs of the time.
CHARISM
The congregation is originated as a response to a pressing need of the time to extend their care to the patients who were mentally disoriented and invalids in the City general hospital of Cologne, Germany. Our four founder sisters were already nuns who belonged to two already existing reputed Congregations of the Cellitinnens in Cologne. They were challenged to leave their comfortable zones to respond to the call of God because they saw the suffering Lord in the face of those patients who were ill treated and neglected. They endured great suffering in the hands of hospital and city administration for almost three decades for love of the Lord who called them. Their strength was the compassionate love they exercised generously for the patients who were entrusted to their care. We follow their footsteps today through various ministries we undertake in different parts of the country and outside.
Our Charism: Moved by the compassionate love of God we respond to the signs of the time.
Vision:
We the Augustinian sisters interiorize and radiate the compassionate love of Christ in our lives and ministry as free beings under grace.
Mission:
To commit ourselves to direct our lives and actions bringing Christ to the people and people to Christ for a fuller life.
Goal:
Live our consecrated life and Charism more meaningfully