The Congregation of Sisters of the Mercy of Holy Cross was founded by Fr.Theodosius Florentini OFM Cap and Blessed Maria Theresa Scherer. Vast number of people had been plunged into poverty and misery with the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. Orphaned and neglected children roamed on the roads, the sick and destitute had no one to give them proper care, industrial workers were exploited, and the educational system was badly in need of reform.
Into this situation, God called and sent two great personalities, Fr. Theodosius Florentini, OFM Capuchin and Mother Maria Theresa Scherer who founded the Congregation in 1856 at Ingenbohl. They were gifted with an extraordinary social awareness.
The long cherished dream of Holy Cross Sisters was realised in India in 1894, with the arrival of four Holy Cross Sisters as the first missionaries in Bettiah, North Bihar on 18th November 1894.It was a mile stone to mark the opening of a new chapter in Indian soil. On this day our first missionaries Sr. Lamberta Flamm, Sr. Patrona Bichler, Sr. Michelina Schrott and Sr.Chrysogona Thoma landed in Bombay and travelled farther to Northeast and arrived at Bettiah on 22nd November 1894. They were invited by The Tyrolian Capuchins to take care of an orphanage in Bettiah.
Unfortunately in July 1896, cholera broke out in Bettiah. In spite of the intense care given by the sisters to the orphans, fifteen children died in a couple of weeks. Then the tragedy struck the sisters. Within four days, three sisters one after another died by the killer disease. Sr. Crysogona the youngest among them was the only survivor! If she had returned to Europe with a broken spirit probably there would not have been any Holy Cross Sister in India today! Her health might have been weak but not her spirit! With fervent missionary zeal she went back to Europe and brought five more missionaries in 1896 to continue the Indian mission. Since then the missionaries played a pivotal role in establishing the congregation not only in North Bihar but also in South Bihar (present Jharkhand) , in the remote tribal belts of Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana. Later on their involvement expanded to Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and to the Southern states of India.
It is true that: “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains a single grain.” We gratefully remember all the missionaries who enduring many hardships and sacrificed their lives in India without counting the cost for the cause of our mission .
Living closely with the sisters, one of the local girls from Bettiah, Francisca Thakur, expressed her desire to become a Holy Cross Sister. After her novitiate in Ingenbohl, she returned to Bettiah in 1902 as “Sr. Theodosia Thakur” the first Indian Holy cross Sister. She died in 1936.
In 1970 the Holy Cross Mission in India was given the status of a Province. Sr. M. Sigrid Voggel was the first Provincial of the Indian Province .She was assisted by Sr. Johanna Brandstaetter, Sr. Frances Cherian, Sr. Laetitia Pauvath and Sr. Anne Tete as councilors.
By then the Holy Cross province in India spread from Sikkim in the North to Kerala in the South, from West Bengal in the East to Maharashtra in the West. A number of new stations mushroomed in a quick succession in various parts of India under the able and efficient guidance of Sr. M. Sigrid. During her leadership more than 30 new stations were established.
After completing her term, Sr. Sigrid handed over the administration to Sr. Julia Erni in 1979. With her simplicity and openness she too contributed her best to the growth of the Indian Province. During her period 18 new stations were opened. In 1983 the decision to wear uniform sari as religious dress for the sisters in Indian Province was accepted with a view of better adaptation of Indian culture and effectiveness in apostolate.
We Holy Cross Sisters are proud of Sr. Johanna Brandstaetter the great visionary of our time for her farsightedness and missionary initiatives.
On 14th September 2015 was an opportune time when a new shoot named Mid India Province branched out from the strong stem of Central Province, Hazaribagh. Superior General Sr. Marija Brizar read out the Decree of the Erection of Mid India Province During the solemn Eucharistic celebration presided by Rt. Rev. Arch Bishop Victor Henry Thakur, of Arch Diocese Raipur and installed the new provincial team and Sr. Georgina Nadukudiyl as its first Provincial Superior. General Councilors, Sr. Elsit J. Ampattu and Sr. Sheeja Kolacheril were present for this great event. It is the 4th province of Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross in India. Mid India Province has its head quarter in Raipur, the state capital of Chhattisgarh. Presently the Province has 21 communities in three states namely - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan with ---- sisters. The sisters of the province work in 6 different dioceses – Ambikapur, Bhopal, Indore, Jashpur , Raipur, Jashpur, Indore, and Udaipur.