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Articles by Maria Nirmalini
Catholic nuns rejoice as Syro-Malabar Church avoids schism over liturgy
Catholic nuns in India rejoiced after a liturgical conflict that has troubled a Syro-Malabar archdiocese for decades was resolved. "We are really relieved, and we hope peace and happiness will remain permanently in our parish communities, homes and minds," Sr. Sherin Achanparambil said two days after the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese implemented a compromise to celebrate Mass, on the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle July 3.
Catholic nuns rejoice as Syro-Malabar Church avoids schism over liturgy
A priest celebrates Mass facing the altar in St. Mary's Church, Alangad, one of the oldest churches of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. (Thomas Scaria) Ernakulam, India — September 1, 2025 Catholic nuns in India rejoiced after a liturgical conflict that has troubled a Syro-Malabar archdiocese for decades was resolved.
Seeing church 'moving away' from India's young Catholics, sisters prioritize them Original
Catholic women religious in India have enhanced their youth ministry, with the aim to bring young people closer to the church and their traditions. "This involves not only working on their faith formation, skills training or academic excellence, but [also] understanding and accepting them as they are with their dreams, weaknesses and strengths," said Apostolic Carmel Sr. Maria Nirmalini, who heads the women's wing of the Conference of Religious India.
Catholic sisters demand safety for women health professionals in India Original
Catholic nuns have joined civil rights and women groups to demand urgent steps to prevent increasing cases of sexual violence against women in the country. "If a doctor could be raped and killed in a government hospital during duty hours, how unsafe is it for other health professionals?" asked Sr. Victoria Narisetti, the president of the Catholic Health Association of India, the largest nongovernmental network of health professionals in the country.
6 women's congregations in India come together to empower youth at risk Original
Partners and student representatives in the "Sisters Led Youth Initiatives" project, including (second row, from left): Apostolic Carmel Sr. Maria Nirmalini; Sr. Jane Wakahiu of the Little Sisters of St. Francis; Sabrina Wong; and Sr. Molly Mathew of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (Courtesy of Maria Nirmalini) Members of six women congregations have come together to empower "youth at risk" in Bengaluru, a southern Indian city with more than 3 million youth.
Training for grievance redressal infuses hope among Indian women religious
Participants join a group discussion during the Jan. 19-21 training on the Grievance Redressal Cell launched by the Conference of Religious Women India, at the Jesuits' Dhyan Ashram Retreat Centre in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. (Courtesy of Elsa Muttathu) Sr. Leena Padam is hopeful that Catholic nuns in India now have a platform for a "proper hearing and legitimate settlement" of their grievances.
Congregations in India shift focus on unmet needs of elderly nuns Original
Sr. Stella Baltazar visits a sister admitted to a special facility for infirm nuns attached to a hospital managed by her congregation, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu state, India. (Saji Thomas) Sr. Anne Mathew spends most of her time in eucharistic adoration in a home for elderly nuns in a southern Indian town. "Prayer works for me and is my strength," the 81-year-old former nurse, who had worked for years in Austria and Switzerland, told Global Sisters Report.
Synod small-table discussions put all on equal footing, UISG members say Original
You did not have to be present at the synod on synodality in Rome to take part in the landmark event, said sisters who were there. The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) on Wednesday, Dec. 6, hosted a webinar for its synod delegates to share their experiences and what they took away from the monthlong process. A second webinar on the synod is planned for Dec. 13.
Inclusion of women in Synod is an ‘opportunity to share from our sacred spaces’
Sister Nirmala with Pope Francis during his Apostolic Visit to Bahrain in November 2022 CHURCH Sister Maria Nirmalini offers her reflections on the synodal process in India before she participated as a member of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality. By Maria Nirmalini, A.C. The news of being selected to participate in the Synod on Synodality came as a total surprise to me, though a pleasant one at that.
Indian Catholic religious answer nun's call to solidarity, join protests
Catholic religious congregations in India seem to have taken a "wakeup call" seriously from their leader. "We cannot be silent when the country is burning with divisive forces everywhere," Sr. Maria Nirmalini, president of the Conference of Religious India, said in a June 1 letter addressed to more than 130,000 nuns, priests and brothers belonging to 399 congregations across the country.
Pope Francis has called us to a new way of being church
By Sr Maria Nirmalini Global Sisters Report It is indeed a joyous occasion to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ papacy and a genuine privilege for me to share a few thoughts on the impact the Holy Father has had on the world in general and on Indian women religious in particular over this decade. The first visuals at St. Peter’s Square on March 13, 2013, of Pope Francis’ election actually set the tone for what was to follow.
During Lent, examine your consciousness and your conscience
This Lent, I am tasking myself to consider another level of examen — specifically examen of consciousness combined with the examen of conscience. Examen of consciousness is drawn from Ignatian spirituality. Jesuit Fr. George Aschenbrenner describes examination of consciousness as the awareness of how God is touching and moving me in my reality. In this examen, we review our experience of God drawing us (John 6:44) in our full consciousness.
Pope Francis embodies the essence of our shared vocational life
Editor's note: On March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis. This week, leaders of four organizations of women religious reflect on what his papacy has meant, particularly for women religious, in columns for Global Sisters Report. Read more about Pope Francis' 10th anniversary from the National Catholic Reporter. The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is largely attributed to Frederick R.
Pope Francis has called us to new way of being church
By Maria Nirmalini Bengaluru, March 15, 2023: It is indeed a joyous occasion to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ papacy and a genuine privilege for me to share a few thoughts on the impact the Holy Father has had on the world in general and on Indian women religious in particular over this decade. The first visuals at St. Peter’s Square on March 13, 2013, of Pope Francis’ election actually set the tone for what was to follow.
Pope Francis has called us to a new way of being church
The other great challenge we face in India, as outlined in Laudato Si', is the care of our common home. India is a fast-growing economy, and in its race to catch up with others, it is tempted to sacrifice environmental concerns. More religious in India need to expend their energies on this area. The Indian church also suffers from what Pope Francis often refers to as an issue affecting the larger church: clericalism.
Reclaiming our innermost sacred space
No place or time can hold it back from us if we desire and heed our inner call of reclaiming our sacred space. Little by little, day by day, our spirits can recover from anything, if only we become attuned to our own internal frequencies and to our innermost divine spaces. Why do we need to deny ourselves our legitimate joyful self?
Camillian nuns in southern India bring hope, community to girls with HIV
Maria was 9 and a fourth grader in a convent school when she tested positive for HIV. She had lost her mother when she was just 3; her father, also an HIV patient, died in February. Maria (name changed) recalled her father and the hostel warden bringing her 17 years ago to Jeevadaan (Life giver), an HIV/AIDS rehabilitation center managed by the Daughters of St. Camillus in the outskirts of Mangaluru, a southwestern Indian port city.
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