A RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY FOR WOMEN IN GOA
Society of St. Ursula, St Mary’s Home Siolim, Vaddy, Goa
History of the Society of St.Ursula
Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs nor out of theological arguments but out of love Roland Allan .
Our Foundress Venerable Anne De Xainctonge was born on 21St November 1567, in France.in an Aristocrat family. In the 16th century girls didn’t have the opportunity for education, drawing inspiration from the Jesuit fathers ,our Foundress was inspired to to see for the education of girls. On 16th June 1606. Venerable Mother Anne founded the Society of St. Ursula in Dole, France. She desired to dispel the ignorance in women and girls of her time and laboured towards this cause tirelessly .
In 1962 S.r Nicholas and her companions came to India and began their work in Pune . The started educational institutions and followed the motto of our Foundress - “we shall not carry big torches but only little lamps which will throw light on the path of women and girls”. Keeping in touch with this reality and reading the signs of time, Sr. Nicholas opened a home for the aged in Siolim, Goa. In 1963, Mr. Francis from pune camp donated his ancestral house to Sr. Nicholas which was located in Vaddi, Siolim ,with a request to convert it into a home for the aged along with a caretaker, an elderly woman named Sabina . She was living in this house all by herself and seeing to the maintenance. In 1967, she fell sick Sr. Xaveria being a nurse was sent by Sr. Nicholas along with the postulant Ida ( Sr. Theresa D’mello.) because she could converse in Konkani to look after Sabina.
Sr. Augusta the Novice Mistress visited the postulant Ida and seeing the situation requested Sr. Nicholas to get Sabina the caretaker admitted in a home for the aged in Panjim. The house was then locked. In 1980, Sr. Nicholas Retired as principal of St.Ursula school, Pune and came to Goa, Siolim with Sr. Xaveria to begin the home for the aged in the house donated by Mr. Francis. In 1981, the neighboring house was procured by Society of St. Ursula. Here the Home for the aged officially began on 15th August 1983. The Society of St. Ursula purchased the house in parts and slowly owned the house by 1991. So, then, thereafter in 1991 onwards Sr. Anne and Sr. Surekha looked after the elderly over here. The Sisters continued to live in the upper house, many elderly women got admitted but due to lack of space a big number was disappointed. The society of St. Ursula, then decided in March 1998 to extend the building. The extension building work was completed in 1999. In the Year 2011 the upper house was built. It was decided that the lower house to be repaired and reconstructed for the sisters so that we could give more comfort and facilities for our elderly.
Together with Mother Mary the patron of our congregation we sing ‘‘My soul glorifies the Lord for He has done great things for me holy is His name”