The seed of Christianity was planted in the soil of Chotanagpur by Rev. Fr. Augustus Stockman, SJ, the first Catholic missionary of Chotanagpur who arrived in Chaibasa, Jharkhand from Belgium in 1868. Today the tiny seed has sprung its branches in all directions and is going on spreading far and wide. Eventually, Fr. Constant Lievens, SJ, the Apostle of Chotanagpur, another Jesuit missionary arrived in Ranchi, in 1885 and the fire of Christianity as well as light of education was enkindled by him and other Jesuit missionaries in the dark places of Chotanagpur. Moreover, in1890 the Loreto Sisters from Ireland and in 1903 Ursulines from Tildonk, Belgium too came and joined with these missionaries and together they continued the mission of Christ through their selfless service to the people. God worked many wonders through them of which one was the establishment of an indigenous Congregation of the Daughters of St. Anne, Ranchi on 26 July 1897 by Mother Mary Bernadette Prasad Kispotta, Servant of God. In fact, Mother Bernadette and her three companions were so profoundly influenced by the Loretos that they took a revolutionary step and determined to remain unmarried in order to dedicate their entire life to God forever. Their foundational inspiration was-
“How these Sisters had left their dear parents, brothers and sisters as well as their friends and relations, their own country out of love of Jesus and had come to the godforsaken junglee area among the poor and lowly people and how they laboured day and night with great affection to help the souls to reach heaven. They said to themselves that if these Sisters sacrificed and did so much for them, then why should they not be ready to follow their beautiful example and work for the good of their own country and people?” (English Memoirs, pp. 2-3)
Having confirmed their genuine vocation, most Rev. Paul Goethals, SJ, Archbishop of Kolkata granted them permission to start a new Congregation. Thus, a beautiful flower bloomed in the rocky soil of Chotanagpur in the form of the DSA Congregation as the first fruit of mission of Fr. Constant Lievens. Indeed, it is God’s great miracle because it is difficult to germinate and grow in such a hard, dark and rocky ground of unbelievers in the initial period of Christianity in Chotanagpur. However, with God all things are possible.
The spiritual legacy of Mother Bernadette is a precious gift of God not only to the Church of Chotanagpur but also to the universal Church at large. She, along with her first three companions, namely- Mother Cecilia, Mother Veronica and Mother Mary began fourfold apostolate which is being continued by the DSA Sisters even today. The fourfold apostolate of Mother Bernadette are as follows-
Evangelization:The first aim of the DSA Congregation is to evangelize for which the Founder and her companions visited the distant villages on foot. What kind of difficulties and challenges they had to face is out of our word today. It was not an easy task to reach to far off rocky and hilly villages without the means of transportation. But these dedicated and brave women galloped the hills and rivers too. They walked bear footed without any long rest because they were fallen in love with their Divine Lover who went in search for lost sheep. “How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings” (Is. 52:7). Following their Divine Master’s foot-steps they got out in search for the lost sheep of their own time. When they reached to their houses, only the corner of the cottage was served to stay at night with cattle, since the villagers used to keep their cattle in one part of the house. Yet the Founder Mothers were happy because in such situation they could experience the presence of their Lord who was born in the stable and slept among the cattle in Bethlehem. While staying in the villages, Mother Bernadette and her companions ate with the people whatever they were served by them.
Education: Mother Bernadette and her companions drew attention towards the village children, who stayed out of door the whole day when their parents went for work. Their play articles were sand, mud and broken earthen pot. Nothing was done for their mental and physical development because their parents themselves were illiterate and did not understand the value of education. All the more, they would not send their children for schooling due to poverty. In this case the Founding Mothers were obliged to open the Primary Schools for such children in the remote areas. Slowly, in the course of time these Primary Schools were changed into Middle and High Schools. But in such a place and miserable condition it was not a simple job to run the schools. Their schools were meant for the poor Tribal children whose parents could not send their children to government or rich schools for education. However, the government was kind enough to pass an act according to which the poor Tribal children should be educated free. But the aid from government was not sufficient to run schools properly. Nonetheless, the Founding Mothers did their best to educate the poor children with full dedication and enthusiasm.
Health Care: Beside education, Mother Bernadette and her companions used to distribute medicine in the villages as well as in the dispensaries. For this some of them were given primary nurse training such as mid-wife. They served the sick and suffering people so patiently and lovingly. Since the poor villagers could not get medicine from big hospitals of city, they remained in their homes and suffer from diseases. Hence, the Founding Mother set out on foot to visit them along with some medicines and reached only after one or two full days’ journey. For this hard labour and service they were paid nothing, yet they cared for the sick generously and cheerfully.
Social Work: In addition to schools and dispensaries, the Founding Mothers stretched out their hands and feet for social service in the midst of poor and needy ones. Some grihini schools were opened for those young girls who never got the opportunity to go to schools and already came at the age of settle their life. So, in grihini schools they were kept five-six months before their marriage and were taught how to read and write, home science, sewing, cleanliness, poultry etc. Thus, the children and women including girls were the target group of the social service of Mother Bernadette and her companions. They helped them out to live a dignified life and uplift their social condition.