Mysore: Sr Jyothi Fernandes Elected Provincial Superior of Ursuline Franciscan Sisters
Media Release
Mysore, Jan 6: Sr Jyothi Fernandes has been elected as the provincial superior of Mysore Province. Sr Apoline Corediro, Gratia Pinto, Mary Mendonca and Irene Leena Pais have been elected as provincial councillors. The provincial chapter was held in the city recently.
The congregation of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters (UFS) had made their first appearance on the soil of Mangalore on April 10, 1887 Easter Sunday. Fr Urban Stein S J, the then parish priest of the Cathedral Parish. was the founder of the congregation. The congregation is dedicated to the missionary apostolate, pastoral assistance and catechesis. With the numerical growth and expansion of apostolic activities, the congregation decentralized itself into four Provinces.
The Mysore Province was established in the year 1997. Since then, there has been a steady growth in the mission and increase in the number of vocation.
The Province has 283 sisters spread out in 10 dioceses with 36 convents and 65 formees for the year 2009.
We congratulate the newly formed Provincial team and implore God’s blessings on them and also for the mission ahead of them.
A brief profile of Sr Jyothi:
Born on May 27, 1949 to late Raymond Fernandes and Christine Fernandes, Sr Jyothi had her early education at St Francis Higher Primary School in Mudarangady, high school at Milagres, Kallianpur, PUC and BSc in St Agnes College, Mangalore and B Ed. at St Ann's Mangalore. She took her first religious vows in 1970 and Final Commitment in 1975. She was taught for two years at St Theresa's High School, Beltangdy and had her (Theology) masters in religious sciences from Gregorian University, Rome from 1976 to 1980.
She served as an assistant novice mistress from 1981 to 1986, as novice mistress from 1986 to 1992, as regional superior of East Karnataka region from 1992 to 1997 and as the provincial superior of the newly formed Mysore Province from January 3, 1998. Sr Jyothi has many firsts to her credit, one being holding of two consecutive terms in whatever office she held.
Being a very simple, accessible, down-to-earth and dynamic person, she has excelled in academics as well as in spiritual matters. She had been the national executive committee member of the Catholic Religious Institutions (CRI)’s head office at New Delhi from 1998 to 2000 and the executive committee member of Karnataka Regional CRI for two terms (1998 - 2003). She is also a resource person for CRI and has delivered a number of talks to the members. She has preached retreats to the novices and sisters of her congregation.