Daughters of St. Anne , Ranchi Elect New Superior General and Four Councillors

Ranchi, September 13, 2026: The Congregation of the Daughters of St. Anne (DSA) has elected Sr. Linda Mary Vaughan as its 20th Superior General, along with four General Councillors - Sr. Nirmala Jyoti Kachhap, 1st General Councilor, Sr. Jacinta Kerketta 2nd General Councilor, Sr. Mary Kusum Tirkey 3rd General Councilor and Sr. Anima Dang 4th General Councilor during its 13th Ordinary General Chapter held from August 30 to September 11 at St. Anne’s Generalate, Loadih, Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The Chapter brought together 58 delegates representing the Congregation’s provinces and missions. Jesuit priest Fr. Joseph Marianus Kujur, Director of the Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, served as the Chapter Guide and Facilitator.

Held under the theme “Rooted in Christ” (Col 2:6-7), the Chapter reviewed the Congregation’s life and mission, assessed its work over the past six years and set priorities for the years ahead.

Sr. Linda Mary Vaughan previously served as Superior General for two consecutive terms, from 2008 to 2016 and from 2016 to 2020. Following a six-year interval, she has been elected to lead the Congregation once again. She was born and brought up in the Andaman Islands.

The Daughters of St. Anne is an indigenous religious Congregation founded in Ranchi in 1897 by Adivasi woman Mary Bernadette Prasad Kispotta, who is recognised as a Servant of God. The Congregation has completed 129 years since its foundation and currently has 1,129 professed Sisters .

The Sisters serve through four provinces—Madhya Pradesh, Gumla, Ranchi and Jalpaiguri—and two missions in Europe and the Andaman Islands. Their apostolate extends across six Archdioceses and 29 Dioceses, with the Congregation having 148 convents.

The Chapter reviewed reports from 11 commissions dealing with faith formation and evangelisation, communication, education, finance, formation, health, projects, safeguarding, social ministry, spirituality and youth. A report on the cause for the canonisation of the Congregation’s founder, Servant of God Mother Mary Bernadette Kispotta, was also presented.

Delegates assessed the implementation of mandates adopted at the previous General Chapter and discussed postulates concerning the Congregation’s future direction.

Three publications released

Three books documenting the Congregation’s history of last 125 years 1897 to 2022.

One publication documents General Chapters I–XI, which had not been systematically documented earlier. The initiative followed the advice of Fr. Joseph Marianus Kujur, the Chapter Guide and Facilitator, to preserve the proceedings and history of the Congregation’s previous General Chapters. A volume documenting the 12th General Chapter had already been released during the 12th General Chapter.

A second publication is a Hindi-language history of the Congregation covering its 125 years from 1897 -2022, making its historical journey accessible to Hindi-speaking readers.

The third volume, “Six Years Journey of Grace and Mission: 2020–2026,” documents the Congregation’s activities, reports and major developments during the past six years.

A key resolution of the 13th General Chapter was a renewed Congregation-wide commitment to the pastoral care and welfare of migrant workers.

The Daughters of St. Anne will focus particularly on migrants from tribal-dominated and other states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, who move to major cities and metropolitan areas in search of employment.

The decision reflects the Congregation’s commitment to extending its mission beyond its established institutions and responding to the social and pastoral challenges faced by vulnerable migrant communities.

The Chapter thus combined reflection on the Congregation’s history and identity with renewed attention to emerging social and pastoral needs, seeking to remain “rooted in Christ” while responding to the realities of people on the margins.

The General Chapter emphasised on moving from I to we, and from local to universal for taking the Congregation to greater heights in the years to come.

By Catholic Connect Reporter