In February and March 2025, Br. Baptist D'Souza, Delegate of the Secretary General for relations with the OFM Fraternitas Foundation, visited the 3 OFM Entities present in India: the Province of St. Thomas the Apostle, which has the headquarters of the Provincial Curia in Bangalore (state of Karnataka), the dependent Custody of Mary Mother of God (Nagpur, Maharashtra) and St. Francis Foundation (Guwahati, Assam), for a total of 408 brothers (professed, temporary, novices and postulants). What may seem like a very small drop in the ocean (India has a population of about one and a half billion people), is actually a set of missions, stories, presences at the service of brothers and sisters in the faith and of the most needy people.
In the state of Chhattisgarh, the Custody of "Mary Mother of God" has a mission in Tilda, a city of about 26,000 inhabitants, where the friars are planning to build a school, and the land is cultivated.
The friars of the Custody are also present in Umred, a city of about 50 thousand inhabitants in the district of Nagpur, state of Maharashtra, where they welcome aspirants from northern India – currently there are 20 led by 3 friars.
In the state of Madhya Pradesh, there is a large amount of agricultural land available in the Barul Mission: the goal is to activate various projects to help the local people by allowing them to cultivate the land.
Moving further south, in the state of Telangana, in the city of Hyderabad there is the Reddypalem mission, in which a small friary is being built inside the St. Lawrence school, which is also under construction.
St. Francis Foundation in the Northeast, has a very special history, starting with its geographical position. Located in northeastern India, it is nestled between Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar. In the state of Assam, the mission of Diphu has recently inaugurated a new school building, while the mission of Salbari, where the friars are engaged in education and pastoral ministry, the aspirants to the OFM are welcomed, this year in 35.
Moving further south, to the state of Meghalaya, the Mission of Nongjri sees the friars engaged in educational and pastoral ministry. The mission runs a school that welcomes Khasi tribal children from kindergarten to 10 years old, and a hostel that houses 140 children from economically poor backgrounds.
The Province of St. Thomas the Apostle hosts on its territory, to be precise in Palamaner, State of Andhra Pradesh, the cradle of Franciscan formation in India. Here the friars take care of the novitiate, the House for Aspirants, the educational and pastoral ministries. The friars also support the education of children and provide medical assistance to the elderly and needy.
In the state of Kerala, in the mission of Chippilithode, the friars are engaged in pastoral and social ministries, and in agricultural projects, with several jackfruit plantations. In addition, they continue to help and support those affected by last year's terrible landslide in Wayanad district, assisting and supervising the construction of houses and retaining walls for families.
In the Chundale Mission, also in Kerala, the friars are engaged in social ministry, working with tribal communities on tea plantations and following the construction of houses for them. In Madapurachal, the friars run a basic formation house for 29 students who are studying philosophy.
In the state of Tamil Nadu, in Chennai the friars of Nesakkaram are dedicated to the care of children, whilst in Nesavanam they hold various meetings for children and women.
