Missionary Congregation of the Daughters of St Thomas the Apostle (DST)

In order to strengthen the apostolic activities of Syro Malabar Church promoting the vocation in accordance with the tradition and heritage of the Syro Malabar Rite, and to meet the evangelization requisites especially in the mission, Very Rev Fr Jacob Thazathel with the encouragement, permission and blessings of His Excellency Mar Sebastian Vayalil, took the initiative and leadership for the foundation of the community for the women religious on 3rd July 1969 at Aruvithura, in Kottayam District, Kerala. The direct evangelization work and the apostolic activities in the mission are envisaged as its special charism. The DST is approved as a congregation of Major Archiepiscopal Status as per Decree No 3997/2003 by His Beatitude Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, the Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church. The Generalate house is situated at Bharananganam.  

Inspired by the words of St Thomas "Let us also go that we may die with Him" (Jn 11.16) they have courageously reached out to the region where the word of God has not yet been reached especially in many mission dioceses of North India and elsewhere. DSTs are spread out in many parts of Northern India. They are rendering commendable services in the evangelization activities of the church in various dioceses both in India and abroad. They have established 56 houses in the dioceses of Pala, Kanjirappally, Thamarassery, Thalassery, Palakkad, Idukki, Ernakulam, Tura, Guwahati, Adilabad, Chamba, Ujjain, Satna, Sagar, Delhi, Bijinor, Kalayan, Bangalore and in Germany and USA. The congregation has got 320 professed sisters, 23 Novices and 44 Pre-novices, postulants and aspirants.

In 1974, 10 DST sisters set out to render their maiden missionary services in the eparchy of Ujjain, in MP, thus to respond with generosity to the missionary mandate of the church in the new millennium. The Provincial House is situated at Khilchipur in the eparchy of Ujjain. At present DSTs have 7 convents with 36 sisters engaged in various apostolates witnessing and evangelizing in a multi religious context in Ujjain. The main apostolates in which they are engaged in are education, health ministry, special school for mentally challenged, boarding for multi disabled children, social work with manifold welfare activities such as self help groups, house visiting, income generating programmes, non formal educations, jail ministry …etc.