By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy
Secunderabad, April 13, 2006: The Daughters of St. Paul, known worldwide as “The Media Nuns,” have taken a bold new step in India with the inauguration of the Pauline Counseling Centre in Secunderabad.
The initiative marks a significant expansion of their mission, blending their traditional media apostolate with pastoral care for emotional and spiritual well-being.
Founded in Italy in 1915 by Blessed James Alberione, the congregation has long proclaimed the Gospel through communication.
In India, their presence dates back to 1951, with a flourishing publishing house in Bandra, Mumbai. Now, with 15 houses and 18 Pauline Book & Media Centres nationwide, the sisters are adding counseling to their ministry.
“In principle it is okay to have a Counselling centre, as we are helping for the welfare of the people,” explained Pauline Sister Anne Plathara, a professional counselor.
Safe space for healing
The centre was blessed and inaugurated on April 10 by the local parish priest Father Arogyam Marneni, who praised the initiative as “more than just a centre” but “a safe space for hope, healing and being heard.”
Sister Jessy Choorapoikayil, animator of the Bandra community, emphasized the urgency of the project. “Today people are burned out. A listening ear, an understanding heart, a trustworthy person to share with would help to unburden and heal the person. Counselling is the need of the hour.”
Her words reflect the growing challenges faced by young people and families in India, where academic pressure, job insecurity, and social media overuse contribute to emotional exhaustion.
Another Pauline nun echoed this concern: “Counselling centers are truly the need of the hour, as people of all ages are searching for someone who will listen and understand their struggles,” said Sister Matilda Rose, bursar of Bandra community and former Provincial Councillor.
Mission meets modern needs
The centre is staffed with professional counselors, including Pauline Cooperator Lt. Col. Shankardass, who recently completed his doctorate in family counseling. His services, offered at a nominal fee, strengthen the centre’s outreach.
Sister Arulmary Susai, former Provincial Superior of Indian Province reflected on the broader significance: “Humanity is part of the reality taking advantage of all these developments, but partly there is a great withdrawal, inadequacy, exclusion… All this gives us the opportunity to care for this particular need for our brothers and sisters.”
Sister Shalini Rose Kuzhithottyil, animator of the Shillong community, said, “The newly opened Pauline Counseling Centre in Secunderabad stands as a meaningful extension of the media apostolate of the Daughters of St. Paul.”
She added, “It is not only a place of healing but also a living witness to the Church’s care in the digital age.”
For the sisters, counseling is not a departure from their mission but a deepening of it. “As Paulines, we are called to nurture not only the intellect but also the heart and mind,” said Sister Matilda. “It is our mission to listen with compassion, to accompany those in need, and to become instruments of healing, hope, and understanding.”
Sister Claudette Miranda, bursar of Secunderabad Community, added, “People are very busy and have no time for one another… We offer this sacred space for the mental well-being of all who are lonely and who suffer.”
Living witness
While some within the congregation note that counseling is not traditionally part of their mission, the sisters see it as a natural extension of their charism. Their founder, Alberione, envisioned Pauline centres as places of “light and warmth in Jesus Christ.”
The Secunderabad centre embodies that vision in a new way, offering professional, confidential, and compassionate care. Its mission statement declares: “We believe that every life has a purpose, every wound can heal and no one should struggle in silence.”
As Sister Suman Tigga, animator of the Delhi Community, simply put it: “It is the need of the hour.”
With this initiative, the Daughters of St. Paul are not only responding to the cries of a stressed and fragmented society but also rediscovering their mission in the digital age — proclaiming Christ through listening, healing, and hope.
(Photo YouTube screengrab)