Media Release

Bengaluru, Aug 6: The feast of St Elijah that was held on July 20 was a great day of significance and joy for the Apostolic Carmel Congregation as the installation ceremony of the newly elected superior general Sister Maria Nirmalini AC, her councillors, secretary-general and Bursar general, took place at the Apostolic Carmel Generalate in Bengaluru.

Sr Maria Nirmalini was elected superior general on February 23, 2020 in the 20th Ordinary General Chapter.

The installation day started with a meaningful morning prayer and Holy Eucharist, thanking God for the outgoing superior general Sister Susheela and her team along with asking God’s blessings on the new superior general and her team after which Sr Maria Niramalini AC as the 12th superior general and her councillors were formally installed.

The handing over of charge of the Apostolic Carmel Congregation from Sr Susheela, the outgoing superior general to the superior general elected, Sr Maria Nirmalini was done through the presentation of the traditional symbols of the office viz., the seal of the institute and the book of prayers of Mother Aloysia with the prayer that the spirit of prayer, zeal, humility and obedience of our foundress venerable Mother Veronica may be kept alive in all that Sr Maria Nirmalini plans and executes for God, for the Church and for the Congregation.

The outgoing team handed over their responsibilities to the newly elected team by handing over a lighted candle followed by a prayer by the new superior general. Te Deum was intoned. The sisters witnessed this great event and paid their allegiance to the new Superior General.

The newly-elected team members are -- Srs Linette, Ancilla, Vimala Paul, Nessa the councillors, Sr Maria Aradhana secretary-general, Sr Maria Pavitha, Bursar general.

The new team was felicitated and greeted by the sisters of the outgoing team and sisters of the Lourdes Convent.

Sr Maria Nirmalini AC was born to God-fearing Mangalurean parents late Alex Nazareth and Juliana Nazareth, in Mumbai in the year 1965 and had her upbringing in Mumbai along with three brothers and three sisters. She graduated from Mumbai University after which she heeded God's calling to religious life and joined the Apostolic Carmel. She had her religious studies in Mangaluru from1986 to 1990 and made her first profession in 1990. She holds a post-graduate degree in MA (Education) and MCom.

Sr Nirmalini a dynamic and highly motivated person was the principal of Mount Carmel Convent School, Delhi from 2002 to 2015 and has made an impact on students, staff and the church by her remarkable involvement in human right movements and contributions to the society. She has been the organizer of many seminars for educational institutions both in the church and secular as well.

She has been the recipient of many awards such as World Human Rights Award, Best Principal Award, World Disaster Education Award, the Best Teacher Award. She has held several offices viz., member of the CRI - Educational Cell (2003), member of the Education Commission – Delhi archdiocese (2003), member of the advisory committee - Delhi Minority Commission (2008), secretary of the Education Commission - Delhi archdiocese (2010), regional secretary of the Education Commission North India (2009 –2015). Sr Nirmalini was invited to address the Bishop’s press Conference at Fulda, Germany during the MISSIO Mission Campaign-India on Christian attack in Kandhamal Orissa. She also addressed the German parliamentarians separately on the situation of minorities in India.

She was elected as Provincial Superior of The Apostolic Carmel-Western Province in 2015 and re-elected in 2018 for another term of three years. She was appointed as the member of Mumbai Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. She was also appointed in the Election Commission by Delhi High Court to oversee elections of YMCA India in 2019.

The new superior general along with her team thus came forward during these challenging times and said,

“In the words of Martin Luther King ‘I have a dream’ so we the General Council in keeping with our General Chapter theme to be rooted in our charism, we respond prophetically to the needs and challenges of our life and mission today. We as a team are here to be with and to accompany our sisters on this journey of seeing things anew. We believe that God will work at His own pace when we will let Him. We know we can walk this journey together. But without God, we can do nothing and are nothing, as Jesus says in the gospel of John, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

We ask God to bless all the plans and endeavours of the new superior general and her team and lead them forward to fulfil the mission of our foundress Mother Veronica.