Stella Maris College for Women

Stella Maris College is managed by the Sisters of the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Blessed Mary of the Passion was born on May 21, 1838 in Nantes, France. Since her earliest years God had placed his hand on her and was forming her for a challenging mission through the difficult circumstances of her life. She came to India in 1865 at the age of 26 as a Sister of the Marie Reparatrix Congregation and worked in Tamil Nadu for 11 years having mastered Tamil, the local language. Her love for the people who affectionately called her Passion Thayar, and her bold missionary initiatives for development work and the empowerment of women met with resistance, confrontation and misunderstandings by the local church. Under very oppressive circumstances, she and a group of Reparatrix sisters decided to withdraw from the Marie Reparatrix Congregation. She returned to Rome in November 1876 in order to explain her situation. The Holy Father, having heard her, asked her to write a Rule of Life as she perceived life in the Missions. Her Rule of Life was approved by Pope Pius IX on January 6, 1877 and the Institute of the Missionaries of Mary was born. Later in 1882 she affiliated the Institute to the Franciscan Order and the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary came into being.