The Sisters of
St Charles of Borromeo
Faith, Toil, Progress
St.Charles Generalate
Kamba village,
Varap post, shahad
Kalyan west,Thane Dist
Maharashtra state – 421 103
Ph: 8976587778
The Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo
Kamba village, Varap post, shahad, Kalyan west,Thane Dist, Maharashtra, India - 421103
Karunalaya, Mysore
Karunalaya as the name means, a Temple of compassion came into existence as a fruit of the chapter decision in the year 2000. Late .Ms. Rosy Thopallil Our Ex-Nun ‘s persistent request to St.Charles sisters to help her in continuing the Charitable activities in Tandavapura was an occasion to pitch our tent in Tandavapura of Mysore diocese. The Then Bishop Most Rev. Joseph Roy gladly permitted and blessed our community foundation at Tandavapura on 12-7-2000 with its pioneer members Sr.Shobhana and Rosamma Joseph along with Ms.Late Rosy.
Sr.Shobhana being social worker started her service to the women and children through formation of Self help groups and Sr.Rosamma served the medical needs of people through the Nirmala dispensary. The orphan children who were cared through Nirmala Charitable home were placed in different Boarding schools as they needed better care and education. Having surveued the villages sisters came to the knowledge that village called Sindhuvalli which was 13 KMs away from Tandavapura had no access for medical care and had lacked catholic presence. Hence after much discernment the sisters shifted their residence to this newly purchased 5 acre land.
Being on the Ooty -Mysore highway this new community looked deserted, but took less time to attract the patients and the needy to obtain their compassionate care. History shows that the pioneer sisters had to struggle as they were living in poultry sheds with little alteration for privacy. These sheds were breeding shelters for the poisonous snakes and scorpions. Even today we find snakes around our campus due to the impact of poultry farm. Pioneers being austere persons did not feel much of the pinch of poverty existing in that community.
Sr. Shobhana used to collect some vegetables and food articles to feed the orphans and community as she returns from the villages. The province had to help in the beginning of the years with fund. Later in 2002 Sr. Hilary arrived as a new member of the community on a transfer and Sr. Vincy assisted her for the dispensary work.
As the dispensary picked up slowly , the need for new Karunalaya Health centre arose. Fr. Benito Desouza the benefactor from Bangalore was approached for the fund for the Jubilee memorial and he became the back bone for the strong foundation of karunalaya as he supported the Hospital for its construction of First floor and Operation Theatre and Ashraya Men and women’s wing. We also received Fund from Govt. For the Building of kitchen and Men’s wing at Ashraya.
Today with the help of Friends of Sr. Hilary from Aid organisation and One world along with Fr. Benito The hospital has grown gaining all the facilities and credibility. In 2019 January we registered the Pharmacy and in 2019 February we Got the GST Registration . Till 2019 August , Karunalaya functioned as a Health centre and later got the recognition as a Hospital with 25 beds.
Destitute Home
The congregation had a plan of starting a HIV aids Hospital but God had his own way in bringing up the Ashraya mentally Ill destitute Home In 2002 in the place of HIV Aids Hospital. Being active nurses in their career, Sr.Hilary and Vincy had no way to whiling away their precious time as the patients were less in the beginning. Therefore God showed him a man on their way to the church which is 8 KMS away from the place, lying in his own excreta , having bouts of several convulsions. Moved with compassion sisters brought the man with a parishioner’s car and took care of him with proper medicine and food .Since this work did not go un noticed, after few days they received a call from Govt Hospital where two dumb found paralytics were abandoned. Thus the news of care spread and the number slowly started increasing.
In 2003 a small building was put up for these people with the help of friends of Sr. Hilary from Switzerland the temporary shelter and a dispensary was ready on December 13, 2004. Both the buildings were blessed and inaugurated by the Bishop of Mysore, Most. Rev. Thomas Vazhapilly. He was impressed with the sacrificial attitude of sisters who first gave importance to mission than their own residence. He has repeated this several times in the diocese. This mission grew gradually with the help of many benefactors, especially, Mr.Alok Gupta, President of Hari Murari Trust. Thus today we care 72 mentally Ill adults who were abandoned from different states of India.
Having been healed and traced their house we were able to send 35 of them and 25 of them have passed away receiving dignified funerals. This mission has given us visibility and people have acknowledged our service. We have experienced His providential care through the generosity of several people which has motivated the sisters to continue in this mission.we remain grateful for all the sisters for their generous and overwhelming, loving service because of which this centre is sustained.
Spandana women and children development Centre is a Rural development wing of Karunalaya Charitable Trust which is run by sisters of St. Charles Borromeo. This centre caters to the women children Youth and prisoners through, awareness programmes, Right based activities, Formation and promotion of self help Groups and animation of tuition classes and child right clubs. It organises women’s days rallies, summer camps and personality development programmes . Through the prison welfare programmes , sees to the reformation rehabilitation and renewal of prisoners and their family. Being a part of Network of Amrat involved in work against human trafficking. Thus caters to the needs of Migrants and labourers .The activities of this centre given visibility and credibility to our presence here. We do organise self help groups, trainings for self employment , skill training for youth, spoken English classes, Tuition classes, health camps summer camps, environmental awarenesses, counselling services and distribute educational needs for children.
Karunalaya – Disaster management For the past 3 years the centre has been involved in various disasters caused by the natural calamity. In 2018 – helped in Kerala floods for cleaning and through monetary help. In 2019 floods in Nanjangud helped with food articles, visits to tents and counselling. In 2020 COVID -19, Through the help of ARISE Foundation we distributed food articles and masks to 400 people.
Argentina Region