Main Stream: Mary Immaculate

The S.M.I. Sisters are inspired by the “Little Way of Spiritual Childhood” of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and guided by principles of the Preventive System (reason, religion, and love) in their educational and pastoral work. Their charism centers on evangelization and catechetical instruction of women, girls, and children, village and family visitation, community formation, and Christian living. They seek to bring the Gospel to every household, deepen faith, and cultivate Christian values through education and pastoral presence.

The Catechist Sisters of Mary Immaculate Help of Christians (SMI) were founded on 12 December 1948 in Krishnagar, West Bengal, India, by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow, SDB, a missionary bishop deeply committed to evangelization and catechesis. From their beginnings serving in India, the institute expanded internationally and became a congregation of pontifical status in 1966. Responding to an invitation from the Catholic Church in Tanzania, the Sisters first arrived there in July 1985, engaging in seminary teaching, village ministry, and family visitation. Over time, they established multiple communities and on 30 September 2000 were formally erected as the East African Province, with their provincialate in Kihonda, Morogoro, and houses in Dar es Salaam, Kibaigwa, Miyuji, Morogoro, Nzuguni, Njoro‑Same, and other Tanzanian centers. Today the Sisters continue evangelization, education, catechesis, healthcare support, and social outreach in Tanzania and beyond.

smidarsmi@gmail.com +255 23 2604066 — Provincial House phone