In 1914 at the request of the committee of the Civil Hospital, under the Superintendent Major C.M.Brodrible IMS, through Bishop Vismara, the Bishop of Hyderabad, Mother General Mother Angela Ghezzi was approached and pressed on to send three sister nurses to take charge of the wards of the Hospital. The invitation was accepted after some consideration and three sisters set out from Italy to India accompanied by Sr. Anna Gemo the Provincial Superior. On 15 th Jan. 1915, they took charge of the wards. The strength of the Hospital then was 150 beds. The hospital comprised of sheds. The sisters lived in the market place in a rented house. When Mrs. Lyen the Matron resigned a year later, Mother Gabriel became the matron of the Hospital and was given the matron’s quarters as residence. She was also the superior.

In 1917 a new building was built with donations and was named King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM).When the Nursing School was started, the sisters were accommodated on the first floor of the Nurses quarters. In 1958, the Gandhi Medical College was opened and the name of the Hospital was changed to ‘Gandhii Hospital’ as it was affiliated to the Medical College. Today Gandhi Hospital has been relocated to a more spacious place. And the Sisters’ quarters are on the 8 th floor of the same.

On 8th May 1861, Fr. Barbero (PIME) asked his Superior Fr. Marinoni to send the Sisters of Charity to work in Secunderabad, a big military station. Their joint appeals to the Superior General Sr. Theresa Bosio together with that of Fr. Limana resulted in the arrival of four sisters in December 1869 to Bengal from Italy. Sr. Gonzaga Carminati, Sr.Theofila Paganini and Sr. Brigida Zanelli started work in Secunderabad in August 1869. Because of illness, the sisters were recalled in 1870.

Forty four years later, in 1915 the Sisters of Charity returned to Secunderabad to take charge of the civil hospital and in 1919 re-entered the very same school and the orphanage which Sr. Gonzaga and Sr. Theophila had left in obedience in 1870, and which had been in the charge of the Sisters of St. Anne of Turin ever since. They worked in collaboration with the Catechist sisters known as the Sagodaries. In 1920 the first Superior Sr. Alessia Taddei was appointed.

A widow’s home, a foundling home, a school and a needlework class were set up. With the increasing strength on rolls and its progress in academics, additional classes were opened. In 1930 the school attained the status of a middle school. Sr. Sofia Corti was appointed the second superior of St. Francis Convent.

In 1937 the Novitiate of the Catechist sisters was closed due to lack of vocations. New apostolic fields were opened in St. Philomena’s Parish, Bhoiguda; St. Anthony’s Parish, Mudfort and Sacred Heart Parish, Lallaguda. The Catechist Sisters joyfully collaborated till a community was set up at Bhoiguda and other two parishes were established.

In 1949 the first batch appeared for the SSLC public examination. In the same year, the secondary teacher’s training school was opened which functioned excellently well.

In 1962 the Mangalore Province was bifurcated and the newly formed Secunderabad Province comprised of all the houses in Andhra, Goa, Raichur and Dharwad. Mother Antoneietta Lucini was appointed the Provincial Superior of the new Province and St. Francis Convent also became the first Provincialate  of the Secunderabad Province.

After a decade, the school progressed to such an extent, that the management took a decisive step to start the junior college. In 1959 the college started with PUC and from 1960, the BA degree (1st yr.) course was started. By 1963 it became a full-fledged Degree College. 1963 Sr. Maria Franco was appointed the first Sister Principal of the college. In a span of 18 years the college made great strides and in 1977, the Degree College was shifted to Begumpet. Along with it, 12 sisters left for Begumpet to form a new community. 

1980 was another red letter date in the annals of St. Francis. The Provincialate was shifted to the newly constructed ‘Capitanio Convent’ at Begumpet.  

Today Hyderabad has emerged as a Metropolitan city with a thick population. The school has a strength of 2600 students and the Junior college has 1030 girls on its rolls. But we the Sisters of St. Francis have held on to our fundamental values and have tried to impart it through our apostolic mission. Thanks to the selfless services of all those who have lived here in the past, the dream of St Bartolomea has become a reality in this distant land - India. Years have rolled by but the Spirit is ever new and creative.

Asha Kiran was a response of the Sisters of Charity Secunderabad Province to the urgent needs of the prisoners who were concerned about their neglected children. It was felt that while they were in prisons as convicted clients, it would take a long time for them to return and in some cases even their partner was absent or unable to take care of the children. Children were out of school, with relatives who did not pay attention to their studies and some in poverty and that was a cause of concern. The sisters who visited the prison regularly to meet the prisoners made the concern of their parents and those without parents their own and thus with due discernment ventured into the mission of caring for the children of the prisoners.

The home was started in a rented premises at Vikrampuri and later with the help of Irish donors was able to purchase a house at Lalapet which is modified and used as the present home Asha Kiran. There are 39 children at present and three helpers to look after the welfare of the children.

The home which functioned as an extension of St. Francis Convent, Secunderabad was erected as an off shoot of the same community on 21 st June 2009 with three sisters as members of this home. The pioneer Sr. Rosy Arulappa takes care of the overall welfare of the children along with Sr. Irma Pothireddy a senior and experienced sister. Sr. Lissy Joseph joined the off shoot on 21 st June and continues to be in charge of the Domestic Workers Movement in Andhra Pradesh. She is also given the mandate to be in charge of the off shoot. Having been brought together as an off shoot, our major Mission is to serve the children of the prisoners in the Asha Kiran home, care for children out of school through bridge school education and we undertake the Welfare of the domestic workers in the state in collaboration with the National Domestic Workers Movement of which Sr. Lissy happens to be the Regional Coordinator.

The children in of the home come from different districts of Andhra Pradesh, from different religious backgrounds and different economic realities. Some of them are completely orphans, deserted by their parents. Some have one parent but in jail and for others one of the parents is languishing to complete the jail term in the prison. Most of them come from very poor economic backgrounds, broken homes and disturbed childhood. Some of them have never been to school; some are drop outs and others come from different educational systems and media of instruction.

The History of St. Philomena Convent can be traced way back to 1937. Two sisters went daily from St. Francis to New Bhoiguda to look after the children of the Parish . They taught them to pray and prepared them for the sacraments. On Sundays other sisters would join these two and together they would help the congregation to participate in the Eucharist. This work of evangelization continued upto 1954.

From 1942 the sisters commenced teaching the children to read and write .In 1954 a regular school was started and in 1955 the community was formed. The main apostolate is the school and they are also closely associated with the Parish.

Over the years the school sent out many well educated children who can contribute to the society not only through their knowledge but by a well built character based on values which was the central goal of education with the motto LOVE CONQUERS ALL.

Today the school has 1225 students mostly from the poor and broken families. In the year 1992 the school expanded the bounds of charity through N.I.O.S (National Institute of Open Schooling) to the drop outs who due to various reasons could not complete their basic education, to get their 10th and intermediate certificates. It continues to be a blessing to many.