The Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, started on 24^th October 1838, by Very Rev. Fr. Peter Mary Mermier, Servant of God. At the very infant stage, the Congregation was entrusted with vast territory of Visakhapatnam Vicariate by Propaganda Fide, Rome. Fr. Peter Mermier had sent four Priests & two Brothers to Indian Mission. They were:

• Jacques Martin (Sup erior )
• Joseph Lavorel
• Jean Marie Tissot
• Jean Thevenet
• Pierre Carton
• Sulphice Fontanel

They landed in India on 8^th September 1845 at Pondicherry and reached Yanam on 16^th January 1846 via Madras by boat. On 17^th January the Pro-Vicar of Vizag appointed Fr. Martin as the Superior and Parish Priest at Yanam and except Fr. Martin rest of the missionaries left for Vizag on 19^th February 1846. Fr. Joseph Lavorel was asked to go to Kamptee near Nagpur and Fr. Jean Thevenet was sent to Jalna near Aurangabad. Fr. Tissot and the other two brothers remained at Vizag. Year after year many missionaries came from France and learnt the local languages and worked tirelessly preaching the word of God. It was in 1887 the original mission of Vizag or the diocese of Vizag divided into two dioceses namely Vizag and Nagpur.

Birth and Growth of the Visakhapatnam Province

In 1930 regions came into existence in the MSFS Congregation outside the European main land; henceforth here the MSFS unit began to be known as Visakhapatnam region. As the flow of the French missionaries diminished, there was a great need of local vocations for the Vizag mission. In that context, from 1927, the then Bishop of Vizag, Most Rev. Peter Rosillon encouraged vocations from India especially from Kerala. According to the then prevailing situations, those who joined Visakhapatnam mission naturally became MSFS therefore, till 1962 the Visakhapatnam Diocese and Visakhapatnam region of MSFS were almost synonymous.

Rev. Fr. K. E. Zacharias was the first Indian Regional Superior and he took charge of the region in 1951 and it was he who opened the first MSFS Minor Seminary in India (Kerala) and promoted vocations from India. Thereafter, Visakhapatnam region became Province in 1965 and Rev. Fr. Devasia Kuzhuppil was appointed as the first Provincial. The raising of the region to the Status of the Province in 1965, also has really helped the autonomy drive of the Congregation and for its rapid progress. Soon the Province extended its activities to all the Southern States of India and also to the North East India.

Visakhapatnam Province generally/dearly called as the Mother Province, gave birth to four Provinces in India & abroad. They are:

• North East India Province – 1990
• East Africa Province – 1996
• South West Province – 1991
• South East India Province – 2008

Thus the marvelous growth of Visakhapatnam Province helped the MSFS Congregation to spread out and to assist the local Churches and the Universal Church to stabilize and to expand. Now the Visakhapatnam Province is actively involved in various apostolates in India and abroad; Evangelization, Education, Formation, Vocational training and other Innovative Ministries, apart from Parish Missions and Foreign Missions like USA, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, France, Switzerland, Indonesia, Tanzania (Arusha), Australia and Papua New Guinea. In India we are working in three states; spread over 11 dioceses, having 36 Parishes, 21 Schools and 3 Technical Institutes. There are 177 Priests.

The Apostalets of the Visakhapatnam Province

The Province of Visakhapatnam of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales is very much active in three fold ministries 1. Parish Apostolate 2. Education of the Youth 3. Foreign Missions