Our Origins

Growth and Global Mission

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann of Providence was founded in Turin in 1834, thanks to the vision and charity of Carlo Tancredi Falletti and Giulia Colbert, the Marquises of Barolo. United in deep faith and mutual love, they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to God and to the service of their neighbour.

Attentive to the signs of God and sensitive to the needs of their time, the couple opened their home to children who were abandoned or left alone in the streets, because their families could not care for them. Recognizing the vital importance of education, they founded the Congregation as an instrument of Providence for the poor and the little ones, embodying in history the spirit of Jesus who welcomed children with love and compassion.

From its very beginnings, the Sisters carried out their mission in villages and towns across Piedmont and gradually extended their presence to other regions of Italy, wherever their service was needed. They also reached out to the marginalized, including women in distress and prisoners.

Within just twelve years, the growing community received Pontifical Approval on March 8, 1846. Later, under the guidance of Mother Enrichetta Dominici (1829–1894), elected Superior General in 1862, the Congregation flourished and courageously opened its first missions in India in 1871, thus widening the horizons of their apostolic service.