In 1932, two Dutch and two German Sisters founded our mission in Pringsewu (South Sumatra) in Indonesia, formerly a Dutch colony. They came at the urging of the Sacred Heart priests of the Nijmegen Province (the Netherlands), who had long been waiting for support for their work in this mission area. Since then, the missionary work of our Sisters has spread to various islands and is carried out solely by native Sisters.
Since 1993, our Sisters have been working in East Timor, which gained independence as a state at the turn of the millennium.
There are currently around 280 Sisters living in over 30 mission houses in our Province St. Joseph. They serve in the following apostolates:
- Work with children in kindergartens, boarding schools, and orphanages
- Teaching in elementary, middle, and high schools
- Care of the sick, mostly in our own hospitals
- Parish work, e.g., catechesis, faith enrichment for various ages, vocation work, religion classes, and accompaniment of school-aged children
- Social work
- Formation for religious life
- Administration
