The Educational Council brings together friars and other members with professional expertise and practical experience in education to advise the Provincial administration on the Province's educational ministry. Its principal responsibility is to assess and promote the quality of education across the Province's institutions, reviewing school performance and proposing strategies to raise academic standards.
The Council also helps implement and periodically review the Province's Educational Policy, ensuring it remains aligned with government regulations and standards while keeping the Province's schools faithful to their Franciscan identity. It identifies and recommends friars for professional and higher studies in education, so the Province is well supplied with qualified future educators and administrators, and it explores ways to ensure the financial sustainability of the Province's schools — particularly those serving poor and marginalized communities.
The Province of Mary the Mother of God is blessed with two shrines dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, along with a dedicated retreat centre — places of prayer and spiritual renewal that draw devotees, pilgrims, and seekers of spiritual guidance and consolation.
Shrine of St. Anthony — Sion, Mumbai
Shrine of St. Anthony — Sinnar, Nashik
The Province also runs the Shantivanam Retreat Centre in Raipur, offering a peaceful environment for retreats, prayer, reflection, spiritual renewal, and personal accompaniment. Through these spiritual centres, the friars nourish the faith of the people and offer spaces where visitors can deepen their relationship with God and experience the richness of Franciscan spirituality.
