Daughters of St. Paul celebrate 110 Years of Mission rooted in Gospel and innovation

The Daughters of St. Paul commemorate 110 years of media apostolate and Gospel-centered mission, marking a milestone that began with Blessed James Alberione’s bold vision: proclaiming the Good News through the press and every emerging means of communication.

Founded in 1915 in Alba, Italy, the congregation took shape through the collaboration of Fr. Alberione, an Italian Catholic priest, and a young woman of deep faith, Teresa Merlo, later known as Sister Tecla Merlo.

She would become the first superior general and cofounder of the Daughters of St. Paul, shaping the spirituality and direction of a Catholic religious order destined to serve the Church across continents and cultures.

Today, the Daughters of St. Paul continue to live out their charism with creative fidelity. As part of their 110th anniversary celebration, they have expanded their innovative storytelling project, a dynamic, interactive digital narrative that blends video, images, graphics, and text to present the inspiring life of Sister Tecla. 

Originally launched last year, the project now features new versions in Mandarin and Korean and is fully accessible to the hearing impaired through sign language translation.

The launch video, accessible on paoline.org and various social media platforms, includes messages from Sr. Veronica Donatello, delegate of the Italian Bishops’ Conference for persons with disabilities, and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Archbishop of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

For the Daughters of St. Paul, this innovation is more than a digital upgrade—it reflects their deep commitment to inclusive and culturally relevant evangelization, particularly in Asia, where their mission continues to flourish. 

The nuns have a dynamic presence across numerous Asian countries, including India, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Mongolia. 

In these diverse contexts, they operate Pauline bookstores, produce and publish multimedia content, offer formation and catechesis, and support pastoral communication ministries in close collaboration with local churches.

In nations where the Church is a minority or faces cultural and political challenges, the Daughters of St. Paul serve as symbols of optimism through the silent power of communication. Whether through printed Bibles, online reflections, mobile apps, radio programs, or digital literacy workshops, their mission remains the same: to bring Christ to all people through the language of the media.

Sr. Anna Caiazza, superior general, expressed her joy on this occasion: “We are truly happy to tell the story of our cofounder, the Venerable Sister Tecla Merlo, to so many brothers and sisters in distant places across the Asian continent. Her story ‘smells of the Gospel’ and now reaches others through inclusive and visual-gestural communication.”

She added that the timing of the expansion—unfolding on the congregation’s 110th founding anniversary and on Trinity Sunday, the same feast on which Sister Tecla offered her life for the sanctification of the Daughters of St. Paul in 1961—makes the moment even more meaningful for the community.

As the Church in Asia continues to grow and become more vibrant, the Daughters of St. Paul reaffirm their identity as “apostles of communication”—women consecrated to God and sent to proclaim His Word in every form, to every culture, and for every generation. 

Through memory and innovation, they continue the dream begun 110 years ago: to make Christ known and loved everywhere.