Sr. Regina Sebastian, appointed provincial of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master (PDDM) in India on October 31, has pledged to strengthen the congregation’s Eucharistic identity while embracing digital evangelization and emerging challenges.
She will assume office on December 7, together with her team of provincial councilors. She previously served as provincial councilor for spirituality.
In her response to the appointment, Sr. Regina described her vision as remaining faithful to the charism of the congregation’s founder, Blessed James Alberione, while responding creatively to a changing world.
“Rooted in the Eucharist, united in communion, and sent with hope, we journey together as women disciples of Jesus Master,” she said, outlining a mission centered on prayer, compassionate accompaniment, holistic care, and digital evangelization.
She said the congregation must remain grounded in its Eucharistic, Priestly, and Liturgical identity while addressing challenges posed by artificial intelligence, social media, ecological concerns, cultural diversity, and the spiritual hunger of today's people.
“People search for meaning through screens before they enter our churches,” she said, describing digital culture as a new mission field rather than a reality to fear.
While technology offers opportunities for evangelization, she cautioned that it can also contribute to loneliness, superficial relationships, misinformation, addiction, and spiritual emptiness. She called on the sisters to bring the values of truth, beauty, silence, and hope into the digital world through online formation, prayer initiatives, liturgical catechesis, and creative media outreach.
Her priorities also include deepening Eucharistic spirituality, strengthening sisters’ digital literacy and AI awareness, and promoting ongoing formation. She further emphasized interculturality, synodal listening, shared responsibility, and care for creation.
Accepting the responsibility with humility, Sr. Regina quoted St. Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Sr. M. Gracy D’Souza, superior of Prarthanalaya in Bandra West, Mumbai, expressed confidence in the provincial-designate’s leadership.
“Sr. Regina has been blessed by God with wisdom and intelligence, qualities that will enable her to work collaboratively as part of a team for the betterment of the Indian Province,” she told Radio Veritas Asia.
She said Sr. Regina’s spiritual maturity and stability would help her face the challenges confronting the province and guide it forward with faith and confidence.
The provincial-designate said the province’s future should be measured not merely by the number of its communities or ministries but by the depth of their encounter with Christ and the authenticity of their witness.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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