Carlo Tancredi Falletti, the Marquis of Barolo, was born in Turin on October 26th, 1782. Distinguished by his intelligence, love for justice, and attentiveness to the needs of the times, he met Giulia Colbert at Napoleon's court. Finding a harmony of profound values and ideals, they were married on 18th August, 1806.
Though childless, their nuptial love, vivified by faith and sustained by prayer, led them to make their vast riches a gift of love toward others, especially the poor. The Barolo palace doors remained open for the miserable wretches and paupers of Turin. While Carlo Tancredi dedicated himself to civic service as a municipal councillor and Mayor, Giulia was an "angel of charity," working for the welfare of the poor and the moral upliftment of prisoners. Passionately interested in educating the less privileged, they founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann in 1834.
By 1861, the congregation had completed 27 years of service in Italy. Responsibility for the growing institute was then entrusted to Sr. Enrichetta Dominichi—the 2nd Mother and Co-founder. A woman of extraordinary missionary zeal, she became the creator and inspirer of the congregation's missionary apostolate.
Mother Enrichetta blessed and sent the first missionary sisters to India in 1871. On 22nd February 1871, they set foot in Secunderabad—a humble beginning that grew into a vast network across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, and Assam. Today, the sisters continue their work through dispensaries, hospitals, homes for the aged, and educational institutions worldwide.
St. Mary's Senior Secondary School, Moradabad, is an educational institution run by the Catholic minority community, named after the Sisters of St. Ann. Established in 1954 and affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, the school embodies the global mission of the congregation.
The Sisters fulfill their mission of Christian formation of children and youth while rendering charitable services, including health care, social work, and education for the poor. In India, the congregation manages several schools, an autonomous university, and a number of colleges, continuing the founders' call to "Forge ahead, with generous hearts."