The Little Servants of the Divine Providence are a religious Congregation whose history begins in quiet simplicity, rooted in a profound trust in God’s care for the poor and abandoned. Their mission has grown gradually from a single, humble home in rural India into a network of communities offering care, dignity, and compassion to individuals who are often forgotten: the mentally and physically challenged, the terminally ill, and those without family support. Their life of service is inseparably bound to prayer—especially Eucharistic adoration—and to a spirituality of surrender to God’s providence. In recent decades, this mission has extended beyond India to new cultural contexts, including the African continent. Their story is one of courage, faith, and the transformative power of compassion lived without condition.
I. The Foundress: A Life Formed by Service and Prayer
The story begins with Dr. Mary Litty, born in Kerala, India, into a devout Christian family. From an early age she displayed a sensitivity toward the suffering of others, which gradually matured into a desire to dedicate her life to God. Her vocation led her to join a religious Congregation and receive medical training, eventually bringing her to Rome, England, and Ireland to study medicine, tropical diseases, and pediatrics. These experiences not only broadened her intellectual and professional skill, but also deepened her spiritual vision.
During her time in Europe, she visited the “Little House of Divine Providence” in Turin, founded by St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, a saint known for placing absolute trust in God’s providential care while serving those most marginalized by society. The witness of Cottolengo’s work—serving individuals whom others considered burdens or outcasts—left a lasting mark on her. She returned to India with a renewed awareness that the love of Christ calls for concrete and tender service to the most vulnerable.
After years of medical service, her prayer and discernment led her to seek permission to open a home specifically for people who were mentally challenged and abandoned. The vision was clear and free of compromise: a life lived in total trust in God, depending on divine providence rather than institutional wealth or security. With ecclesial approval, she stepped forward into this calling with courage.
Mary Litty
II. The Humble Beginning
On January 17, 1978, the first home of what would later become the Little Servants of the Divine Providence opened its doors in a small, rented thatched hut in Kunnamthanam, Kerala. There was one resident, a woman unable to walk or speak. The home had no resources: no lamp, no utensils, very little food. Yet there was a profound sense of mission, a certainty that God Himself would provide for those whom society forgot.
The beginning years were marked by stories of providential care—food arriving when there was none, land being offered when the Sisters had nowhere to expand, people stepping forward at critical moments without being asked. The home grew not because of fundraising strategies but because of prayer, faith, and the visible presence of God’s grace. Those who visited felt as though they had encountered the Gospel made tangible.
This small house of compassion gradually attracted young women who shared the same desire to serve Christ in the abandoned and the suffering. These women became the first members of a growing community. Over time, what began as a simple act of trust became an established form of consecrated life.
III. The Growth of a Congregation
The community continued to grow steadily, shaped by its founding principles: trust in Divine Providence, service to the poor, and a life immersed in prayer. Houses were gradually opened across Kerala to welcome more residents in need of care. Each new foundation began in poverty and dependence on God, and each house slowly developed into a stable home of love and dignity.
As the number of Sisters increased, the Congregation expanded into new regions, including Tamil Nadu and northern India. The calling remained the same: to be a living sign of God’s tenderness in a world that often disregards those who are intellectually or physically disabled. The homes became places not only of care, but of community and joy. Residents were not treated as “patients” or “charity cases,” but as beloved members of a family, brothers and sisters in Christ.
In later years, the Congregation’s mission extended beyond India to Africa. Responding to invitations to serve in Zambia, the Sisters established homes for individuals living with physical and mental disabilities, as well as those affected by HIV/AIDS. The same spirit of simplicity and trust—so deeply rooted in their founding—continued to shape their work, even in new cultural landscapes.
IV. Charism: Trust, Service, and Eucharistic Love
The charism of the Little Servants of the Divine Providence can be expressed in a few profound themes:
- Total Dependence on God
The Congregation does not rely on fixed incomes, land investments, or institutional wealth. Instead, it entrusts all material needs to Divine Providence. This is not a passive trust—rather, it is a trust grounded in active service, prayer, and humility. - Service to the Least and Most Abandoned
The Sisters welcome individuals who have been rejected or neglected by society: the mentally challenged, physically disabled, terminally ill, and those with no family support. This mission reflects the Gospel conviction that Christ is present in the least of His brothers and sisters. - Centrality of the Eucharist
The heart of their daily life is prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. The Sisters draw strength, gentleness, and perseverance from the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This time of adoration is not separate from their service—it is its source. - Proclamation of God’s Love
Through retreats, parish ministry, and family support, the Sisters seek to nurture faith and healing in the wider community. Their evangelization grows naturally out of lives shaped by prayer and service.
V. Apostolic Life: Compassion in Action
The coCgregation’s apostolic works include several interconnected ministries:
- Healing Care
The Sisters provide holistic care for residents who live with mental or physical disabilities, chronic conditions, or terminal illness. Treatment is not merely clinical; it is deeply relational, characterized by tenderness, patience, and the conviction that every person deserves to be cherished. - Family Outreach
Many families suffer from conflict, poverty, addiction, or emotional fragmentation. The Sisters visit families, mediate reconciliation, offer guidance, and provide spiritual and practical support to help restore peace and dignity. - Retreats and Spiritual Formation
In parish and retreat settings, the Sisters offer preaching, spiritual counseling, and renewal programs. These retreats help rekindle faith, strengthen marriages, accompany young people, and support those overcoming addiction or personal struggles. - Parish Ministry
The Sisters collaborate in catechesis, youth ministry, and lay leadership formation, helping parishes deepen their life of faith and service.
VI. Connection with the Vincentian Charism
The mission of the Little Servants of the Divine Providence is closely aligned with the spirit of the Vincentian family. Like St. Vincent de Paul, they recognize Christ in the poor and dedicate themselves to serving Him in those most neglected. Their emphasis on humility, simplicity, and charity echoes core Vincentian values. Both traditions proclaim with their lives that the poor are not objects of charity—they are the “lords and masters” of those who serve them.
Moreover, the Congregation’s reliance on Providence reflects the Vincentian insistence on trusting God more than material security. Their ministries, born in prayer and carried out with compassion, embody the Vincentian conviction that true evangelization is inseparable from concrete acts of love.
VII. Today and the Future
Today, the Little Servants of the Divine Providence continue to welcome new vocations and care for hundreds of residents across multiple homes. Their mission remains rooted in the quiet power of love expressed in daily acts of service: feeding, bathing, comforting, praying, listening, and accompanying those who cannot repay them.
They face real challenges—resources are often limited, the needs are great, and the emotional and physical demands of care are significant. Yet the community continues to grow, sustained by prayer, supported by benefactors moved by their witness, and strengthened by the joy they find in serving Christ in the poor.
The future of the Congregation lies not in expansion for its own sake, but in fidelity to its founding vision: to love without counting the cost and to trust God without reserve.
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The Little Servants of the Divine Providence offer the world a witness that is both simple and profound: love, when lived sincerely, becomes a source of healing, hope, and transformation. Their story reminds us that holiness is not found in extraordinary achievements, but in small acts of devotion carried out with great love. Their homes are places where the powerless are honored, the wounded are embraced, and the forgotten are remembered. Their life shows that when trust in God is sincere and love for the vulnerable is bold, the Gospel becomes visible—and alive.
Contact:
- Address: House of Providence, Kunnamthanam PO. Thiruvalla (Via). Pathanamthitta District, Kerala State, India. 689 581
- Telephone: +91 0469 2692462
- Email: lsdpknm@gmail.com
- Website: https://divineprovidenceknm.org/
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