Today's Vishakapatnam Province comprises the southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and part of Orissa. At present our missionary activity is concentrated mostly in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The province has about 130 priests and a number of Brothers in the mission field. Besides, there are about 200 students in various stages of priestly formation.

A good number of our priests are missionaries in villages and they work hard in the spirit of the pioneer missionaries. They bring a ray of hope to the poor, uneducated, and exploited people of the villages. Most villagers are landless poor who earn their daily bread by working for others. The average daily wage is about Rs. 40/- (about US$ 1/-); the wage of a woman is about half of that sum. Most people in the villages live in hunger, poverty, ignorance and unhygienic conditions, and they form the exploited masses. The pitiable situation of the people pin them down to the state of utter misery, and they cannot free themselves from the clutches of oppression. Our missionaries try to break the vicious circle by providing education to children and youth, through awareness programmes for adults, and by organising self-help programmes at the village level. The integral development of persons is the goal of our missionary efforts.

The zealous missionaries proclaim the message of Jesus, and in the context of the jubilee year 2000 we made special efforts to make Jesus known to the people. The proclamation of the gospel and the renewal of the Christian life is accelerated in our missions and parishes through prayer, renewal retreats and intense catechetical instruction. On the whole, the people cooperate in these programmes. In some of our missions a good number of people embrace the Christian faith with ardour and joy. The Province still maintains the missionary dynamism of the first missionaries However, there still remain many things undone: many villages do not even have a prayer shed. It is the inadequacy of funds, rather than the lack of enthusiasm which prevent us from extending our services.

Educational apostolate is an important aspect of our work in the province.  We have 16 schools of general education catering to about 18000 children. Through our educational apostolate, we impart knowledge as well as values. Our students and the parents appreciate our educational services because of the intensity and earnestness of our dedication and also because of the low cost to themselves. We consider the educational apostolate as a significant service to the people of the locality because imparting of knowledge is a contribution to improving the life situation of the people. The value imparted through our educational institutions help the children to become noble persons and useful citizens.

India is characterised by diversity of culture, caste and creed, and this variety often leads to tension and violence. Our educational institutions are a meeting ground for people of different cultures, castes and creeds, and they help break down barriers and foster values such as compassion, and respect for human person irrespective of religious convictions and cultural backgrounds. Teaching young people to respect others is a good investment towards peace, prosperity and progress of the nation. It is a sure way to peace within a country and also the path towards international peace and understanding.

Taking into consideration the problems of poor students, our province has established a number of free boardings in our mission centres, and provide them with free education and prepare them to become useful and responsible citizens. Hundreds of children profit from this facility. There is a need to increase free boarding facilities for poor children. The lack of financial means prevents us from providing facilities to more children.

We have 3 vocational training schools in our Province and they impart certain skills and train young people in some trades. In giving admission to these schools, we give special consideration to the poor; and a few hundred young men profit from our services every year. Our technical schools enable many young people to stand on their own legs and to become useful citizens.

The province offers many opportunities to engage in pastoral service and thus to contribute to the building up of the Church of God. There is a great demand for specialised ministries such as youth animation. Since the majority of our people are poor, it is of paramount importance that we come close to them in our life style and to show love and concern for them.

Our solidarity with the universal Church has prompted us to take up missionary work in St. Lucia, West Indies, at the request of the local bishop. Our two missionaries set out for this new mission field in June 1998, on the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. According to reports received, there is a good prospect for pastoral ministry and the Church there needs our help. We hope to send more missionaries in the course of time. The words of Jesus, "the harvest is plenty, but the labourers are few" (Lk. 10:2) are truly applicable to our Province too.

Hence, to meet the growing demands of the Church, the proclamation of the word of God and the administration of the sacraments, we recruit members who commit their lives to the noble cause of bringing people to faith in the person of Jesus Christ and carrying out the command of Jesus "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt. 28:19-20).