Khrist Anandit Ruth Kispotta, later known as Mary Bernadette, was born to Mr. Puran Prasad Kispotta and Paulina at Sargaon (Mander parish), in a Lutheran Adivasi family, 32 kms from Ranchi, the Capital of Jharkhand state, India, on 2 June, 1878. Mary Bernadette Prasad Kispotta, along with three other Sisters – Cecilia, Veronica and Mary – founded the Congregation of the Daughters of St Anne on 26 July 1897.

Sister Mary Bernadette Kispotta Prasad, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Anne, is the first tribal woman to be declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church.

“Mother Mary Bernadette’s bravery came from her unshakable faith in Jesus,” he said. She and the “Sisters of the congregation defied all odds to spread faith and education in the region. They are heroines of the Catholic church”.

On 16 April1961, Mother Mary Bernadette breathed her last at St Anne’s Convent, Ranchi.