Sister Mary Joseph has been elected as the superior general of Missionaries of Charity, becoming the fourth occupant of the top post of the global organisation founded by Saint Teresa of Kolkata, a spokesperson of the order said on Monday.
She was elected to the post after Sister Mary Prema, who was the superior general of Missionaries of Charity for 13 years, recently sought to be relieved of her responsibilities, spokesperson Sunita Kumar told PTI.
Septuagenarian Sister Joseph, who was the secretary of Saint Teresa of Kolkata for years, was earlier the regional superior of the organisation in Kerala before being elected to the top post on Saturday night, Kumar said.
The election process, which was kept under the wraps till the names were announced, was participated by nuns of the order from across the world at its headquarters in Kolkata.
"We will issue a formal notice with details about Sister Joseph later this month," Kumar said.
She said that Sisters Christie has been elected as assistant general, Sister Cecile as the second councillor, Sister Marie Juan as the third councillor and Sister Patrick as the fourth councillor.
Sister Nirmala had succeeded Saint Teresa of Kolkata as the head of the Missionaries of Charity after her death and had stepped down in 2009 for health reasons.