Franciscan friars first arrived in India in 1291 to preach the Gospel. Their mission continued for over five centuries, until a hostile Portuguese colonial government brought it to an end in 1838; the last of these early missionary friars died in Kolkata in 1893. In 1925, friars of the English Province returned to India, but their numbers remained small, and this renewed effort, too, gradually came to an end.
The present Franciscan presence in India was re-established by Dutch friars in 1948. Since then, the Franciscan family in India has grown considerably. Today it comprises 44 houses — including 2 ashrams and 2 children's homes — together with 24 parishes, 8 schools, 1 college, and 1 Institute of Philosophy.
Around 200 friars in India are organised into three units: the Mother Province of St. Thomas the Apostle, covering the states of South India, and the Province of Mary the Mother of God, covering Maharashtra, Goa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh and the Foundation of St. Francis of Assisi covering Assam and Meghalaya.
