Goa Training Equips Religious Sisters with Research Skills for Ministry

Goa, October 14, 2026: A ten-day research training programme in Goa has equipped religious sisters with skills in research methodology, data analysis and academic writing to strengthen evidence-based planning and decision-making in Church and social ministries.

The Certificate Course in Religious and Social Research was organised by the Centre for Research on Religious India (CeRRI), in collaboration with the Conference of Religious Women India (CRWI), at Institute Mater Dei, Old Goa, from October 5 to 14.

The programme brought together sisters working in education, social work, leadership, formation, theology and safeguarding. It combined academic sessions with practical exercises and research proposal presentations.

Sr. Vijo Arul Selvi CFMSS, Research Coordinator at CeRRI, urged participants to engage systematically with social realities to understand people's needs and promote more just and humane communities.

Sr. Molly Mathew MSMHC, Executive Director of CRWI, described research as “an act of attentive listening”. She observed that the knowledge and experience religious sisters had accumulated through years of service often remained undocumented.

She said CRWI established CeRRI to document their contributions, study religious life and ministry, and support informed planning and leadership.

Fr. Paul Pudussery CSC, Lead Researcher at CeRRI, conducted sessions on formulating research questions, reviewing literature, developing conceptual frameworks, sampling methods and preparing research proposals. He encouraged participants to assess the relevance of their proposed studies by asking, “So What?”

Dr. K. Thiyagu, Associate Professor at the Central University of Karnataka, covered technology-assisted research, scholarly literature searches and reference management using Zotero. He also explained the reliability and validity of research instruments and emphasised the importance of human judgment and creativity in the use of artificial intelligence.

“Me First… AI Next… Me Best…” he said, underscoring the need to keep human intelligence central to AI-assisted research.

Dr. Sudhesh N. T., Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, addressed research design, feasibility, ethical considerations, participatory approaches, data management and statistical analysis. He highlighted informed consent, confidentiality, voluntary participation and respect for participants' dignity.

Dr. Patrick Jude L., Assistant Professor at the university's School of Psychological Sciences, trained participants in defining research problems and framing research aims and objectives. His sessions covered qualitative and mixed-methods research, interviews, focus group discussions, thematic analysis, academic writing and publication.

“Be inspired by AI, not controlled by AI,” he said, urging the sisters to use artificial intelligence responsibly.

The course concluded with presentations and evaluations of research proposals, feedback and certification. Participants were encouraged to complete their projects within six months with CeRRI's guidance, with the aim of applying research findings to improve their ministries and address community needs.

By Sr. Grace Lily FS,

Institute Mater Dei,

Old Goa