Founder and History
Mother Mary Veronica of the Passion (1823 to 1906)
Mother Veronica (Miss Sophie Leeves), Foundress of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel, Mangalore, was deeply religious and highly intellectual. She was English, the daughter of an Anglican Chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople. Born on October 1, 1823, she was received into the Catholic Church on February 2, 1850. A life of prayer and renunciation culminated in the dedication of her whole self to the education of youth in the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition. On September 14, 1851, she became Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion, and the Cross had a large place in her life making her in truth, a victim.
She came out to India and at Calicut met the saintly Carmelite Bishop, Marie Ephrem, who guided her in her work of founding the Apostolic Carmel, a Congregation of Carmelite women devoted to teaching. She obtained the sanction of the Holy See and, leaving her own Congregation, she joined the Carmel of Pau, France, and then prepared a band of young girls, French, English and Irish, and sent them to India in 1870.
Three years later, when the Apostolic Carmel was firmly established on Indian soil, she returned to the Carmel of Pau, making the Apostolic Carmel the special object of her prayers and affection. In 1906, God called her to Himself, to reward her for her life of love, labour and sacrifice.
Mother M. Theodosia A.C. (1959 to 1972)
Mother Theodosia was the first sister of the Apostolic Carmel Congregation to be called as Auditress to Vatican II. As the first President of the CRI she opened Mater Dei as a Formation House for Sisters. Young Juniors were sent to the United States. Many sisters were sent to distant lands for studies – United States, Rome, Belgium and Canada. In tens and twenties, did we see sisters pulled out from all corners of the A.C. world and sent for Higher Education. She opened a centre for Higher learning – Carmel College, Goa. 
Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women is nestled at the foothills of Nuvem, Goa. It has the distinction of being Goa’s first and only institute for higher education for young, enthusiastic and energetic women..
The college was established in 1964 and is managed by the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel Congregation founded by Venerable Mother Mary Veronica of the Passion, way back in 1868 in Bayonne, France and later established in India in 1870. It functions under the divine patronage of Mary, Queen Beauty and Mother of Carmel.
The College will complete six decades of its existence in 2024 and in this span of time has incrementally strived to balance knowledge with employability, groom feminist leadership, instil an environmentally-friendly ethos in our students, facilitate innovative academic courses and develop modern infrastructure complete with cyber pedagogy. .
The pioneers of this prestigious institution were Mother Theodosia A.C. the then Superior General of the Congregation, Sr. Amabel A.C., the then Local Superior of Fatima Convent, Margao and Monsignor Ronald Knox, the Internuncio. The land of 32 acres on which the college exists today, was donated by Dona Thelma da Costa Lourenco to fulfil her deep desire of making higher education accessible to girls from Nuvem and the surrounding villages, in Goa itself, rather than going to Mumbai – which was the norm then as there were no institutions of higher education exclusively for young women.
Under the guidance and efficient leadership of the principals starting from Dr. Sr. Valeria A.C. (1964-1970) followed by Sr. Rosanne A.C. (1970-1984; 1989-1994), Sr. Jacinthe A.C. (1984-1989), Sr. Margaret Angela A.C. (1994-2000), Sr. Florence Mary A.C. (2000-2003), Dr. Sr. Emma Maria A.C. (2003-2009) and Dr. Sr. Maria Aradhana A.C. (2009-2020), the college has grown from a tiny sapling to a mighty tree with its students spread far and wide in the state, country and abroad.
The college had begun with the undergraduate courses in Humanities and Science (1964), but today it can boast of its expansion in academics as well as infrastructure. In academics the additions are the undergraduate course in Commerce (1987); postgraduate course in Commerce with specialisation in Management and Accountancy (2007), postgraduate course in Psychology with specialisation in Counselling Psychology (2007) and Clinical Psychology (2019) and postgraduate course in Food Technology (2017). The infrastructure of the college has also changed over the years to include a separate block for postgraduate courses, an annex to the library, a state-of-the-art sports complex complete with indoor stadium and Wi-Fi internet throughout the campus.
Within this span of almost six decades (1964-2024) the college has collaborated with various institutions like National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industries (GCCI), Centre for Environmental Education (CEE) etc. and has signed Memorandum of Understanding with institutes of higher education within the state and country. The college also has an ISO: 9001-2015 certification and is Re-accredited by NAAC with ‘A’ Grade (Third Cycle).
Carmel College has a spacious building with adequate facilities such as well-equipped laboratories and library, Wi-Fi internet, sports room cum gym, natural science museum, botanical garden, canteen; facility for games and recreation along with a Women’s Hostel and a large area for expansion. The serene and verdant environment of Carmel College makes it an excellent place for study, reflection and relaxation. With greenery and freshness all around the campus, it makes an aesthetic sight to the eyes of the beholder.
The management, faculty, students, administrative, multi-tasking staff, daily wagers and even our esteemed parents function as one united Carmel Family with a common mandate of academic excellence along with integrated and inclusive development of the students.
Our Vision is Holistic Development of youth through education amidst a challenging, changing and developing society and our Mission is to educate youth for altruistic leadership by integrating academic excellence and human ethics. From the beginning our students have been our pride and will always remain so. Their performance at the university and other professional institutions is outstanding and they are well placed both nationally and globally.
