The clarion call of Pope Leo XIII, ‘Thy sons of India are the ministers of thy salvation’ towards the end of 19th century, clearly expressed the longing and need for an indigenous Society for promoting the welfare of India, already felt by many missionary minded persons, both Indian and foreign. The urgency for the foundation of such a missionary congregation was necessitated by the scarcity of missionaries and the internment of the Italian and German missionaries by the British Government in India during the World War II.

Fr. Gasper A Pinto, the Founder of the IMS, landed in Benares on 3 November 1941. He began to gather a few students and a priest collaborator in the person of Fr Joseph Kachapilly of Vijayapuram diocese. After some search he got a plot of land, six kilometres away from Varanasi city and registered it on 25 March 1943 and christened it Christnagar and started the construction of the Motherhouse. Meanwhile Fr. Kachapilly took care of recruiting the students, and as Rector organized the seminary and formation of the candidates. The Society received canonical approval on 13.03.1945 as an Association of Priests.

Mgr. Jos A.E. Fernandez,a priest of the diocese of Mylapore, succeeded Fr Pinto as the Superior of the IMS from 1947-1959. He dared to accept the challenges in spite of several major hurdles and assumed the responsibility on 7th November 1947.