Indian nun to be beatified by Pope today

By Vaiju Naravane

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8. Mother Mariam Thresia, founder of the Holy Family apostate, which runs hospitals and schools across India will be beatified by Pope John Paul II at a special ceremony in St. Peter's Square here on Sunday. Only three other Indians have been raised to the honours of the alter, or beatified, by the Church so far. Beatification, in the Roman Catholic Church, is the second stage in the process of canonisation. The beatified person is called ``Blessed'' and a limited cult is authorised.

Over 2,000 people expected to attend the ceremony on Sunday when a special mass will be celebrated. Some 85 persons have come to Rome especially for the beatification, including seven bishops and several priests and nuns. The beatification, one of five that will take place on Sunday, is part of the Holy Year Celebrations decreed by Pope John Paul II.

Mother Mariam Thresia, whose real name was Chiramel Mankidiyan, came from a devout Catholic family from Kerala. Born on 26 April 1876, she founded the order in 1914 and died in 1926 at the age of 50.

Sister Mary Pasteur, Superior-General of the Order told TheHindu: ``Chiramel Mankidiyan was a remarkable person. She came from a family that had lost all its wealth paying the dowry of seven aunts and she grew up in poverty. Her work lay with families affected by drink, immortality and violence. She worked at a time when women were not encouraged to go outside the home, so in many ways she was a social reformer as well.''

Chiramel founded the order with three of her friends who took care of the poor and needy.

``There was a great deal of objection to their work in the beginning. But she persisted and the accent of her work was on families, mainly poor, suffering families,'' Sister Mary Pasteur said.

Her congregation, which runs hospitals and schools in India. Ghana and Germany, has 1,584 nuns today. Mariam Thresia has been described as a precursor to Calcutta's Mother Theresa. She is said to have suffered the stigmata, or had wounds like those received by Christ on the Cross and has been described as a great mystic.

The application for beatification was moved by the Bishop of Thrissur in 1975.

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