National

“First Woman Saint of India”

The news that Blessed Alphonsa will be canonized by his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on October 12, 2008 has been received by the Catholics of India with boundless joy. She is the first Indian woman to be raised to the honours of the altar. Preparations are being made by the Catholics of Kanyakumari district to celebrate the great event in a fitting manner with a series of programmes which will conclude at Blessed Alphonsa Church on A.R.P. Camp Road, Nagercoil on Nov ember 8. On that occasion, Blessed Alphonsa Church, which is the first church in her name in Tamil Nadu, will be declared a pilgrim centre by his Grace Mar Joseph Perunthottam, Archbishop of Changanacherry, in the presence of a massive gathering of the faithful of the three Catholic dioceses of Kottar, Marthandam and Thuckalay. Several other Archbishops, Bishops and dignitaries are expected to participate in the celebrations.

Sr. Alphonsa was a young nun who lived an obscure, ascetic life within the four walls of a convent of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation at Bharananganam, Kerala. She suffered a prolonged period of illness and passed away at the age of 36. Her death was unnoticed by the public and her funeral was thinly attended. But God manifests His glory through little known, humble human beings. Soon some school children, who loved her, claimed to have received favours through her intercession. They were the first to throw light on the holiness of Sr. Alphonsa. Their devotion was taken up by elders. Her tomb grew almost overnight into a great centre of pilgrimage attracting devotees from far and near.

Now she is venerated all over the world as a paragon of virtues of patience and silent suffering. Many miraculous cures and other favours have been acknowledged by devout recipients through the intercession of Sr. Alphonsa.

As Rev. Fr. Siqueira S.J. pointed out. “Her short life was one uninterrupted pain of body, mind and soul – disease, misunderstanding (even by her companions), thoughtless and unkind criticism even by those who should have defended her.”

What sanctified Sr. Alphonsa’s life was her attitude to suffering and her heroic resignation to it. She had a firm conviction of the ultimate triumph of resignation to God’s will and her tremendous faith in the redeeming value of suffering, physical or mental, endured on behalf of Christ. She had a clear realization of the sufferings of Christ and longed to identify herself with His mystical body.

Therefore even in the midst of acute pain she was able to preserve the innermost love, joy and peace’. She told her Mother Superior that she was willing to suffer even more for the sake of a world that is plunging into ruin. She knew that it would prove redemptive to her and the world.

She even advised her colleagues and novices to accept suffering cheerfully, citing the Biblical references to the grain of wheat which has to fall to the ground and decay in order to sprout into a new plant. It has to be ground in order to be turned into wafer used for the Holy Mass. She also reminded them of the grapes which have to be crushed to make wine. This wafer and wine will be transformed into the body and blood of Christ.

In 1984 the Pope officially declared that Sr.Alphonsa had heroically practised Christian virtues.

The miraculous cure of the club foot of Thomas Athiyalil wrought through her intercession was formally approved by the Holy See on 16 July 1985 and she was beatified by His Holiness Pope John Paul II at Kottayam on 8 February 1986. Then the Canonization Tribunal was inaugurated on 26 February 2002.

The Tribunal submitted its report after a detailed examination of the miraculous cure wrought through the intercession of Sr.Alphonsa in the case of Jimil Ozhuthotty. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI confirmed this miracle on 1stJune 2007. The Holy Father will canonize her on 12 October 2008.

All Indians are proud to have St. Alphonsa, the first Catholic saint in India, born of Indian parents, who lived and sanctified her life in India. As Rt. Rev. Thomas Pothacamury, former Bishop of Bangalore suggested, “It may be that Divine Providence has chosen her to show that the richness and fullness of ascetic life is within the reach of all”.

Fr. Thomas

Powathuparampil

St. Alphonsa Church,