Front Page   

Sister Alphonsa declared a saint

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday canonised four Catholic figures, among them Sister Alphonsa, an Indian nun who became the country’s first woman saint. About 40,000 people attended the ceremony here.

Others to be canonised on the occasion included the Ecuadorian Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran (1832-1869), Swiss nun Maria Bernarda Buetler (1848-1924), a missionary in Colombia, and Italian Gaetano Errico (1791-1860) from Secondigliano, in the Naples region.

Many of those in St Peter’s Square in Rome had come from India. Among them were large numbers of priests and nuns from Kerala.

Recalling in his homily the life of the new woman saint, who belonged to the Franciscan Clarist order, the Pope said she had been “an exceptional woman, who today is offered to the people of India as their first canonised woman saint.”

She had lived in “extreme physical and spiritual suffering,” the Pope said.

She “was convinced that her cross was the very means of reaching the heavenly banquet prepared for her by the Father.”

The Pope added: “May we imitate her in shouldering our own crosses so as to join her one day in paradise.”

Born in 1910 as Anna Muttathupandathu, and known as Alphonsa dell’Immacolata Concezione, Sister Alphonsa was so determined to enter a convent that she deliberately stepped into a burning fire to disfigure her feet so that her strict aunt would stop pressuring her to marry.

She was plagued by serious illness for much of her relatively short life, but was known for her stoicism and compassion. After her death at 36 years of age in 1946, miracles were attributed to her. Her burial place became a pilgrimage site, especially for those seeking relief from ill health.

Hundreds of visitors to the sleepy town of Bharananganam in Kerala’s Christian heartland offered special prayers ahead of the canonisation of Sister Alphonsa.

“I have been coming here for the past 20 years to seek blessings from her for my family, especially for my children’s studies,” said government official V.J. Joseph. “Today is an important day as the holy Church is declaring her a saint,” said Mr. Joseph, who came with his wife and two children.

The process of Alphonsa’s canonisation, the step-by-step procedure of raising a person to the high pedestal of a saint in the Catholic Church, began in 1953 with the Church setting up a Diocesan tribunal.

According to Church historians, Kerala is the cradle of Indian Christianity with St. Thomas, the apostle, preaching the faith after landing at Crangannore (Kodungallur) in A.D. 52. — Agencies

Stories in this Section

G-20 vows to stabilise markets
Six burnt alive in Adilabad
U.P cancels allotment of land for coach factory
Convert or leave Ladapadar, Christian families told
SIMI, Bajrang Dal dangerous, says Narayanan
Sister Alphonsa declared a saint
Cross-LoC trade set to take off despite hurdles
Godhra commission’s findings are partial: NHRC
Catholic Church celebrates Alphonsa’s canonisation
“In-built defence system against HIV in human body”
Violation of treaty will damage ties: Zardari
C’wealth Youth Games begins
Gripping final day’s play in the offing scoreboard
Shane Watson believes Sydney script can be repeated
Alonso finishes on top yet again
Backlog of LPG bookings high
12th century Chola inscriptions discovered at temple in Udaiyalur
IDSN tracks Japanese lunar mission
e-mail threat to target President
‘Nano’ may roll out on Tata’s birthday
Aavin to double capacity
New Cauvery bridge likely by December
Amitabh’s condition stable
RSP(B) decides to merge with RSP
Large number of Kerala animals, plants in Red List
INLD rejoins NDA
LJP to go it alone in capital
Flight to Delhi forcelands in Berlin
Financial assistance for farm women
Emergency landing
Show cause notices to 3 IPS officers
ICICI files complaint with police

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu