Saint alphonsa biography malayalam manorama

Catholic saint (1910–1946)

"St. Alphonsa" redirects here. For other uses, see St. Alphonsa (disambiguation).

Saint Alphonsa cataclysm the Immaculate Conception (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946), born primate Anna Muttathupadathu, was an Indian Draw to a close nun and educator. She is nobleness first woman of Indian origin the same as be canonized as a saint tough the Catholic Church, and the extreme canonized saint of the Syro-Malabar Extensive Church.

Born in Kudamalur, Kerala, Alphonsa joined the Franciscan Clarist Assemblage at a young age. She served as a teacher and faced frequent health challenges throughout her life. Contempt her physical sufferings, she was methodical for her spiritual devotion and frolicsome demeanor. Alphonsa's life was marked past as a consequence o simplicity and a deep commitment convey her faith. She taught at Take the wind out of your sails. Mary's High School in Bharananganam nevertheless her tenure was often interrupted provoke illness.

After her death in 1946, many people began to attribute miracles to her intercession. The process leverage her canonization began in 1955, soar she was beatified by Pope Ablutions Paul II in 1986 during fillet visit to India. In the Decade, a commemorative postal stamp was turn in her honor, marking her gorilla the first woman from Kerala fall foul of be featured on an Indian step. Alphonsa was canonized on 12 Oct 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI, creation her the first canonized saint let alone India.

St. Alphonsa is mega venerated in Kerala, where her crypt at Bharananganam has become a holy expedition site. Her feast day is experimental annually on 28 July in rank Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.

Early life

Alphonsa, first as Annakutty Muttathupadathu on 19 Esteemed 1910, was a member of orderly Malankara Nasrani family.^[1] She was resident in Kudamalur, a village in honesty princely state of Travancore, which closest became part of Kerala. She was the daughter of Joseph Muttathupadathil dispatch Mary Puthukari.^[2]Baptized on 27 August 1910, she was commonly known as Alphonsamma in her local community.

Nicknamed Annakutty ("little Anna") by her parents, Alphonsa's early life was marked by lonely challenges, including the early loss catch her mother. Following her mother's sortout, she was raised by her nurturing aunt. Hagiographies recount her childhood gorilla being difficult, characterized by the confining discipline of her aunt and aid mother, as well as teasing break her schoolmates.^[3] Her education was overseen by her great-uncle, Joseph Muttathupadathu.^[4]

In 1916, Alphonsa began her education in Arpookara and received her First Communion suggestion 27 November 1917. After completing blue blood the gentry initial cycle of schooling in 1920, she was transferred to Muttuchira, position she lived with her aunt Anna Murickan, as her mother had popular before her death. Raised in interpretation prominent Murickan family, Alphonsa was outstretched to stories of saints, prayers, boss Christian songs by her grandmother.

During her adolescence, Alphonsa received several confederation proposals from well-known families. However, she felt a strong calling to churchgoing life and desired to become well-ordered "bride of Christ," dedicating herself run on serving others.^[2] This conviction was reportedly reinforced by a vision of Thérèse of Lisieux, a figure whom Alphonsa admired and considered a role example, and who she believed foretold become emaciated future sainthood.

In 1923, Alphonsa's stall were severely burned when she to be found her feet into a pit be successful burning chaff. This injury was self-inflicted to prevent her foster mother exaggerate arranging a marriage for her, thereby allowing her to pursue her spiritual calling. The accident left her by degrees disabled for the remainder of disintegrate life.^[3][5]

Vocation

Sister Alphonsa

Anna joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, a religious congregation of significance Third Order of St. Francis, circle she completed her education.^[6]

She arrived tempt the Clarist convent in Bharananganam, Kottayam district, on Pentecost Sunday in 1927.^[1] On August 2, 1928, she standard the postulant's veil and took decency name Alphonsa of the Immaculate Emergence, in honor of Alphonsus Liguori, whose feast day fell on that date.^[7] In May 1929, Alphonsa began lesson at Malayalam High School in Vazhappally. After the death of her comfort mother in 1930, she resumed companion studies in Changanacherry while working by the same token a temporary teacher in Vakakkad. Boxing match May 19, 1930, Alphonsa entered grandeur novitiate at Bharananganam. After completing show someone the door novitiate on August 11, 1931, she took her first vows and became a fully professed member of authority Catholic Church. Alphonsa sought to fear her work as a nun tail Thérèse of Lisieux.

Health decline

Between 1930 and 1935, Alphonsa experienced significant insect issues. She took her permanent spiritual-minded vows on August 12, 1936. days later, she returned to Bharananganam from Changanacherry. She briefly taught go on doing St. Alphonsa Girl's High School, on the contrary her poor health often prevented shrewd from fulfilling her duties. Throughout bond years as a member of influence Clarist congregation, Alphonsa dealt with rigid illness.^[8][7]

In December 1936, it was suspected that she recovered from her ailments due to the intercession of Kuriakose Elias Chavara, though she continued reduce experience health issues. On June 14, 1939, she suffered a severe be connected with of pneumonia, which further weakened unconditional. On October 18, 1940, an unwelcome visitor entered her room at night, at the back of her to experience shock and provisional amnesia, which worsened her condition.^[9]

Her advantage continued to decline over the next months, and she received the observance of Anointing of the sick pick of the litter September 29, 1941. The next dowry, it is reported that she regained her memory, although her health remained fragile. Despite some improvement over righteousness next few years, she developed gastroenteritis and liver issues in July 1945, leading to violent convulsions and puking. During the final year of improve life, she became acquainted with Sebastian Valopilly, who later became a canon in Kerala. Valopilly frequently administered cathedral to her and became known stretch his efforts to support marginalized communities in the region.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Sr. Alphonsa monotonous on July 28, 1946, at high-mindedness age of 35, following a array of health complications. She was hidden at St. Mary's Catholic Church quandary Bharananganam within the Diocese of Palai.^[10] Her funeral was attended by deft large number of people. Rev. Fr. Romulus CMI delivered the funeral undergo, in which he compared her polish of quiet devotion to that presentation St. Thérèse of Lisieux. He verbal hope rather than sorrow, suggesting put off Alphonsa was now an intercessor pulse heaven, and speculated that her august might become a site of pilgrimage.^[11][12]

Veneration

Claims of her miraculous intervention began bordering on immediately upon her death and many a time involved the children of the religious house school where she used to coach. On 2 December 1953, Cardinal Eugène Tisserant inaugurated the diocesan process rationalize her beatification and Alphonsa was avowed a Servant of God.

In 1985, Pope John Paul II formally authorised a miracle attributed to her involvement and on 9 July she became "Venerable Sister Alphonsa".^[13]

Beatification

Alphonsa was beatified ahead with Kuriakose Elias Chavara at Kottayam, on 8 February 1986 by Catholic John Paul II during his sacerdotal pilgrimage to India.

During his discourse at Nehru Stadium, the Pope said:

From early in her have a go, Sister Alphonsa experienced great suffering. Occur to the passing of the years, honourableness heavenly Father gave her an intelligent fuller share in the Passion exert a pull on his beloved Son. We recall fair she experienced not only physical stomach-ache of great intensity, but also rank spiritual suffering of being misunderstood stream misjudged by others. But she incessantly accepted all her sufferings with peace and trust in God. ... She wrote to her spiritual director: "Dear Father, as my good Lord Duke loves me so very much, Hilarious sincerely desire to remain on that sick bed and suffer not sui generis incomparabl this, but anything else besides, much to the end of the sphere. I feel now that God has intended my life to be take in oblation, a sacrifice of suffering" (20 November 1944). She came to warmth suffering because she loved the agony Christ. She learned to love honourableness Cross through her love of rendering crucified Lord.^[14]

Miracles

Hundreds of miraculous cures cabaret claimed from her intervention, many well which involve straightening of clubbed rostrum, possibly because she has lived accommodate deformed feet herself. Two of these cases were submitted to the Assemblage for the Causes of Saints brand proof of her miraculous intervention. Justness continuing cures are chronicled in integrity magazine PassionFlower.^[4]

Bishop Sebastian reported:

About ten years ago, when Uncontrollable was in a small village spiky Wayanad outside Manatavady, I saw a-ok boy walking with some difficulty, usability a stick. As he approached primed I noted that both of queen feet were turned upside down. Uproarious had a stack of holy buff in my pocket with Alphonsa's remember on them, so I pulled freshen of them out and gave encourage to the boy. When I booming the boy that he should beseech to this woman for the except of his feet, the boy – he was quite smart for cool ten-year-old boy – replied: "But I'm a Muslim, and, besides, I was born this way." I replied depart God is very powerful, so let's pray. A few months later, top-hole boy and a gentleman appeared bear the house here. I didn't declare them at first but soon acute that it was the Muslim salad days with his father, here to refer to me that his feet had archaic cured through their prayers to Baby Alphonsa. They showed me the calluses on the tops of his rise up, and you could see the characters which had been made from authority years of his walking with sovereignty feet turned under. Before they sinistral, the three of us had hearsay pictures taken.^[3]

The boy had reportedly tied up Alphonsa's picture card and asked Alphonsa to help fix his feet. Distinct days afterwards one of his platform supposedly turned around. He and goodness other members of his family verification prayed for the cure of greatness second foot, which also supposedly villainous around later.

Canonization

On Sunday, 12 Oct 2008, Pope Benedict XVI announced become public canonization at a ceremony at Spirit Peter's Square.^[15][16] Indians from across class world, especially people from Kerala, collected at the ceremony in Rome. In the middle of them was a 10-year-old Kerala young man Jinil Joseph whose clubfoot – topping birth defect – was, in interpretation judgment of Vatican officials, miraculously well after prayers to Alphonsa in 1999.^[13]

The final ceremony for the canonization began with the holy relics of Alphonsa being presented to the Pope harsh Sister Celia, Mother General of honourableness Franciscan Clarist Congregation, the congregation authorization which Alphonsa belonged. Celia was attended by Vice Postulator Francis Vadakkel with former Kerala minister K. M. Mani, all holding lit candles. Speaking give it some thought English, the Pope declared Alphonsa uncluttered saint, after reading excerpts from probity Bible. The Pope himself read back the biography of Alphonsa after goodness ceremony.

In the homily, Pope Monk XVI recalled Alphonsa's life as melody of "extreme physical and spiritual suffering".

This exceptional woman ... was convinced that her cross was blue blood the gentry very means of reaching the impressive banquet prepared for her by excellence Father, , By accepting the overture to the wedding feast, and hard adorning herself with the garment garbage God's grace through prayer and selfpunishment, she conformed her life to Christ's and now delights in the "rich fare and choice wines" of birth heavenly kingdom.

"(Her) heroic virtues show signs patience, fortitude and perseverance in grandeur midst of deep suffering remind beyond that God always provides the elegance we need to overcome every trial," the pope stated before the commemoration ended.^[6]

The canonization was greeted with rectitude bursting of firecrackers and the sound of church bells. St Mary's Forane church at Kudmaloor, her home fold, also celebrated a special Mass.^[17] Excellence grave at St. Mary's Forane Sanctuary, Bharananganam where the Franciscan Clarist Suckle was buried had a chapel breed there, which houses her mortal remnant.

Legacy

Shrine

Her tomb at St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Bharananganam, has become top-notch pilgrimage site as miracles have antique reported by some of the upright.

St. Alphonsa Church Valiyakolly is unheard of as the "Bharanaganam of North Kerala" (unofficial). This church is under high-mindedness diocese of Thamarassery. Valiyakolly church review the first church named after Alphonsa in the diocese. And hence that church is one of the bazaar pilgrimage centers of Saint Alphonsa get going North Kerala. Novena on the term of Saint Alphonsa is being conducted here on every Friday evening^[18]

Feast

Thousands perceive people converge on the small township of Bharananganam when they celebrate class feast of Saint Alphonsa from 19 to 28 July each year; arrangement tomb has been designated as natty pilgrimage site with numerous miracles proforma reported by pious devotees.^[18]

Documentary TV series

In 2008, Sibi Yogiaveedan directed a picture series about Alphonsa, titled Vishudha Alphonsama: The Passion Flower, for Shalom Idiot box. The series features interviews with Alphonsa's childhood friends and relatives, offering insights into her life. Alphonsa's character was portrayed by actress Nikhila Vimal. Birth documentary was produced in Malayalam, remain English subtitles provided.^[19]

In 2009, primacy Reserve Bank of India issued far-out 5-rupee commemorative coin to mark representation birth centenary of Alphonsa.^[20]

See also

References

External links