St. Euphrasia Marth Euphrasia Eluvathingal also called Saint Euphrasia Eluvathingal baptized as Rosa Eluvathingal (Malayalam: മാർത്ത് എവുപ്രാസ്യാമ്മ) (October 17, 1877 – August 29, 1952) was an Indian Carmelite nun of the Syro-Malabar Church which is an Eastern Catholic Church and a part of the Saint Thomas Christian community in Kerala. She was canonized as Saint by Pope Francis on November 23, 2014 in Vatican City.[1][2][3][4][5] Early life[edit] She was born as Rosa Eluvathingal on October 17, 1877 in a Syro-Malabar Catholic Nasrani family in Kattoor, Thrissur near the city of Thrissur in Kerala. Rosa was the eldest child of wealthy landowner, Cherpukaran Antony and Kunjethy Eluvathingal. She was baptized on October 25, 1877 in the Mother of Carmel Church in Edathuruthy. Her mother was a devout Syrian Catholic, who taught her to pray the rosary and to participate in the Mass. At the age of nine, Rose is said to have experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which led her to make a commitment never to marry, and to commit her entire life to God. As she grew older, Rose desired to enter the Sisters of the Mother of Carmel, who follow the Rule of the Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites. Her father opposed this as he wanted to arrange a marriage for her with the son of one of the other prosperous families in the region. Seeing her resolve, her father finally relented, and himself accompanied her to the convent. When she was ten, she entered the boarding school attached to the first indigenous Carmelite community in the Syro-Malabar Church, founded by Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Leopold Beccaro 1866 at Koonammavu in Ernakulam District. Religious Life[edit] In 1897, Mar John Menachery, the first native Bishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur, established a Carmelite Convent in Ambazakad (now belonging to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalakuda). On May 9, he brought all five inmates from Koonammavu who belonged to his diocese. The next day Rosa was received as a postulant, taking the name Sister Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was admitted to the novitiate of the congregation on January 10, 1898. The constant ill health she experienced, however, threatened her stay in the convent, as the superiors considered dismissing her. Euphrasia is said to have had a vision of the Holy Family, at which point the illness she had long felt ceased. Euphrasia made her solemn profession on 24 May 1900, during the blessing of the newly founded St. Marys Convent, Ollur at Ollur or Chinna Roma. After she took her perpetual vows, she was appointed assistant to the Novice Mistress. Though frail in health, Euphrasia exhibited rare moral courage, and a very high sense of responsibility and in 1904 she was soon appointed Novice Mistress of the congregation in which position she worked for nine years. In 1913 she was made Mother Superior of St. Marys Convent, Ollur, where she was to live the rest of her life, serving as Mother Superior until 1916. Despite these duties, she endeavored to lead a life of constant prayer and of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, becoming known by many people as the Praying Mother.[6] Mother spent much of her day in the convent chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, to which she had a strong devotion. She also nourished a great love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mother Euphrasia died on August 29, 1952 at the St. Marys Convent, Ollur. Her tomb at the St. Marys Convent, Ollur has become a pilgrimage site as miracles have been reported by some of the faithful. The bed where Blessed Euphrasia took her last breath in St Marys convent, Ollur, Thrissur, shown in the museum. Miracles[edit] The first reported miracle by church was curing a carpenter from bone cancer. Thomas Tharakan from Anchery in Ollur, a furniture polishing worker, was diagnosed with cancer by the Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute in Thrissur. Thomas was admitted to the hospital for one week. Later before the surgery, a scan by the doctor showed no sign of tumour. But the tumour was very clear in the first scan report. Thomas sister Rosy later acknowledged that cure was the result of her prayer to Sister Euphrasia.[7][8][9][10] The second reported miracle happened to a 7-year-old child named Jewel from Aloor in Thrissur District. The child had a tumour in his neck which made difficult to swallow any food. Doctors at Dhanya Hospital in Potta, Thrissur District had said that this disease could not be cured. As Jewels family is coming from a financially poor background, their only option was to pray to the almighty. After his grandmother prayed to Sister Euphrasia, the doctors noticed that his tumour was shrinking. Dr Sasikumar of Dhanya Hospital again examined him and found the tumour to have disappeared. Many doctors examined the boy and stated that it was a complete miracle.[11][12][13][14] Canonization[edit] Servant of God[edit] In September 27, 1986 the process of canonization was started in Ollur. In August 13, 1987 father Lucas Vithuvatikal, CMI was appointed as the Postulator and made the oath as Postulator in the presence of Mar Joseph Kundukulam, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur on August 29, 1987 and she was declared as Servant of God on that day.[15][16] Venerable[edit] Sister Perigrin was appointed as Vice-Postulator on September 9, 1987. In 1988, a Diocesan Tribunal for the Cause of Euphrasia was established by Mar Joseph Kundukulam. On January 30, 1990 the tomb of Euphrasia was opened and the mortal remains were transferred to the newly built tomb inside the chapel of St. Marys Convent, Ollur. The Diocesan Tribunal for the apostolic miracle was established on January 8, 1999. Mar Joseph Kundukulam officially closed the Diocesan Tribunal on June 19, 1991. Her heroic virtues were submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Rome on April 20, 1994. The healing of Thomas Tharakan who was suffering from tumour ascribed to the intercessory power Euphrasia. In July 5, 2002 Pope John Paul II recognized her heroic virtue of Euphrasia and declaring her Venerable.[17][18][19][20] Blessed[edit] She was beatified in St. Anthonys Forane Church, Ollur, Thrissur, with the declaration of the Major Archbishop, Varkey Vithayathil on behalf of the Pope Benedict XVI. Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Pedro López Quintana and Archbishop Jacob Thoomkuzhy of Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur joined 30 prelates and 500 priests for the beatification events. Saint[edit] On April 3, 2014, Pope Francis authorised the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decrees concerning the miracle attributed to Euphrasias intercession. This confirms Popes approval of Euphrasias canonisation. She was canonized as Saint by Pope Francis on November 23, 2014 in Vatican City
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:39:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015