Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception
Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946), born as Anna Muttathupadathu, was an Indian Catholic nun and educator.After completing the initial cycle of schooling in 1920, she was transferred to Muttuchira, where she lived with her aunt Anna Murickan, as her mother had requested before her death.Raised in the prominent Murickan family, Alphonsa was exposed to stories of saints, prayers, and Christian songs by her grandmother.[2] This conviction was reportedly reinforced by a vision of Thérèse of Lisieux, a figure whom Alphonsa admired and considered a role model, and who she believed foretold her future sainthood.[1] On August 2, 1928, she received the postulant's veil and took the name Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, in honor of Alphonsus Liguori, whose feast day fell on that date.[8][7] In December 1936, it was claimed that she recovered from her ailments due to the intercession of Kuriakose Elias Chavara, though she continued to experience health issues.On 2 December 1953, Cardinal Eugène Tisserant inaugurated the diocesan process for her beatification and Alphonsa was declared a Servant of God.In 1985, Pope John Paul II formally approved a miracle attributed to her intercession and on 9 July she became "Venerable Sister Alphonsa".[13] Alphonsa was beatified along with Kuriakose Elias Chavara at Kottayam, on 8 February 1986 by Pope John Paul II during his apostolic pilgrimage to India.... She wrote to her spiritual director: "Dear Father, as my good Lord Jesus loves me so very much, I sincerely desire to remain on this sick bed and suffer not only this, but anything else besides, even to the end of the world.Bishop Sebastian reported: About ten years ago, when I was in a small village in Wayanad outside Manatavady, I saw a boy walking with some difficulty, using a stick.Among them was a 10-year-old Kerala boy Jinil Joseph whose clubfoot – a birth defect – was, in the judgment of Vatican officials, miraculously healed after prayers to Alphonsa in 1999.Celia was accompanied by Vice Postulator Francis Vadakkel and former Kerala minister K. M. Mani, all holding lit candles."(Her) heroic virtues of patience, fortitude and perseverance in the midst of deep suffering remind us that God always provides the strength we need to overcome every trial," the pope stated before the ceremony ended.[17] The grave at St. Mary's Forane Church, Bharananganam where the Franciscan Clarist Sister was buried had a chapel built there, which houses her mortal remains.[18] In 2008, Sibi Yogiaveedan directed a documentary series about Alphonsa, titled Vishudha Alphonsama: The Passion Flower, for Shalom TV.
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