July 28th: Feast Day of St. Alphonsa

Saint Alphonsa of the is the !rst native from India. She lived as a simple nun of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation at Bharananganam in the state of Kerala, Southern India.

Born on 19th August, 1910, in Kudamalloor, near Kottayam, ‘Anna’ was the fourth child of Cherian and Mary Muttathupadathu. She experienced great loss and suffering from the beginning - her mother died when she was only a few weeks old and she was brought up by her stern maternal aunt.

After facing strong opposition from her aunt and other relations, young Anna ful!lled her aspiration to become a nun. She received the veil of the Postulant on 2nd August, 1928 and took the name of “Alphonsa” in honour of St . The Vestition took place on 19th May, 1930 where she received her religious Habit from the Bishop of Changanacherry, Mar James Kalacherry.

Sr. Alphonsa submitted her life totally to the Will of God. She endured a life of serious illness, of physical and mental sufferings. Never complaining, her anguish was always veiled by a serene smile.

Following her death on 28th July, 1946, there were hundreds of claims made of her miraculous intervention- many cures involving straightening of clubbed feet, possibly due to the fact that she herself had lived with deformed feet. She is buried at St. Mary’s Syro- Malabar , Bharananganam in the Diocese of Palai belonging to the ancient St Thomas Christian Community.

During his Apostolic Pilgrimage to India in 1986, John Paul II recalled in his Beati!cation speech of Sr Alphonsa, “ The path to holiness…. was the way of the Cross, the way of sickness and suffering.” On 12th October, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI announced her canonisation at a ceremony at ’s Square.

Thousands of people from various caste, creed, religion and nationality visit the saint’s tomb which has been designated as a pilgrimage site where innumerable favours have been received by its faithful devotees. St Alphonsa’s holy life has been compared to the “Little Way” of St Therese of Lisieux in that she carried on her ordinary duties in an extraordinary manner.

St. Alphonsa, patron saint of good health, pray for us. (Prayer cards are available on the table near St Alphonsa’s statue in church)