St. Alphonsa Muttathupadathu

Ø  First Indian  Catholic woman Saint Ø  First Indian origin to be  canonized as saint of  Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Ø  St. Alphonsa belongs to Franciscan Clarist Congregation Ø  The tomb of Saint Alphonsa is at St. Alphonsa Shrine Church Bharananganam
Born	August 19, 1910, Kottayam district, Kerala
Died	Annakutty
Beatified	July 28, 1946, Bharananganam, India , at the age of 36
Canonized	February 8, 1986  by Pope John Paul II
Feast	October 12, 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI
Patronage	Against illness

Alphonsa Of The Immaculate Conception was born in Kudamalur, the Arpookara region, in the diocese of Changanacherry, India, on the 19th of August 1910, of the ancient and noble family of Muttathupadathu and baptized eight days later, according to the Syro-Malabar rite by Fr. Joseph Chackalayil and  received the name Annakutty.           She had a poor, difficult childhood and experienced loss and suffering early on in life. Her mother, Maria Puthukari, gave birth to her prematurely, in her eight month of pregnancy, as a result of a shock when she fainted seeing a snake crawling over her.           Anna's mother died three months later due to birth-related complications. Her maternal aunt Annamma, wanted to raise her, but her grandparents did not agree. She grew up with her father and grandparents at Kudamallor till the age of seven.  Her grandfather Eppan Vaidyar taught her Sanskrti and basics of Arithmetic from an early age. She spent a particularly happy time there because of her human and Christian formation. She used to accompany her father Ouseppachan to the church. Her grand-mother, Eliamma, a pious and charitable woman, communicated to her the joy of the faith, love for prayer and charity towards the poor. She told her bedtime stories of saints and also instilled in her a special love for Jesus and Mary. One evening she narrated the story of Little Teresa. Anna was very impressed by the fact that Teresa of Liseux became a saint at a very young age. The grandmother encouraged her to lead a life like that of St. Teresa. She also said ‘Anna, you will be a saint, like her one day.’            Her grandmother initiated her into the family prayer. At the age of five, the child already knew how to lead, with a totally childish enthusiasm, the evening prayer of the family gathered, in accordance with the Syro-Malabar custom. She received First Communion on 11 November 1917. She told her friends then: "Do you know why I am so particularly happy today? It is because I have Jesus in my heart!". In a letter to her spiritual father, on 30th November 1943, she confided: "Already from the age of seven I was no longer mine. I was totally dedicated to my divine Spouse. Your reverence knows it well".            In 1916 Anna started school in Arpookara. On many occasions she proved her brilliance in studies. She loved her classmates and was obedient to her teachers. When the first school cycle ended in 1920, she was transferred to Muttuchira, to the house of her aunt Anna Murickal, to whom her mother had already entrusted her as her foster mother.            Her aunt loved her, but was also strict and firm. She wanted the little girl to be trained as a beautiful and appealing young woman for the prospect of marriage. Assiduous in her religious practice, she accompanied her niece, but did not share the young girl’s friendship with the Carmelites of the close-by Monastery or her long periods of prayer at the foot of the altar. She kept grooming Annakutty to the day of her wedding, obstructing the clear signs of her religious vocation. But she resisted it vigorously.            In 1923, Annakutty, in order to get out from a commitment to marriage, reached the point of voluntarily causing herself a grave burn by putting her feet into a heap of burning embers. She wrote "My marriage was arranged when I was thirteen years old. What had I to do to avoid it? I prayed all that night... then an idea came to me. If my body were a little disfigured no one would want me! ... O, how I suffered! I offered all for my great intention."            It was Fr. James Muricken, her confessor, who directed her towards Franciscan spirituality and put her in contact with the Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists, a religious congregation of the Third Order of St. Francis. Annakutty entered their college in Bharananganam in the diocese of Palai, to attend seventh class, as an intern student, on 24th May 1927.           On 2nd August 1928, Annakutty received the postulant's veil, taking the name of Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception in honour of St. Alphonsus Liguori, whose feast it was that day. In May 1929 was assigned to teach at Malayalam High School at Vazhappally. She was clothed in the religious habit on 19th May 1930.           The period 1930-1935 was characterized by grave illness and moral suffering for Sr. Alphonsa. She could teach the children in the school at Vakakkad only during the scholastic year 1932. Then, because of her weakness, she carried out the duties of assistant-teacher and catechist in the parish. She was engaged also as secretary, especially to write official letters because of her beautiful handwriting.           The canonical novitiate was introduced into the Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists in 1934. Though wishing to enter immediately, Sr. Alphonsa was only admitted on 12th August 1935 because of her ill health. About one week after the beginning of her novitiate, she had a hemorrhage from the nose and eyes and purulent wounds on her legs. The illness deteriorated and that the worst was feared. Heaven came to the rescue of the holy novice then. During a novena to The Servant of God Fr. Kuriakose Elia Chavara - a Carmelite who is a Blessed today — she was miraculously cured. Having cured of her illness Alphonsa restarted her novitiate. but on 14 June 1939 she was struck by a severe attack of pneumonia, which left her weakened.           On 18 October 1940, a thief entered her room in the middle of the night. This traumatic event caused her to suffer amnesia and weakened her again. Her health continued to deteriorate over a period of months. She received extreme unction on 29 September 1941. The next day it is believed that she regained her memory, though not complete health. Her health improved over the next few years, until in July 1945 she developed a stomach problem that caused vomiting.           She died on 28 July 1946, aged 35. She is buried at Bharananganam, Kerala in the Diocese of Palai. Pope John Paul II beatified her on 8th February 1986. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on  12th October 2008.