Kerala nun`s journey to `Sainthood`

Devika Chhibber Sister Alphonsa is the first woman and only the second Christian from India to be Canonised. Gonsalo Garcia who was canonised in 1862, was partly Indian. He was from Vasai, near Mumbai, and it is believed that he was crucified in Nagasaki in 1597. Beatified in 1986, Sister Alphonsa’s journey to sainthood reached its final stages more than two decades later when, in June 2007, Pope Benedict XVI authorised her Canonisation after he approved a miracle attributed to her on May 11, 1999. The miracle was the healing of a one-year-old boy, Jinil, who could not walk because of a disability. Jinil began walking the very day his parents took him to the Sister`s tomb for prayers. This is truly phenomenal. Keeping the above piece of news in my mind I ask myself, as to what I understand by Christianity and Divinity? The best answer, which I can imagine, is that it’s a relationship of our soul with God who, in the name of Jesus Christ, has always forgiven our sins. Christianity in its very essence teaches us the quickest way to reach Him, to understand his preaching, to follow his message and ultimately to pardon the sins of others. This stands true for Sister Alphonsa of Bharananganam, Blessed Alphonsa was born on August 19, 1910 as the fourth child of Muttathupadath Ouseph and Mariam at Kudamaloor, Changanacherry in the district of Kotayyam, Kerala. She lost her mother when she was only three months old. Her mother’s sister brought her up as a beautiful young lady and wanted her to marry in a well to do family. However, Alphonsa wanted to dedicate her entire life to Jesus Christ like Little Therese. In order to dedicate her entire life to the Lord she jumped into the pit used for burning chaff during the harvest season in the hope of deforming her body so that no suitor would marry her. Nevertheless, her efforts were in vain, as she survived with burns all over her body. It took nearly 90 days to get the burns healed. Later she joined the Franciscan Clarist Convent at Bharananganam on 2 August 1928 and received the name of Alphonsa. Even though her poor health was a great block to her progress in religious life, she continued her journey of commitment and dedication. Finally, after many ordeals, she took her perpetual vows on August 12, 1936. She devoted her entire life to the Lord. In her words, “My every suffering is an offer of a beautiful flower in the wounds of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” At the end of her life, she was in great pain and frailty of the body, but in the midst of the unbearable pain, she committed her soul to the heavenly one reciting the names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph on July 28, 1946. After forty years, on February 8, 1986, Pope John Paul II beatified her. On Friday, June 1, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree approving the miracle that took place through the intercession of Blessed Alphonsa, thus paving her way for canonisation. However, there is enough questioning as to why Mother Teresa is not considered for this declaration but the church has its own reasoning and logic behind the issue. The miracle that put on fast track the process of Mother Teresa`s sainthood was reported in a village in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal. A tribal woman Monica Besra`s testimony of a miraculous cure from an abdominal tumor through Mother Teresa`s intercession paved the way for the Mother`s beatification. However, her Sainthood lies a step away as the church requires at least two miracles for a person to be canonised. One needs to first understand the process by which a Catholic reaches the stage of Canonisation to understand the delay in Mother’s ‘sainthood’. “Canonisation is a solemn declaration by the Pope that a certain person has, in faithfulness to the grace of God, practiced heroic virtue and is therefore proposed as a model and intercessor for the whole Catholic Church.” In simple words, it is a declaration that a particular person due to his holy deeds and miraculous ways has been given the designation of a saint. A saint is one to whom we pray for our lucks and failures and we believe that he/she is a mediator between the Holy One and us. Originally, individuals were recognised as saints without any formal process, as happened, for instance, in the case of Saint Peter, Virgin Mary and Joan of Arch. How does the canonisation process begin? It begins spontaneously as people simply recognise that someone is a very holy person, and they begin to feel that the person is obtaining favors from God for them. Then someone would approach their local bishop and will provide further information about this person. If the bishop is convinced, he will send a report on the person to the Congregation for Causes of Saints at the Vatican. Earlier only martyrs were honored and recommended as models of virtue and mediators. Gradually, the members of the church also recognised other persons. In the next step the local bishops would decide to insert the names of these holy persons into the liturgy of the mass. Slowly, bishops began to defer to the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. It was in the year 993 that for the first time a pope formally canonised someone in the way that we know it today. That was when Pope John XV canonised St. Ulric of Augsburg, who had practiced heroic charity for persons in great need. Next stage is that of terming him/her "Venerable". The Congregation researches the life and virtue as well as the writings, of this candidate. If the Congregation recommends the cause of this candidate, and the Pope accepts this recommendation, this person receives the formal title of "Venerable."Then comes the Blessed phase where the apostolic process continues with still more scrutiny of the life and virtues of the holy person. Witnesses are called in and have to swear testimonies. A "Promotor of the Cause" is appointed, who searches out possible objections. Ordinarily, two cures obtained through the candidate`s prayer and declared by medical experts, which are beyond natural causes are considered for the conclusion of this process. The "Venerable" candidate is then declared "Blessed" by the Pope in a solemn ceremony, and recommended for imitation and special liturgical honor. The final step is terming a person "Saint" i.e. Canonisation, which is the ultimate step, which may follow beatification quickly, or after many years, even centuries, depending upon the case and the wish of the Pope. Usually another miracle through the holy person`s intercession is required. Special procedures are followed before the final celebration of canonization. When all has been satisfactorily completed, the Pope verdicts that the whole Church is to honor and imitate this person, and inserts the person`s name into the canon of the Mass during the holy ceremony of canonisation. The person will now be publicly honored with the title "Saint".