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Mother Teresa is the fifth beatified candidate from India
Kolkata, Oct 19: Mother Teresa`s beatification today puts her in line with four other Roman Catholic religious persons from India so far declared `blessed` or beatified by the Vatican and assigned feast days in accordance with laws of the Roman Catholic church.
Kolkata, Oct 19: Mother Teresa's beatification today
puts her in line with four other Roman Catholic religious
persons from India so far declared 'blessed' or beatified by
the Vatican and assigned feast days in accordance with laws of
the Roman Catholic church.
According to church sources here, all the four have been
beatified at various points of Pope John Paul-II's reign, a
testimony of his personal interest in creating as many role
models as possible within the Roman Catholic church.
While the Pope waived the customary five-year period for the sainthood process for Mother Teresa to begin and declared her 'beatified' within six years of her death in 1997, data available with the church indicate that it took nearly a century after their death for other four candidates to be elevated to the blessed status.
Of the four, blessed Joseph Vaz was born on April 21, 1651 at Benaulim, Goa. He was ordained priest in 1676 after which, he traveled extensively on foot along the western coast and into Sri Lanka. He died in Kandi, Sri Lanka on January 07, 1711.
Fr Vaz was declared blessed by pope John Paul-II on July 06, 1997. His feast day is on January 07.
Another of the peers, Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born near Alapuzha in Kerala on February 10, 1805. He was ordained priest in 1829 and with two other fellow priests, founded the Carmelite Missionaries of India (CMI) congregation in 1831.
A renowned educationist and social reformer of his time, Fr Chavara was appointed a vicar of the Syro-Malabar church and brought about many liturgical reforms.
Chavara died on June 03, 1871 and buried in Koonammavu on January 04. His relics were transferred to Mannanam on May 24, 1889. His cause of cannonisation was taken up in 1953 and he was declared blessed by Pope John Paul-II in 1986. His feast day is celebrated on January 04.
Another of the peers, blessed Sr Alphonsa Muttathadill, was born on August 19, 1910 at Kudamaloor near Kottayam in Kerala. She joined the Fransiscan Clarist Congregation at Bharananganam in 1927 and received the habit on may 19, 1930.
Sr Alphonsa, who took her perpetual vows on August 12, 1936, had a life full of suffering and sickness. She is said to have had a miraculous cure in December 1936 at the intercession of blessed Kuriakose Chavara. She contracted pleural pneumonia in June 1939 and fell ill once again in 1940.
Even as she was administered the sacrament of the sick on September 24, 1941, she recovered subsequently. She fell ill once again in July 1945 and died on July 28, 1946.
Diocesan inquiry for her cause began on December 02, 1953 and she was declared blessed by Pope John Paul-II on February 08, 1986 at a function in Kottayam, Kerala. Her feast day is on July 28.
The fourth among the peers, blessed Maria Theresa Chiramel, was born in Puttencheria near Thrissur, Kerala, on April 26, 1876.
Although she had no formal education, blessed Maria, however, emerged as a great educationist and social reformer. In 1913, she set up a prayer house at Puttencheria where she founded her Holy Family Congregation on May 14, 1914.
She died at Kuzhikattussery, Thrissur on June 08, 1926. The cause of her beatification was taken up in 1982 and she was declared beatified on April 09, 2000, by Pope John Paul-II. Her feast day is on June 08.
Besides the four beatified persons, there is only one cannonised person of Indian origin, St Gonsalo Garcia, who was born in 1557 at Vasai near Mumbai.
Under patronage of a Jesuit priest Fr Sebastian Gonsalves, he joined a Jesuit school and studied there from 1564 to 1572. At the age of 15, Fr Gonsalves took him to Japan from where he went to the Phillippines as a lay missionary.
There, he came under the influence of a Franciscan priest Fr Peter Baptister and began working among leprosy patients. In June 1587, he joined the Friars Minor or the Franciscan Order and made his solemn profession on July 03, 1588.
In 1594, he went to Japan where he set up a leprosy home in Meako, Kyoto and built a cloister in Osaka in 1595.
Around 1596, the Japanese emperor began persecuting Christians and on February 05, 1597, 26 missionaries, including Gonsalo Garcia, were taken to the Nagasaki hills and crucified.
Garcia was beatified in 1629 and cannonised on June 08 1862, by Pope Pious-IX.
Two other non-Indians, who made this country their home like Mother Teresa, have also been canonised or declared saints by the Vatican.
Bureau Report
While the Pope waived the customary five-year period for the sainthood process for Mother Teresa to begin and declared her 'beatified' within six years of her death in 1997, data available with the church indicate that it took nearly a century after their death for other four candidates to be elevated to the blessed status.
Of the four, blessed Joseph Vaz was born on April 21, 1651 at Benaulim, Goa. He was ordained priest in 1676 after which, he traveled extensively on foot along the western coast and into Sri Lanka. He died in Kandi, Sri Lanka on January 07, 1711.
Fr Vaz was declared blessed by pope John Paul-II on July 06, 1997. His feast day is on January 07.
Another of the peers, Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born near Alapuzha in Kerala on February 10, 1805. He was ordained priest in 1829 and with two other fellow priests, founded the Carmelite Missionaries of India (CMI) congregation in 1831.
A renowned educationist and social reformer of his time, Fr Chavara was appointed a vicar of the Syro-Malabar church and brought about many liturgical reforms.
Chavara died on June 03, 1871 and buried in Koonammavu on January 04. His relics were transferred to Mannanam on May 24, 1889. His cause of cannonisation was taken up in 1953 and he was declared blessed by Pope John Paul-II in 1986. His feast day is celebrated on January 04.
Another of the peers, blessed Sr Alphonsa Muttathadill, was born on August 19, 1910 at Kudamaloor near Kottayam in Kerala. She joined the Fransiscan Clarist Congregation at Bharananganam in 1927 and received the habit on may 19, 1930.
Sr Alphonsa, who took her perpetual vows on August 12, 1936, had a life full of suffering and sickness. She is said to have had a miraculous cure in December 1936 at the intercession of blessed Kuriakose Chavara. She contracted pleural pneumonia in June 1939 and fell ill once again in 1940.
Even as she was administered the sacrament of the sick on September 24, 1941, she recovered subsequently. She fell ill once again in July 1945 and died on July 28, 1946.
Diocesan inquiry for her cause began on December 02, 1953 and she was declared blessed by Pope John Paul-II on February 08, 1986 at a function in Kottayam, Kerala. Her feast day is on July 28.
The fourth among the peers, blessed Maria Theresa Chiramel, was born in Puttencheria near Thrissur, Kerala, on April 26, 1876.
Although she had no formal education, blessed Maria, however, emerged as a great educationist and social reformer. In 1913, she set up a prayer house at Puttencheria where she founded her Holy Family Congregation on May 14, 1914.
She died at Kuzhikattussery, Thrissur on June 08, 1926. The cause of her beatification was taken up in 1982 and she was declared beatified on April 09, 2000, by Pope John Paul-II. Her feast day is on June 08.
Besides the four beatified persons, there is only one cannonised person of Indian origin, St Gonsalo Garcia, who was born in 1557 at Vasai near Mumbai.
Under patronage of a Jesuit priest Fr Sebastian Gonsalves, he joined a Jesuit school and studied there from 1564 to 1572. At the age of 15, Fr Gonsalves took him to Japan from where he went to the Phillippines as a lay missionary.
There, he came under the influence of a Franciscan priest Fr Peter Baptister and began working among leprosy patients. In June 1587, he joined the Friars Minor or the Franciscan Order and made his solemn profession on July 03, 1588.
In 1594, he went to Japan where he set up a leprosy home in Meako, Kyoto and built a cloister in Osaka in 1595.
Around 1596, the Japanese emperor began persecuting Christians and on February 05, 1597, 26 missionaries, including Gonsalo Garcia, were taken to the Nagasaki hills and crucified.
Garcia was beatified in 1629 and cannonised on June 08 1862, by Pope Pious-IX.
Two other non-Indians, who made this country their home like Mother Teresa, have also been canonised or declared saints by the Vatican.
Bureau Report