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| Rev. Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C. |
Kerala is known as God's
own country. The name has come to stay thanks to its rich scenic beauty which
imparts the feel of peace and tranquility, a token of heavenly bliss rare to
find in this fast-paced world. This celebrity name is further adorned in recent
times by a galaxy of saints that has arisen on the horizon of the State.
Six years ago, devout
Sister Alphonsa, a humble Clare nun was raised to the altars giving India her
first saint. On 23 November 2014, two personages of renowned sanctity from the
native land are due to be canonized by Pope Francis: Blessed Chavara Kuriakose
Elias and Blessed Euphrasia.
The
story of the saints, in Pope Benedict XVI’s memorable words is "the great
luminous wake with which God has passed through history." The Mother
Church is reminding us that God has walked in this country in the history of
these two holy persons. It is a call to the Church of India to follow in their
footsteps and thereby rise up to a life worthy of our calling.
Chavara Kuriakose Elias – Contemplative in Action
Archbishop
Antonios Petti, the Promoter-General of Faith for the Causes of Saints in Rome,
presented Kuriakose Elias as "a pearl truly Indian and oriental."
Born on 10 February 1805 at Kainakary, a village situated in the scenic
backwaters of Alleppey in Kerala, he had been a great stalwart of the Church in
Kerala. His spirituality was a rare combination of immense social and spiritual
commitment.
“I
Set You As A Covenant For The People” (Isaiah 49:8)
He
is described as the St. Benedict of India for he fathered and moulded religious
life in India. He founded the first indigenous religious congregation of India
in 1831 by name 'Carmelites of Mary Immaculate'. Later with the help of Fr.
Leopold Beccaro OCD, the Italian missionary, he started the indigenous
congregation for women religious known as the Congregation of the Mother of
Carmel. He had personally initiated the first seven Indian monasteries, which
became the spiritual nerve centres of the Kerala Church in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.
Understanding
the great importance of the training of the clergy, he started a Major Seminary
in Mannanam near Kottayam in 1833. This was also the first major seminary in
the Syro-Malabar Rite. Systematic seminary formation was given in this
seminary, not only for religious candidates but also for diocesan clergy of the
time. There was a time when as many as a hundred and fifty seminarians were
undergoing training at one time in this seminary. In 1894, this seminary was
amalgamated with the seminary at Puthenpalli which later shifted to Alwaye in
1932.
Around
this time, there was the threat of the Rochos schism looming over the Kerala
church. In 1861, Kuriakose Elias had been appointed the Vicar General of the
Syro-Malabar Christians who were being governed by the Verapoly archdiocese.
This appointment was primarily meant to counter the schismatic influence of Mar
Thomas Rochos. Kuriakose Elias realized the pre-eminent role of the priest to
counter this schism and to establish and foster integral Catholic faith among
the believers.
“Like A Shepherd He Feeds His Flock” (Isaiah 40:11)
His
love for the Church was incomparable and he wanted all the faithful to remain
loyal to the Catholic Church by leading an authentic and vibrant Christian
life. With great pastoral zeal, he had introduced devotional practices in the
churches in order to keep faith alive in the hearts of the people.
He
was convinced that Catholic faith is to be lived centered on the Holy
Eucharist. For this purpose, he had introduced what later became immensely
popular - as the Forty-Hour Eucharistic Adoration. All the parish priests were
instructed to send the people to participate in such Eucharistic devotion.
Together with introducing the Adoration, detailed instructions were given on
God's Love manifested in the ultimate expression of God giving Himself to us in
the form of bread and wine. The people were encouraged to make the Holy
Eucharist the source of strength and direction for their lives. One would call
to mind the memorable words of Pope John Paul II instructing the whole Church
that the Holy Eucharist is the Source, Centre and Summit of Christian life.
Alongside this, pious practices such as meditations of the Way of the Cross and
the Rosary were introduced in the life of the Church.
The
Way of the Cross was meant to keep the Paschal Mystery of our salvation alive
in the hearts of the people. The Rosary devotion popularized by the saint has
kept the Catholic families in Kerala united in prayer every evening. Pope John
Paul II speaking to the Kerala bishops, had commended highly the strong
tradition of the family rosary and remarked that due to this, there was the
rich harvest of priestly and religious vocations in this Church. He also
introduced the ministry of preaching God's Word to the parishes and instructed
the Fathers of his congregation to take the proclamation of the Word as
priority.
“I Appoint You… To Uproot And To Tear Down, To Build And To Plant” (Jeremiah 1:10)
This
servant of God was not only an untiring spiritual visionary but also a social
revolutionary. In his time, the Kerala society was ridden with the caste system.
The higher castes that consisted of ‘namboodiris’ and ‘nairs’ dominated the
political economic and social structures keeping the lower castes under
oppressive and inhuman situations. Only the members of the upper castes were
allowed access to the facility of education. The vast majority was in servile
dependency for their meagre livelihood. The heart of Kuriakose Elias was deeply
grieved over this pitiable predicament. His love for God urged him to take a
prophetic stand to bring about a social change where all are brothers and
sisters.
Education,
he realized, would be the key to this emancipation. He started the first school
for the poor in Mannanam in 1846 and that was also in Sanskrit language. Soon
more schools were founded attached to churches, and as the Vicar General, he
gave orders that every church should have an adjacent school. The schools were
open to all irrespective of caste and creed. He instructed all the parents that
it was their responsibility to send the children to school because in his
words, "Children are God's investment in the hands of the parents."
He told the children that they had to prepare for a bright future by studying
hard for he said wisdom was food for the spirit -, as important as natural food
was for the body. He introduced free noon meals in the schools. This practice
was adopted later by the rulers of the time and has come to stay on in all the
schools to this day across this country.
In
a prophetic vision, Kuriakose Elias understood the indispensable value of media
for the propagation of faith. In those days, there were no spiritual books
available to the Catholics for their spiritual growth. Only two printing
presses were functioning in Kerala - one in Kottayam belonging to the
Protestant missionaries and the other in Trivandrum owned by the government.
Having a first-hand experience of the Press in Trivandrum, he instructed a
carpenter to manufacture a wooden press. He was able to make available to
people spiritual reading material. It was in this wooden press that in 1887
that the first Malayalam daily called Nazarani Deepika was first printed and
published. Indeed he was responsible for ushering in an age of enlightenment
among the people!
As
a man whose heart beat for love of God, he was drawn to focus on the least of
the brethren of Jesus. The people whom society despised as anathema, Kuriakose
reached out to serve. In 1869 he started a home for the destitute. This in fact
was the first charitable institution in the Syro-Malabar church. His advice to
the members of his congregation was to be always available to the poor and
marginalized of society. All the pioneering activities of this man of God
stemmed from his clear prophetic vision of what society should be. As St.
Francis of Assisi has rightly said, "Sanctify yourself and you will
sanctify your society."
“A Man After My Own Heart; He Will Carry Out My Every Wish” (Acts 13:22)
In
his total commitment to Jesus Christ, his prime concern was to mould his life
after Jesus. As Jesus was intimately united with the Heavenly Father in the
Holy Spirit, this man of God was always deeply aware of the in-dwelling
Presence of God in his heart. During his lifetime, people from all walks of
life recognized the depth of his spirituality and called him 'Servant of God',
'Divine Person' and 'Man of Divine Vision'. The first person who wrote his
biography was his own confessor and spiritual director, Fr. Leopold Beccaro
OCD. On the day of the death of Kuriakose Elias, Fr. Leopold wrote in his
diary, "O beautiful and holy soul, pray for me."
The
people of his time saw in him a remarkable man of God and longed to get a
blessing from him. It is recorded that when he was travelling, people who came
to know he was in the vicinity ran after him to get blessed by him. He was
always at the disposal of the sick and the suffering, consoling and comforting
them. St Alphonsa during her intense suffering was comforted when she had a
vision of Kuriakose. He was truly a contemplative in action. The Compassion of
the Lord that filled his heart, flowed out of him - rebuilding distressed lives
and a decadent society. His integrated spirituality was moulded by his intense
love for God and his radical openness to the needs of his fellowmen. As St.
Augustine had rightly said, "The peace of the celestial city is the
perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of God and of one another in
God."
Euphrasia – Mystic and Intercessor
Rev. Sr. Euphrasia CMC, lovingly called
‘Evuprasiamma’ by the sisters and the neighbours, continues to be honoured as
the ‘Praying Mother’ to all. She was born on 7 Oct 1877 in Kattoor, a village
near Thrissur in Kerala. Her maiden name was Rose Eluvathingal. She grew up in
a wealthy family of landowners. It is said that at the age of nine, she had
received an apparition of Mother Mary - an overwhelming experience that
inspired her to devote her life totally to God. The piety of her mother deeply
influenced her prayer life. Her mother used to relate to her the stories of St
Rose of Lima, which strengthened her resolve to live for God. She entered the
convent of the Sisters of the Mother of Carmel which was founded by the saintly
Fathers Chavara Kuriakose Elias and Rev Leopold Beccaro. After her religious
profession on 24 May 1900 at St Mary's Convent, Ollur, she was appointed as Assistant
Novice Mistress and later as Novice Mistress. In 1930 she was made Mother
Superior of the convent where she was to spend the rest of her life.
“My Beloved Is Mine, And I Am His” (Songs 2:16)
Since
her childhood, Euphrasia suffered frail health. At one time during her
formation, it became so critical that her superiors were to send her back from
the convent. During this phase, she had a vision of the Holy Family and she was
healed of her sickness and could continue in the formation. It was a rare
spiritual courage that sustained her then and all through her life.
Among
the Sisters, she was known as the 'walking tabernacle' because of the
remarkable Divine Presence she radiated. Sr. Euphrasia spent much of her time
in the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. Her soul was so close to God that
she could receive visions from above which led her to experience ineffable joy
in spite of the hardships of failing health. From the letters she wrote to Mar
John Menachery, the Bishop of Trichur and her spiritual guide, we understand
that she had risen to the mystic level of spiritual betrothal that St. Teresa
of Avila speaks of. In such moments of intense love and joy, her soul was
united with God in an intimate mystical union with the Lord.
The
sick and the suffering from the neighbourhood would constantly come to her
asking for her intercession. With a divinely charming smile, she would console
them and tell them, "I will not forget, not even after death." These
words are etched in the hearts of the people of the time and are bequeathed to
the younger generation of today who flock to her tomb seeking her Divine
intercession. As in her lifetime, even today her heavenly presence remains in
the St Mary's Convent at Ollur as a tender compelling force inviting all to
God's Love. The Praying Mother remains a consoling hope for everyone in need -
leading all to God.
This
holy nun shows the way to and challenges all the consecrated persons in the
Catholic Church to be men and women of prayer. Her closeness to God was her
greatest asset, leading her to be raised to the glories of the altar where she
shall be venerated as a Saint of God. It is such holiness which makes
consecrated life credible and relevant for the people. Though largely confined
to the inner cloister of the convent for an entire lifetime, her sanctity has
radiated across continents and down generations as the life-giving aroma of
Christ.
These
two saints by their commitment to Christ conquered the ravages of time and
fickle human memory; they even conquered death to live on forever captivating
the hearts of all generations to shed heaven’s graces upon these.
Let
Us Pray
Heavenly
Father, we thank You for the two saints You have given to the Church and very
specially to our country. They are luminous stars shining in the heavenly
places. Let the rays of the light of their sanctity enlighten our ways to reach
You.
Amen.
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