Saint Euphrasia Eluvathingal

The Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) is the first indigenous female religious institute of the Syro-Malabar Church, founded in 1866 by Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Father Leopold Beccaro. In 1897, during the reorganization of the apostolic vicariates, Rosa was transferred to the new convent of Ambazhakad founded by Bishop John Menachery. She began her postulancy there on May 10, 1897, under the name Sister Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She received the religious habit on January 10, 1898. Subject to serious chronic illnesses, Sister Euphrasia saw her place in the convent threatened by her superiors who considered dismissing her. However, she was inexplicably healed after a vision of the Holy Family, which allowed her to continue her commitment. On May 24, 1900, the day of the inauguration of St. Mary's Convent in Ollur, she pronounced her perpetual vows there. From 1904 to 1913, she served as mistress of novices. It was under her spiritual direction that Saint Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan (founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family) spent a period of discernment from November 1912 to January 1913. From 1913 to 1916, Sister Euphrasia was appointed superior of St. Mary's Convent in Ollur. Out of humility and feeling unworthy of this office, she placed a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the center of the convent and entrusted the direction of the house to Him. She spent the rest of her life in that same convent, leading an existence of silent prayer and constant intercession until her death on August 29, 1952.

Nicknamed during her lifetime the 'Praying Mother' or the 'Mobile Tabernacle' because of her constant union with Christ, Sister Euphrasia left behind a profound reputation for holiness. Her tomb, located in the chapel of St. Mary's Convent in Ollur, quickly became a place of pilgrimage and popular devotion. The cause for canonization officially opened at the diocesan level on September 27, 1986. She was declared a Servant of God on August 29, 1987. On July 5, 2002, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable. The miracle accepted for her beatification was the inexplicable healing of Thomas Tharakan, a carpenter from Ollur suffering from bone cancer. After praying at Sister Euphrasia's tomb, medical examinations revealed the total and medically inexplicable disappearance of his tumor.

Sister Euphrasia was beatified on December 3, 2006, in Ollur (Kerala, India) by Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. The second miracle, necessary for canonization, concerned a seven-year-old child, Jewel Jenson, from Aloor. The child suffered from a thyroglossal cyst (a tumor on the neck) which prevented him from eating. After the fervent prayers of his grandmother asking for the intercession of Blessed Euphrasia, the tumor disappeared completely without any medical intervention. Pope Francis approved this miracle on April 3, 2014. He celebrated the solemn canonization of Euphrasia Eluvathingal on November 23, 2014, in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, at the same time as that of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara.

The spirituality of Saint Euphrasia is characterized by intense contemplation, a burning love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and a filial devotion to the Virgin Mary. She spent long hours in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, living every moment of her day as a Eucharistic offering. Her spiritual legacy is also preserved through her letters written to her spiritual director, Mgr John Menachery, which reveal the depth of her mystical life, her interior struggles, and her heroic obedience. Her famous promise: "Even after my death, I will not forget you" remains a source of comfort for the faithful who continue to seek her intercession.