St. Euphrasia of The Sacred Heart

Also known as

Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart
Rosa Eluvathingal
Mother Euphrasia

Memorial

29 August

Born

7 October 1877 in Edathuruthy, Thrissur, Kerala, India as Rosa Eluvathingal

Died

29 August 1952 in Ollur, Thrissur, Kerala, India of natural causes

Venerated

5 July 2002 by Pope John Paul II

Beatified

3 December 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI
recognition celebrated at Ollur, archdiocese of Trichur, India

Canonized

23 November 2014 by Pope Francis

Birth and Early Life

The daughter of Anthony and Kunjethy of Eluvathingal Cherpukaran, Rose Eluvathingal was born on 17 October 1877 in the village of Kattoor, in the Diocese of Trichur, India. Her mother's deep piety and great devotion to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, had a strong influence on little Rose from her childhood.

At the age of nine, Rosa is said to have experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which led her to make a commitment never to marry, and to commit her entire life to God. When she was ten, she entered the boarding school attached to the first indigenous Carmelite community in the Syro-Malabar Church, founded by Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Leopold Beccaro in 1866 at Koonammavu in Ernakulam District.

As she grew older, Rosa wanted to enter the Sisters of the Mother of Carmel, who followed the Rule of the Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites. Her father opposed this, as he wanted to arrange a marriage for her with the son of another prosperous family in the region. Her prayer life as well as the rather sudden death of her younger sister, brought about a change of heart in her father, who granted Rose permission to enter the convent. Her father accompanied her personally to the convent of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel at Koonammavu, the first indigenous congregation of the Syro-Malabar church.

Life in the convent

Her constant poor health, however, threatened her stay in the convent, as the superiors considered dismissing her. Once, during a particularly painful attack, the Sisters were resolved to send her away forever. Euphrasia is said to have had a vision of the Holy Family, at which point the illness she had long felt ceased.

After she took her perpetual vows, she was appointed assistant to the Novice Mistress. Though frail in health Euphrasia was appointed Novice Mistress in a few years and later was made Mother Superior of the convent. She served as Mother Superior until 1916. Her desire was that her sisters should grow in holiness. The majority found Mother’s strict formation useful. But all could not equally appreciate the purity of her intentions and her zeal.

She insisted on disciplining the tongue specially on four occasions:

1. When one superior leaves, and another one comes.

2. When they take up somebody else’s office.

3. When members of another convent come to their convent and when they go to other convents.

4. When the mind is upset or agitated.

St. Mary's Convent, 1950

For almost 48 years the convent of St Mary was home to Mother Euphrasia. She endeavored to lead a life of constant prayer and of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, becoming known to many people as the ‘Praying Mother’. Euphrasia spent much of her day in the convent chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, to which she had a strong devotion. She also had a great love and devotion for the Virgin Mary.

From the first years of her Religious life, Mother Euphrasia had the blessing of the spiritual guidance of Bishop John Menacherry. He kept all of her letters which reveal every aspect of her spiritual life. Her letters from July 28, 1900 to August 1919 – about 79 letters which had been handed over to the Congregation of the Carmelites of Trichur by Bishop George Alappat who had great appreciation for the sanctity of Mother Euphrasia.

Mother was thoughtful of the needs and weariness of the sisters. When the financial situation was bad, she used to be very happy when there were more than usual food items to serve. Often God used to grant her desire through the help of generous people. It was a time the Convent had to bear up with adversity and abject poverty so strongly that the sisters had not even a full meal a day. Some kind and generous local people and some priests also helped them to pull on. Newly opened neighboring convents were also very poor. Sisters from the neighboring convents of Chiyyaram, Kanimangalam and Ollur Fatima would come to Ollur St. Mary’s Convent, the Mother House, for various purposes. Tired of the journey on foot, the sisters would be hungry and thirsty. Mother Euphrasia would at once go over to the kitchen not only to serve the sisters some food but also prepare some packets of food to be sent to their convents too.

Once it so happened when the sisters came to the refectory, there was no food. Without hesitation Mother Euphrasia told them to go to the Chapel and thank God. While they were praying, the parlor bell rang. Mother Euphrasia went to the parlor. From the house of Akkara Augusty a big basket of bun and a big bunch of bananas were brought. Mother Euphrasia called back the sisters from the Chapel and they were happy to realize how the Lord was mindful of them.

Mother Euphrasia could also look into the depths of the soul. Once a sister was on her deathbed; many who nursed her were standing around her. Seeing that her death struggle was long, Superior Mother Euphrasia went and prayed before the tabernacle. When she returned, she requested the sisters to leave the room for a short time. Then she softly asked the dying sister whether she had to seek forgiveness from anyone. With tearful eyes she related to Mother how she had hurt a superior with her rude behavior and requested Mother to write a letter conveying her feeling of repentance and regret and begging her forgiveness. The sister breathed her last most peacefully even before the bearer of the letter reached the addressee.

She also offered to the Lord her love and affection in return to those who scorned and hurt her, and accepted the accusations of the superiors without any self-justification and received wholeheartedly the mocking words and gestures of the sisters.

Legacy

Mother Euphrasia’s humility, service-mindedness and availability were remarkable. After the sisters went to school, she would start with a broom and bucket to take water and wash the bathrooms and toilets clean in a very enthusiastic way. Similarly, if she found any place dirty in the Convent, she would rush there to clean up the place. She eagerly took up the menial tasks of the community. She had a humble attitude. She did not conceal how her family was reduced to poverty and declined from high economic prosperity. She was only happy in others knowing about it.

People sought after Mother Euphrasia to get prayer support, and solutions to their problems. She began to be known as “the Praying Mother”, and “the holy nun of the Cherpukaran family”. The news of the power of her prayer reached far and wide.

Canonization ceremony by Pope Francis

Mother Euphrasia died on 29 August 1952 at St. Mary's Convent. After her death many of those who had obtained her help during her lifetime continued to beseech her help at her tomb and miracles have been reported. In 1990 her tomb was opened, and her mortal remains were moved to the convent chapel. On 23 November 2014, she was Canonized by Pope Francis.

Once the daughter of an Ollur family was in the Ernakulam hospital looking after her husband. She prayed to Mother Euphrasia, “Mother, haven’t you told us you won’t forget even after your death. My husband is very sick, please help and give him healing”. Praying like this she dozed off in sheer weariness. After some time when she woke up, she looked at her husband. She was so shocked to see him sitting and smoking. She asked him, “What happened?” Then he said: “Well, after praying when you slept, a Sister came smiling and touched me and just went off. Immediately I got up, I felt all right. You were sleeping and since I didn’t have anything else to do, I smoked”. She blurted out: “O! it is Mother Euphrasia!”