Christians across India are celebrating the canonisation of Sister Alphonsa Muttathupadathu – the country’s first female saint. She was one of four new saints canonised by Pope Benedict XVI at a ceremony in Rome.

The mood was festive in the small town of Bharananganam in the southern Indian state of Kerala where Saint Alphonsa was laid to rest.

Eighty-five year old Mrs Aleykutty John captured the pride felt by local Christians in a country dominated by Hindus.  

“We are peasants with meager means, with nobody to help. We always prayed to Sister Alphonsa’s for help. Our prayers are always heard and we are all very happy and proud that Sister Alphonsa is a saint,” she said.

Alphonsa was born in 1910 in Kudamaloor, a small village in the Southern Indian state of Kerala. She lost her mother when she was very young and her maternal aunt raised her. Determined to become a nun, Alphonsa deliberately stepped into fire to disfigure her feet so that her aunt would stop pressuring her to marry.
 
She later joined the Congregation of the Poor Clares of the Third Order of Saint Francis and was plagued by serious illness for much of her relatively short life. Saint Alphonsa led a very humble and uneventful life but was known for her stoicism and compassion.

After her death at the young age of 36 in 1946, numerous miracles were attributed to her and her burial place became a pilgrimage site, especially for those seeking relief from ill health. She is buried at Bharananganam in Kerala which is now a major pilgrim center for people from all religions.

Saint Alphonsa icon

It is believed that Christianity began in India in Kerala in 52AD with the arrival of Saint Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ. The religion was boosted with the appearance in the region of Persian and Syrian Christian traders. The arrival of French and Portuguese missionaries in the 14th century further strengthened the religion. It was spread further by the British, who subsequently colonised India.

Christians make up 2.3 percent of India's billion-plus population, which is predominantly Hindu. Roman Catholics make up some 70 percent of the Christian population, with large concentrations in the southern and northeastern states. Indian Christians, though a minority, have generally enjoyed a comfortable and peaceful existence.

However, attacks on Chrisians started a few years ago when Hindu fundamentalist groups gained political power. The murder of a Hindu leader in the state of Orissa led to anti-Christian riots, which killed about 35 people and damaged dozens of churches. Thousands were forced to flee their homes.

Hard-line Hindu groups have long accused missionaries of bribing poor tribes and low-caste Hindus to convert to Christianity through offers of free education and health care.

Indian first saint was the 16th century martyr, Gonsalo Garcia. A Jesuit priest born to an Indian mother and a Portuguese father in 1556, Gonsalo was canonised in 1862.  

In 2003, Albanian-born Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to helping the poor and destitute in India’s Kolkata region, was beatified – the first step to sainthood. She died in 1997.

Sebastian Dominic for RT