ST EUPHRASIA ELUVATHINGAL | KAIROS GLOBAL | AUGUST 2021

Author: Jackulin Sheela

Rose Eluvathingal was born on 17 October 1877 to Anthony Eluvathingal Cherpukaran and Kunjethy Chalissery, in the village of Kattoor, in the diocese of Trichur, India. She was the eldest child of wealthy landowners. Even in the midst of all wealth and pomp in the family, her heart desired only God. At the age of nine, she had 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. 

Rose desired to enter the Sisters of the Mother of Carmel, who follow 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 one of the prosperous families in the region. Seeing her resolve, her father finally relented, and accompanied her to the convent.

At the age of ten, she entered a boarding school attached to the first indigenous Carmelite congregation (founded by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara in 1866) at Koonammavu¹. They were taught orderly life along with education and practice of virtue besides other handicrafts. The Koonammavu boarding was a very good training place for the girls who desired religious life.

On 10 May, 1897, Rose became a postulant, taking the name Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was admitted to the novitiate of the congregation on 10 January, 1898. The constant ill health she experienced, however, threatened her stay in the convent, as the superiors considered dismissing her. For the periods of grave illness and trials by the powers of darkness that she endured, she was rewarded by intense spiritual joys.

On 24 May, 1900 Euphrasia made her solemn profession, during the blessing of the newly founded convent at Ollur². After she took her perpetual vows to God, a day of unspeakable joy, since now she belonged forever to her Heavenly Spouse, she was appointed as assistant to the Novice Mistress. She worked for nine years as Novice Mistress of the Congregation. In 1913 she was made Mother Superior of St. Mary's Convent, Ollur, where she was to live the rest of her life, serving as Mother Superior until 1916. 

Sr. Euphrasia spent much of her day in the convent chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. She grew in humility, poverty and holiness as she completely obeyed the will of God every moment. Her whole life was full of continuous prayer, penance and reparation. She was able to do loving and kind services to all those who came into contact with her because of the divine love she received from the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and her devotion to Mother Mary. She had an extraordinary devotion to the Passion of Our Lord. She used to say to the visitors: ‘Gazing at the crucifix, shedding tears of compassion and praying have become the main occupation of my life.’ Observing her life of prayer and holiness, the local people called her ‘Praying Mother’, and the sisters in the community referred to her as the ‘Mobile Tabernacle’.

It was with the utmost eagerness that Sr. Euphrasia waited for her end. Even when she had to bear infirmities of old age, there was no sagging in her zeal. On 26 August 1952, she made her confession for the last time to Fr. Louis, CMI. She was paralyzed and being unable to speak, she wrote on a piece of paper, ‘give me the last sacrament,’ which was administered without delay. Sr. Euphrasia passed away on 29 August 1952 at the age of 75. It was a wonder that the church bell at Cheralayam parish began to ring without a stop at her death.

St. John Paul II approved the Decree of the heroic virtues of the Servant of God in 2002, proclaiming her Venerable. On 3 December 2006, she became the fifth Blessed of Kerala and the sixth in the whole of India. St. Euphrasia was canonized on 23 November 2014 by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, Vatican. She is regarded as the patron saint of people with tumours.