The canonisation at the Vatican was a great moment for me, the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) and the Syro Malabar Church.
This was because the CMI, the first Catholic religious congregation in the country, was co-founded by St Kuriakose Elias Chavara.
Moreover, the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel to which St Euphrasia belonged, was also founded by St Chavara.
Hence, St Chavara is the spiritual father and St Euphrasia the spiritual daughter. I was spellbound by the fact that I was also to be a part of a very special event in the history of the church.
I was proud to be part of the CMI congregation which was founded by such a saintly figure. I have only God to thank for this blessing.
As the member of the CMI, it was a moment of divine bliss for me when I watched the canonisation at the Vatican. I was excited when Pope Francis pronounced the two holy souls as saints.
They both belonged to Kerala. It was an exciting moment when the saintliness of two children of the Indian church was officially approved. So it was really a double delight.
The two saints are India’s contribution to the global Catholic Church. Catholics of the State can now seek the help of these saints to intercede with God on their behalf. This was the same feeling that all those who witnessed the historic event shared.
(Author is the postulator to cause of canonisation of Fr Chavara)
