The Chosen Ones

Two 19th century religious figures from Kerala were recently canonised by the Pope

A saint in the Roman Catholic faith is someone of extreme holiness and sanctity. On Sunday, India got two more direct channels with God, both 19th century members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala. Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sister Euphrasia, were recognised as saints by Pope Francis at a special canonisation mass. The only other member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church to be recognised as a saint so far was Saint Alphonsa, fondly called Alphonsamma, who was canonised in 2008. There was much celebration over the news in India. The media claimed that canonising the two was a hat tip to the vitality of Kerala’s contemporary Catholic community and its long and pedigreed history. Chavara was a priest from Kuttanad in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. Born in 1805, he founded the congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). Euphrasia, born 70 years after Chavara, lived between 1877 and 1952. She spent most of her life in the confines of a convent in Thrissur.

What is of peculiar interest, however, is the process of recognising a saint. First, an investigation on the candidate’s life is carried out, after which a report is prepared and submitted to the Bishop of the area. On getting his approval, it is sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. Those deemed worthy are recognised as ‘venerable’ by the Pope. Then comes the deal-clincher—the proof of a candidate’s sainthood or, more accurately, the ability to perform miracles. Vatican lawyers, theologians and medical experts sit together to vet and identify miracles. A single miracle gets the candidate as far as beatification. Two miracles get her or him sainthood. The entire process of canonisation can take centuries. In the case of Chavara, Alphonsa had testified how he appeared before her twice and cured her of an illness. He is apparently also said to have helped cure the squint eye of a young girl. The family of a carpenter in Kerala claims that after praying to Euphrasia, the bone cancer that the carpenter was diagnosed with miraculously disappeared before surgery. In another case, she apparently cured the tumour in the neck of a seven-year-old girl.

What is up for argument is the relevance of miracles in the 21st century. Should the Church still look for candidates that appear in dreams and cure individuals of tumours? Or should the emphasis remain solely on the good work they put in? Chavara was a visionary priest and social reformer. He ensured that every church in Kerala established a school nearby. He pushed for not just secular education for Catholics, but also for children of other communities, especially from disadvantaged families. He reportedly fought for appointing Kerala priests as Bishops instead of foreign missionaries and also founded the first Catholic religious congregation for men and women in the country. The CMI, which he founded, has over the decades set up several educational and charity organisations. Euphrasia on the other hand, fondly referred to as the ‘praying mother’ for dedicating her life to prayer, spent her life helping and counselling people. Whether or not to bestow them with sainthoods should depend entirely on their work.

A case in point is the story of Mother Teresa, a deserving saint whose sainthood, if ever bestowed on her, would be a PR coup for a much-maligned institution. The campaign for her sainthood is still stuck at the stage of beatification. One miracle has been recognised, although challenged by doctors, and her second is still awaiting confirmation.

canonisedFather ChavaraIndian priestPopeSister Euphrasia