2008, Canonization Saint Alphonsa Miniature Sheet India Rs 15.00 MNH

2008, Canonization Saint Alphonsa Miniature Sheet 

             

     Cannonization Saint Alphonsa Miniature Sheet India Rs 15.00 MN H 2008

                                        Text:             Cannonization Saint Alphonsa India Rs 15.00 2008

                             Condition:             MNH

Country / Post	India
Date of Issue	16 November 2008
Primary theme	Religions & beliefs (Saints)
Subject	Saint Alphonsa
Width	29.0 mm
Height	39.0 mm
Denomination	5.00 INR
Number in set	1
Layout/Format	miniature sheet of 1
Perforations	13 by 13
Stamp issuing authority	Ministry of Communications Department of Posts
Printer	India Security Press, Nasik

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God has blessed our Indian Church and , in particular, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation with the precious gift of Saint Alphonsa, the first woman saint from our Motherland India, the land of Rishis and Sages. The crore message of Saint Alphonsa to the modern world is the dynamic power of love. A love, which empowers,India for a total self-surrender to God, a total self - giving to the other and a total-self emptying one of oneself. Her whole life was the proclamation of the great and intense power of love in the midst of adversities and challenges: the power of love to transform suffering into joy. Her moments of suffering were the moments of love. Saint Alphonsa, was born on August 19, 1910, at Kudamaloor in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry, Kerala. her mother died three months after giving birth to Annakutty, later Alphonsa. India Post is happy to release commemorative postage stamp on Saint Alphonsa.

Saint Alphonsa Muttathupadathu, F.C.C., or Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946) was a Syro-Malabar Catholic Franciscan Religious Sister who is now honoured as a saint. She is the first person of Indian origin to be canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church and the first canonised saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church of the Saint Thomas Christian community.

Early life 

She was born Anna Muttathupadathu, the fourth child of Cherian Ouseph and Mary Muttathupadathu, in Kudamalloor, near Kottayam, on 19 August 1910.^[1] She was baptised on 26 August. Alphonsamma, as she was locally known, was born in Arpookara, a village in the princely state of Travancore, within Kerala, India. This lies within the Archdiocese of Changanassery.

Her parents nicknamed her Annakkutty (little Anna). She had a difficult childhood and experienced loss and suffering early on in life. Anna's mother died when she was young, so her maternal aunt raised her. Hagiographies describe her early life as one of suffering at the hands of her stern foster mother and the teasing of schoolchildren.^[2] Anna was educated by her great-uncle, Father Joseph Muttathupadathu. When Anna was three-years-old, she contracted eczema and suffered for over a year.^[3]

In 1916 Anna started school in Arpookara. She received her First Communion on 27 November 1917. In 1918, she was transferred to a school in Muttuchira. Anna was from a rich family and because of that she got a lot of marriage proposals from reputed families. Her foster mother wanted her to become a perfect housewife in a rich household. However, Anna sacrificed all this material fortune and wanted to dedicate her life to Jesus Christ. In 1923, Anna's feet were burnt when she fell into a pit of burning chaff; local hagiographies describe this as a self-inflicted injury in order to avoid her foster mother's attempt to arrange a marriage for her and thereby to fulfill her desire for becoming a Religious Sister instead.^[2] This accident left her permanently disabled.

Sister Alphonsa 

When it became possible, Anna joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, a religious congregation of the Third Order of St. Francis,^[4] and through them, completed her schooling.

Anna arrived at the Clarist convent at Bharananganam, Kottayam district, on Pentecost Sunday 1927.^[1] She received the postulant's veil on 2 August 1928 and took the name Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception in honour of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, whose feast day it was.^[5] In May 1929 Sister Alphonsa was assigned to teach at Malayalam High School at Vazhappally. Her foster mother died in 1930. Three days later she resumed her studies at Changanacherry, while working as a temporary teacher at a school at Vakakkad. On 19 May 1930 Alphonsa entered the novitiate of the congregation at Bharananganam. On 11 August 1931, she completed the novitiate and took her first vows.

Health decline 

The period 1930-1935 was characterised by grave illness.^[5] Sister Alphonsa took her permanent vows on 12 August 1936.^[1] Two days later she returned to Bharananganam from Changanacherry. Sister Alphonsa then taught high school at St. Alphonsa Girl's High School, but was often sick and unable to teach.^[3] For most of her years as a Clarist Sister she endured serious illness.

In December 1936, it is claimed that she was cured from her ailments through the intervention of the Kuriakose Elias Chavara^[5] (who was beatified at the same ceremony as she), but on 14 June 1939 she was struck by a severe attack of pneumonia, which left her weakened. On 18 October 1940, a thief entered her room in the middle of the night. This traumatic event caused her to suffer amnesia and weakened her again.

Her health continued to deteriorate over a period of months. She received extreme unction on 29 September 1941. The next day it is believed that she regained her memory, though not complete health. Her health improved over the next few years, until in July 1945 she developed a stomach problem that caused vomiting.^{[citation needed]} During the last year of her life she came to know Father Sebastian Valopilly, (later Bishop of Kerala), who frequently brought her communion. This bishop became famous in Kerala for championing the cause of poor people from all religious backgrounds who had come to live Thalassery as a result of shortages elsewhere.

Death 

She died on 28 July 1946. She is buried at St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Bharananganam, Travancore in the Diocese of Palai.