The First Indian Saint and The Persecutions

The wonders and marvels of God never cease, while Catholics and Christians in India suffer under terrible persecutions, God the loving father has raised up a saint from India to lead the suffering Christians through this time. India’s first woman saint was canonized along with other three saints, in St. Peter’s Square, on 12, Oct, 2008. St. Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception was born in Kerala, India in 1910 and died in 1946. Benedict XVI noted that her short life was marked with "extreme physical and spiritual suffering." "This exceptional woman," he continued, "was convinced that her cross was the very means of reaching the heavenly banquet prepared for her by the Father." Sister Alphonsa’s “heroic virtues of patience, fortitude and perseverance in the midst of deep suffering remind us that God always provides the strength we need to overcome every trial”, the Pope said.

The canonization of the first Indian saint, Sr. Alfonsa is bringing great comfort to the Christians, especially in this moment of explicit persecution. The Kandhamal Christians share their faith with St Alphonsa. The list of victims in the attacks continues to rise: 61 dead, 18,000 wounded; 181 churches razed or destroyed; 4,500 homes belonging to Christians burned; more than 50,000 displaced, of whom more than 30,000 have disappeared into the forests.

Sr. Karuna the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood was among the first to be struck by the violence in Orissa. She has spent several weeks living in the refugee camps set up by the government, seeking to comfort the wounded and fearful Christians. But she cannot wear her religious habit: she has had to dress like the local women, because the government is monitoring the refugee camps to make sure there is no "Christian proselytism." "St. Alphonsa's life runs parallel to the life of Kandhamal Christians," the sister continues, "she lived a humble quite life in a small village in Kerala, and her sufferings were united with the suffering of Christ, here too our Kandhamal Christians are the same, simple people, living ordinary lives, yet having to suffer for bearing his name.