Daijiworld Media Network - Ernakulam

Ernakulam, Nov 8: In a landmark spiritual event for Kerala’s Catholic community, Mother Eliswa Vakayil, formally known as Eliswa of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was declared blessed on Saturday at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom in Vallarpadam. The beatification marks a significant milestone on her path to sainthood.

Born on October 15, 1831, in Ochanthuruth, Ernakulam, Mother Eliswa founded Kerala’s first indigenous Carmelite convent for women in 1866. Her pioneering efforts led to the establishment of two major congregations: the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) under the Syro-Malabar rite and the Congregation of the Teresian Carmelites (CTC) under the Latin rite.

Widowed at 20, she devoted her life to prayer, service, and education, guiding women in religious life and fostering social outreach. Together with her daughter Anna and sister Thresia, and under the guidance of Italian missionary Leopold Beccaro, she began her religious mission in a modest bamboo-mat hut at Koonammavu. Her work bridged the Latin and Syrian rites, promoting inclusivity at a time when such collaboration was rare.

Mother Eliswa passed away on July 18, 1913, and her tomb at St. Joseph’s Convent, Varapuzha, has since become a site of pilgrimage. Her canonisation process began in 2008, she was declared Venerable by Pope Francis in 2023, and the Pope later approved a miracle attributed to her intercession, paving the way for her beatification.

Thousands of devotees, clergy, and religious representatives attended the solemn ceremony, including a representative of the Pope. Mother Eliswa’s legacy of faith, service, and empowerment of women continues to inspire generations, with her personal motto, “God alone suffices”, remaining a guiding principle over a century later.