Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception burned her own foot to avoid a forced marriage and, admitted among the Poor Clares of Malabar, lived almost continuously ill, offering her life to God.
Newsroom (13/08/2024 12:57, Gaudium Press) Sister Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception, of the Congregation of the Poor Clares, from an influential family that gave the Church several priests, was born in 1910 and died on July 28, 1946, in a convent in the small town of Barananganam, in southern India.
To the most beloved souls, the Divine Savior invites them not to Mount Tabor, but to Calvary; he offers them not a path of roses, but the bitter cup that he tasted in his Passion.
Union with the Passion of Christ was the keynote of Sister Alfonsa’s spirituality throughout her twenty years of convent life.
Another striking feature of her spiritual journey was her intense devotion to St. Therese of the Child Jesus, whose biography – the famous “Story of a Soul” – she read several times in her youth and knew almost by heart.
The cells she occupied in the convents of Changanacherry and Barananganam are preserved and open to visitors. In the latter, in addition to her bed, bedspreads and various objects she used, there is a painting of St. Therese.
Having lived in a strict convent environment, Sister Alfonsa was naturally little known to the public.
Today, near the convent where Sister Alfonsa lived, a chapel houses her tomb, which is continually visited by the faithful. Situated on top of a hill, the small building has a huge courtyard in front of it, measuring about a hectare and capable of welcoming a considerable crowd of faithful.
Sr. Alfonsa’s spiritual profile
Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her. Ana Muttathupadathu – Sister Alfonsa’s baptismal name – was brought up by an aunt. She gave her a thorough education.
On one occasion, the young Ana was approached by a Carmelite nun who, showing her great esteem, advised her to become a nun.
Later, when she was already in the convent, she realized that it was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus herself who had miraculously appeared to her. Her words had the effect of igniting the desire that Anne already had in her heart.
Finally, it was time to ask her aunt for permission to leave home and become a Poor Clare nun. The answer, however, was negative and peremptory.
Her aunt wanted to see her as a good mother, and never in the isolation of a convent. To this end, she had already arranged for her fiancé to be chosen, and was arranging for the dress to be made for the engagement ceremony, which, according to Indian custom, also takes place in church.
Ana, however, had already decided to become a nun. To make the engagement impossible, she decided to burn her feet. To do this, she jumped over some embers that were burning in a pit in the backyard of her house, where straw was burned.
This move, which the family assumed was accidental, resulted in burns that exceeded their expectations and required special treatment.
However, the goal was fully achieved. The wedding was canceled and, some time later, Anne was able to cross the threshold of the Poor Clares’ convent.
She also suffered for the religious
Both during her novitiate and after her profession, periods of serious illness alternated with periods of health.
Many of her sisters in habit say that Sister Alfonsa often knew their innermost thoughts and problems and consoled them.
Once, a nun wanted to get a souvenir from Sister Alfonsa, but she didn’t ask for it. A few days later, Sister Alfonsa called her and gave her a prayer written in her own handwriting.
It is not surprising, then, that even living in isolation, she knew and sacrificed herself for the needs of the Church in India and throughout the world.
In one of her writings, referring to her illness, she said:
“I’m ready to suffer not just this, but any other illness. The modern world has descended to the lowest level in the pursuit of pleasure. May the Lord do with me what he will, trampling me underfoot, wounding me like a little victim, for the sake of the world that is on the road to ruin, as well as for the priests, religious men and women whose fervor is waning.”
Text taken, with adaptations, from the magazine Heralds of the Gospel n.5, May 2002.
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
