Mother Euphrasia was born on October 17, 1877 in Kattur village in Edathuruthy which is in the present Irinjalakuda Diocese and was baptized on October 25, 1877 in the Mother of Carmel Church in Edathuruthy and was named Rose (Rosa). Her family was very wealthy and owned acres of land and coconut plantations.
Her pious mother taught her to pray the rosary and to participate in the Holy Mass. She had a vision of Mother Mary at the age of nine and she offered her virginity to God eternally. Her father was opposed to her entering the Convent, as he wanted to marry her off. After two years of penance, abstinence, fasting and prayer, Rose got permission to go to the Carmelite Convent in Koonmmavu on July 3, 1888. In the Convent, she was miraculously healed of her serious sickness by the appearance of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Mother Euphrasia was immersed in prayer, in contemplation or praying the Rosary most of her life. So people began to call her “The Praying Mother.” She was most devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When she was Superior of the Convent, she put up the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the wall and entrusted the administration of the Convent to Jesus. She had a great longing to be with the Eucharistic Lord and participate in the Holy Mass and adore the Blessed Sacrament.
She desired to reduce the sufferings of the Crucified Lord and console him by her love, penance, and suffering. Mother Euphrasia had a filial relationship with Mother Mary. Her love of God was manifested in loving service to her fellowmen with the gifts of the Holy Spirit through prayer, intercession, healing, prophecy, etc. Any service done for her was acknowledged with a sweet smile and the words, “Won’t forget even after death.” She never accused or criticized others.
She was sickly and suffered from many diseases, but she never complained. She had many heavenly visions; also tortures from evil spirits. Her Spiritual Director was Bishop John Menachery of Trichur Diocese, who commanded her to write all about her spiritual life to him. Although Mother Euphrasia requested him continuously to destroy all her letters, without her knowledge the far-sighted discerning Bishop kept the letters and through these we have come to know of her deep union with God.
In 1963, Mar George Alappatt, Bishop of Trichur, printed and published the prayer for her Canonization. In 1970, the first biography was written by Fr. Philip, O.C.D, Kerala Carmala Kusumam in Malayalam. She was canonized by Pope Francis on November 23, 2014 in Vatican City, along with the founder of her congregation, St. Kuriakos Elias Chavara.
IMAGE: artistic rendering of “Carmelitas Descalzas de Nogoyá” by Marqués de la Force, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
