FOUR WOMEN RELIGIOUS DECLARED SAINTS
May 17, 2015 on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the Holy Father Pope Francis solemnly proclaimed four women religious who lived during the 19th century as Saints for their life of holiness in following Jesus Christ. They are St Marie Alphonsine from Jerusalem; St Mary of Jesus Crucified from Palestine; St Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve was a French nun and foundress; and St Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception from Italy.

On this auspicious day the Carmelites have the special reason to rejoice and celebrate as we have one more saint to the garden of Carmel in the person of St Mary of Jesus Crucified who lived her precious two years in Mangalore, Karnataka. She was born into a Greek Catholic family in Ibellin (Nazareth) on 5 July 1846. She was given the name Mariam at her baptism. In 1865 she entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition. The congregation, however, did not let her to make her religious profession, as they were frightened by the extraordinary phenomena surrounding Mariam, which she maintained was an illness: ecstasies, visions and on 29 March 1867, the stigmata. On 14 June 1867 she entered the Carmel of Pau, where on 27 July she received the habit and took the name as Mary of Jesus Crucified. In 1870 she left for Mangalore to found a monastery. In 1872 Sister Mary revealed to her Superiors that the Lord desired a Carmel in Bethlehem. She died a holy death on 26 August. Saint John Paul II beatified her on 13 November 1983.

The Holy Eucharistic Celebration with the rite of the Canonization commenced at 10.00am at St Peter’s Basilica square, Vatican, Rome. After the introductory rite, the litany of Saints was sung which was followed by the formula of Canonization. During the homily, the Pope invited all the faithful to abide in God and His love and thus proclaim by our words and our lives the resurrection of Jesus, to live in unity with one another and with charity towards all. He also summoned to all to take the example of four women religious saints who were luminous example of holiness to us in living our Christian life.

The festal canonization mass was attended by large number of Carmelites including the Superior General of the Order Rev Fr Saverio Cannistra. The K.G. Province was represented by the priest students studying in Rome – Frs Wilfred Pais, Lancy Lewis, Rudolph Raj Pinto, Alphonse Britto, Roshan Lobo, Vinod Lobo, Br Joy Agnel D' Souza and Fr Melwin Rosario from Austria. May these four saints enable all of us to walk the path of holiness in our Christian and religious life.