Pala-Kerala

President of India ,Mrs Pratibha Patil on August 12th inaugurated the birth centenary celebrations of St Alphonsa at Bharananganam in Kottayam, Kerala

GCIC prayerfully joins in the centenary celebration of India's First Woman Saint who is known as :“saint of suffering with much love".
Paying homage, President Pratibha Patil said it was important to realise that the essential message of all religions was universal peace and brotherhood.

The Indian President said it was essential to return to these basic principles to defeat certain degree of selfishness that had crept into our society.

Recalling physical and spiritual sufferings of St Alphonsa, Patil said though she spent much of her life within the confines of the convent she always prayed for the wellbeing of others ignoring her own traumas.

Alphonsa was born in Kudamaloor, a village near Kottayam,on Aug 19, 1910.
Alphonsa, deliberately disfigured herself at a young age to ward off suitors and enter the convent.

Sr Alphonsa was a sickly person and after facing several health problems she died July 28, 1946, in Bharnanganam, died at the age of 36.

Her tomb became a rallying point pilgrimage site and she was credited with several miracles, particularly curing illness and disease.

GCIC prayerfully joins in the centenary celebration of India's First Woman Saint