Servant of
God Father Constant Lievens
is known as the apostle
and founder of the Church
in Chotanagpur.
He was born at Moorslede
in the diocese of Bruges
(Belgium) on April 10, 1856.
He joined the Society of
Jesus at Drongen on October
21, 1878. On October 22,
1880 he made his religious
profession and set out for
India where he arrived in
Calcutta on December 2,
1880. He was ordained a
priest at Calcutta on January
14, 1883. Later he was sent
to Ranchi in Chotanagpur
where he arrived in 1885.
Father Lievens
founded his first mission station at
Torpa in November 1885. He led a very
austere and ascetic life. Aware of the
vicious exploitation of tribals by Jagirdars,
Zamindars, Thikedars and moneylenders,
he studied the customary laws of the
tribals and the laws of the British
government.
With the help of reliable and people
friendly lawyers, Father Lievens took
up the defence of the tribals in the
courts. This led to an ever-increasing
flow of people towards the Church. He
worked himself to death, instructing,
building schools and chapels, preparing
court cases, etc.
On August 27, 1888, he was appointed
Director of the mission and shifted
to Manresa House, Ranchi from where
he organized and supervised the mission
work.
He ruined his health by his unflagging
zeal and ceaseless labours. He contracted
tuberculosis and on August 26, 1892
he left Ranchi for Belgium in the hope
of recovering and of returning to his
dear mission. But that was not to be.
He died at Louvain on November 7, 1893.
On his arrival at Ranchi there were
only 56 Catholics in the area where
he was destined to work. By the time
he left, less than seven and a half
years later, there were well over 70.000.
“The miracle of the Church of Chotanagpur”
had begun.
With the consent of the government of
India, his mortal remains were brought
back to “his people” on November 1,
1993 and, after an extensive tour throughout
his old mission field, re-interred in
the Ranchi Cathedral on November 7,
1993.
The cause for his Beatification started
in 1993, in the diocese of Bruges. The
postulator is Rev. O. Denorme, who has
prepared the required dossier about
his life, virtues and labours. The diocesan
commission was officially constituted
and inaugurated on March 15, 2000.
The people of Chotanagpur who consider
him their “apostle and father in faith”
have never forgot Father Lievens.
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
for India
Fr. F. Jonckheere, S.J.
Manreasa House
P.B. No. 2
Ranchi – 834 001
Jharkhand state
Mystic
and preacher, Father Agnel
D'Souza was a member of
the society of the Missionaries
of St. Francis Xavier.
He was born in Anjuan,
in the Archdiocese of
Goa and Daman. Joined
the Society of the Missionar-
ies of St. Francis Xavier
(Pilar Fathers) on July
17, 1897
He was ordained priest
on September 2, 1899.
The Vatican declared venerable
on November 10, 1986.
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
Cause of Beatification of Venerable
Agnel
Society of Pilar, Pilar, Goa,
India-403 203
Everyone
in Ramapuram village in
Kerala considers Father
Augustine Thevarparambil
popularly known Kunjachan
as a humble priest.
He
was born in the village
in on April 1, 1891. He
was ordained priest, belonging
to the diocese of Pala,
in 1921.
Interestingly during
most of his priestly career, Kunjachan
stayed in his own parish, the St. Augistine’s
church at Ramapuram as one among the
three assistant parish priests for more
than 40 years.
Kunjachan died on 16th October 1973.
Soon after his death, his tomb at
the St. Augustine Church became a
center of pilgrimage for people from
far and wide. According to parish
priest Father Mathew Narivelil, the
biography and the prayer for intercession
of Kunjachan have been published in
many Indian and European languages.
After Kunjachan was declared a Servant
of God, an elaborate enquiry about
his life and virtues was followed
by a diocesan tribunal. Father Mathoth
prepared the 'positio' on the virtues
and submitted it to the Congregation
for the Cause of Saints in Rome on
12 Feb. 1997.
Address
:-
The Vice
Postulator
Cause of the Servant of God Kunjachan
St. Augustine's Forane Church,
Ramapuram Bazar P.O
Kerala, India-686 576
Ph:
0482-2260323
Venerable
Aurelian of the Blessed
Sacrament O.C.D
(June 2,1887
- Nov. 16, 1963)
Father
Aurelian was a theologian,
professor, writer and
spiritual leader. He was
a Spanish priest who trained
over 1500 priests and
who lived in India for
more than 50 years.
The priest
was born at Archunduaga,
Basauri near Bilbao Province,
Spain.
He became Carmelite on
August 4, 1902. He was ordained priest
on December 17, 1910. He reached India
on October 9, 1912.
Father Aurelian was spiritual director
(1914-44), vice rector (1934-44) and
rector (1944-56) of the St Joseph's
Seminary, Aluva in Kerala.
He was national director of Priests'
Eucharist League (1928-1945), editor
of Eucharist and Priest and secretary
of Fifth Eucharistic Congress of India
held at Goa in 1931.
He was also the delegate general
of the Discalced Carmelite Order in
India in 1957.
The Vatican declared him Servant
of God on December 17, 1980. He was
declared Venerable on March 26, 1999.
Address
:-
Rev. Dr.
Antony Pinheiro OCD
Vice Postulator, Sacred Heart
Philosophy College
Monastery Lane, Aluva, Kerala-683
101
Ph: 0484-2623409
Blessed
Alphonsa Muttathupadath
FCC
(Aug. 19,
1910 - July 28, 1946)
Blessed
Alphonsa’s life
does not appear to be
anything extraordinary
or even remarkable.
During her
life she was just an ordinary
nun who led an obscure
and eventless life in
the quiet cloisters of
the Clarist convent at
Bharananganam, Kerala
Ill-health rendered her
inactive and she remained bed-ridden
for long intervals of time. She had
no great achievements to her credit,
nor was she a person of exceptional
talents or of any high intellectual
acquisitions.
But she is venerated today as the
humble suffering handmaid of Jesus.
Alphonsa was born on August 19, 1910
at Muttathupadath family of Kudamaloor,
Kottayam in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry
in Kerala.
She lost her mother at an early age.
She joined the Franciscan Clarist
Congregation, Bharananganam in 1927
and received religious habit on May
19, 1930. She took perpetual vows
on August 12, 1936.
Her life was full of sufferings and
sickness. She got miraculous cure
through the intercession of Blessed
Kuriakose Elias Chavara in December
1936.
She fell ill with double pneumonia
in June 1939 and was again seriously
ill in 1940. She was administered
the sacrament of the sick on September
29, 1941, but recovered. She started
vomiting in July 1945 and died of
that sickness on July 28,1946.
Diocesan Tribunal for the beatification
of Sister Alphonsa was inaugurated
on December 2, 1953. She was declared
Venerable on July 9, 1985 and declared
Blessed by Pope John Paul II on February
8, 1986 at Kottayam, Kerala.
Her feast is celebrated on July 28.
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
Cause of Blessed Alphonsa
Bharananganam P.O, Kerala, India-656
578
Kuriakose
Elias Chavara was born
on Feb. 10, 1805 at Kainakary,
Alappuzha in the Archdiocese
of Changanacherry in Kerala.
From the age 5 to 10,
he attended the village
school (Kalari) to study
languages, different dialects,
and elementary sciences
under the guidance of
a Hindu teacher (Asan).
Inspired by the desire
to become a priest, he
began the studies under
the parish priest of the
church of St. Joseph.
At the age of 13 in 1818
he entered the seminary
at Pallipuram where Malpan
Thomas Palackal was the
Rector.
He was ordained priest on 29th November,
1829 at Arthunkal and celebrated his
First Holy Mass at Chennankari Church.
Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara is
one of the founding fathers and the
first Superior General of C.M.I. (Carmelites
of Mary Immaculate) congregation of
the Catholic Church.
He died on January 3rd, 1871 in the
odor of sanctity leaving behind him
the high reputation of a very holy
monk.
He was declared blessed on February
8, 1986 by His Holiness Pope John
Paul II.
Blessed Chavara was a great educationist
and social reformer. He was appointed
official teacher (Malpan) of the Syro-Malabar
seminarians on February 16, 1844 by
the Archbishop of Verapoly.
His cause of canonization was taken
up in 1953. He was declared Blessed
by Pope John Paul II at Kottayam on
Feb. 8, 1986. His feast is celebrated
on January 3.
Blessed
Maria Theresa Chiramel,
was born in Puttencheria
near Thrissur, Kerala,
on April 26, 1876.
Although she had no formal
education, Blessed Maria,
however, emerged as a
great educationist and
social reformer. She always
worked for the poor and
the sick and especially
the downtrodden in the
society.
In 1913, she set up
a prayer house at Puttencheria where
she founded her Holy Family Congregation
on May 14, 1914. She died at Kuzhikattussery,
Thrissur on June 8, 1926.
The cause of her beatification was
taken up in 1982 and she was declared
beatified on April 9, 2000 by Pope
John Paul II. Her feast day is on
June 8.
Blessed Maria Theresa is the founder
of the Holy Family Congregation.
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
Holy Family Generalate, Mannuthy
Thrissur, Kerala, India--680 651
Ph:
0487- 2370584
Blessed
Joseph Vaz
(April 21,
1651 - Jan. 17, 1711)
Blessed
Joseph Vaz was born on
April 21, 1651 at Benaulim,
Goa.
He was ordained priest
in 1676 after which he
travelled extensively
on foot along the western
coast and into Sri Lanka.
He died in Kandy, Sri
Lanka on January 7, 1711.
Father Vaz was declared
blessed by Pope John Paul
II on July 6, 1997. His
feast day is on January
7.
He is today remembered
as one of the outstanding
missionaries in India
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
Sanctuary of Blessed Joseph Vaz
413, Blessed. Joseph Vaz Road,
Sancoale P.O
Cortalim, Goa, India-403 710
Ph:
0834-2550263
Archbishop
Mathew Kavukatt
(July 14,
1905-0ct.5, 1969 )
Mar Mathew
Kavukatt, the former Archbishop
of Changanacherry was
an eminent educationist
and administrator
He was born at Pravithanam,
now in the Pala diocese,
Kerala. He was ordained
priest on December I,
1935. Father Kavukatt
was appointed as Bishop
of Changanacherry in 1950.
He was elevated as Archbishop
in 1956.
Archbishop Kavukatt
was the founder of Assumption College
at Changanacherry, B K College at
Amalagiri, St. Aloysius College at
Edathua and many other educational
institutions in the Archdiocese.
His cause
of canonization was taken up by the
Archdiocese and he was declared Servant
of God on Oct. 25,1996
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
for the Cause of Archbishop Kavukatt
Archbishop's House, Changanacherry
Kottayam Dist, Kerala
Ph:
0481-2421162
Fax:
2422540
Father
Mathew Kadalikkattil
(April 25,
1872- May 23, 1935)
Father
Mathew Kadalikkattil is
the founder of Sacred
Heart Congregation for
Women.
He was born at Edapady,
Meenachil, Pala diocese,
Kerala.
He was ordained
priest on February 17, 1901.
He served as parish
priest at Lalam (Old & New), Karoor
and Kannadiyurumbu in the Pala diocese.
Confessional and pulpit were the two
chief venues of his pastoral ministry.
His mortal remains were interred at
S.H. Convent Chapel, Palai on Sept.
6,1937.
His cause of canonization
was taken up in 1987 and he was declared
Servant of God in 1989.
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
S.H. Provincial House
Pala, Kottayam Dist
Kerala-686 575
Ph:
0482-2212225,
2215221
Mother
Euprasia
(Oct. 17,1877
- Aug. 29,1952)
Evangelist,
social worker and novice
mistress, Mother Euprasia
was born at
Edathuruthy, Thrissur
diocese in Kerala
She
was a member of the Congregation
of the Mother of Carmel
from May 24, 1900
She lived a typical
Carmelite, a life of prayer combined
with penance and in need, so much so
that she was known among people as the
'praying mother.'
She was buried at St.
Mary's Convent Chapelollur in Thrissur.
Her cause for canonization
was taken up in 1986 and she was declared
Servant of God in 1988.
Address
:-
Vice Postulator
Cause of Mother Euprasia
Mount Carmel Generalate, Thaikkattukara
Aluva, Kerala-683 106
Ph:
0484-2621307
Address
:-
Vice
Postulator
St. Mary's Convent
Ollur, Thrissur
Kerala- 680306
Ph:
0487-2352345
Mother
Teresa of Calcutta
(Aug. 10,
1910 - Sept. 5, 1997)
'Angel
of the Gutters' and 'Mother
of the Poor,' Mother Teresa
was a living testimony
of Christian charity whose
services are acclaimed
worldwide
Mother Teresa was born
at Skopje in Albania on August 10, 1910
as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She joined
Loretto convent in Ireland in 1928 and
reached India in the same year.
She took perpetual vows on May 27,
1937. For a few years she was a teacher
at Calcutta. In 1946 she got a special
inspiration to work for the poorest
of the poor and got permission to
leave the congregation.
In 1950 she founded the Missionaries
of Charity congregation for women
devoted to the care of the sick, destitute
and the neglected. In 1963 the brothers'
section of the congregation was started.
In 1965 the congregation was raised
to the status of pontifical rank.
Mother Teresa's work was widely acclaimed
and recognized world over. She was
the
recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
(1979), the Templeton Prize (1973)
and numerous other international awards.
The Government of India recognized
her services by according her the
highest civilian honour of Bharat
Ratna in 1980.
Mother Teresa died on Sept. 5, 1997
at Calcutta.
Cause of her canonization was taken
up by the Archdiocese of Calcutta
in 1999 and she was declared Servant
of God on June 12,1999.
Pope John Paul II waived the customary
five-year period for the sainthood
process for Mother Teresa to begin
and declared her 'beatified' in 2003
within six years of her death.
