Kerala, the Gods own Country, is now the land of Saints with many blessed souls in India coming from this Southern beautiful state. With Mariam Thresia canonised on October 13, 2019, Kerala now has four saints among the eight canonised from India. The Gods own Country is now truly the Land of Saints.
A land where religion, science and communism go hand in hand, Kerala is a holy land for Vatican. With more people awaiting canonisation, as many as 20 in the list, the Gods own country will become a cradle of saints in the coming years to come. The Christians in Kerala are overwhelmed with more people becoming Saints.
Saint Mariam Thresia, who is the latest to be canonised, was born at Puthenchira in Thrissur district in 1876. She is the co founder of Holy family Congregation. The canonisation process had begun in 1975 and was beatified in 2000. She died in 1926.
Saint Alphonsamma was the first saint in Kerala and the First woman saint in India. She was in 1910 at Muttathupadam in Kottayam district. Known for numerous miracles, she was canonised on October 12, 2008. She breathed her last at Bharananganam in Kottayam district in 1946.
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara was the next to be canonised. A social reformer, he was born in 1805 at Kainakari in Alappuzha district. He was blessed in 1986 and became a saint in 2014. He was the founder of CMI congregation for priests and also established a congregation for Sisters. He died in 1871 in Kuunnanmavu in Ernakulam district.
Known as the praying mother, Euphrasia Eluvathingalwas also canonised in 2014. Born at Kattur in Thrissur district, she was beatified in 2006. She breathed her last in 1952 at ollur in Thrissur.
Other Saints born in India are Gonsalo Garcia and St Joseph Vaz. Garcia, born in Mumbai was baptised in 1862. Vaz from Goa got the sainthood in 1995. St Mother Teresa and St John De Britto were foreign born saints who worked and died in India. While Britto was canonised in 1853, Teresa got sainthood in 2016.
Saint Francis Xavier of Spain and Saint Mariam Bouardy from Bethlehem, St Maximillan from Poland were the foreign saints who worked in India.
