St. Euphrasia
1877–1952
Carmelite nun of Ollur, "the praying mother", counted by Aranattukara parish as one of its daughters
Rosa Eluvathingal was born on 17 October 1877 at Kattoor, in what is now the Irinjalakuda diocese. Her mother, Kunjethi, came from the Chalissery family of Aranattukara. The book records that Rosa was baptised in the Aranattukara parish, which proudly counts her as one of its daughters.
A childhood of prayer and pain
She grew up in a home where prayer came first. The book suggests that her mother, who turned to prayer in every crisis, was her first teacher. At twelve Rosa fell seriously ill with rheumatic pain, and illness stayed with her for much of her life.
She joined the Carmelite sisters at Koonammavu and took the name Euphrasia. She was then sent to the convent at Ollur, near Thrissur, and stayed there for the rest of her life.
The praying mother
People came to her with their sicknesses and worries. The medicine she usually gave them was the rosary. Everyone called her “the praying mother”. The book says she offered her own illnesses and struggles for the souls in purgatory. She died at Ollur in 1952.
Steps to sainthood
The Church declared her a Servant of God in 1987 and Venerable in 2002. She was beatified on 3 December 2006. She was declared a saint in Rome in November 2014, on the same day as St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, whose congregation she had served.
For many families in Aranattukara and across Thrissur she is still a source of hope in illness and hard times. The parish of St. Thomas Church keeps her memory as part of its own story.
