Kerala nun becomes India's first woman saint
VATICAN: Kerala nun 'Blessed' Alphonsa is now Saint Alphonsa after she was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI at a ceremony at St Peter's Square on SundaThousands of devotees of Sister Alphonsa march to Alphonsa's tomb during celebrations in Kerala. (AFP Photo)
y, becoming the first Indian woman saint.
She is the first woman saint of the Indian church, which claims 2,000 years of history.
Thousands of Christians attended special prayers ahead of the canonisation.
Sister Alphonsa is credited with curing illness and disease after her death in 1946, with the Vatican approving the reported miracle cure of Genil Joseph, a congenitally deformed child, in 1999.
Braving a heavy drizzle, thousands have been pouring into Sister Alphonsa's church in the town of Bharananganam on foot, in minibuses, motorised rickshaws and cars from 4 AM (1030 GMT), when mass began in the regional Malayalam language.
"We always thought she was someone special, we felt she had an aura about her," said Sister Grace Kalriparambil, 77, who knew Sister Alphonsa.
The roads of the small town were lined with posters of Sister Alphonsa, and the church and convent where she lived as a nun wore a festive look. Special masses are also being held in Catholic churches across Kerala, where Saint Thomas, one of the 12 apostles, is believed to have arrived in 52 AD, bringing Christianity to India, a secular country with a dominant Hindu population
