Saint.Euphrasia Eluvathingal

Evuprasiamma

Lives of saints show us the way they trod to reach the heart of God. God puts His seal of sanctity on their lives – the lives lived for Him and His children. Blessed Euphrasia, a Carmelite nun, lived every moment of her life loving and worshipping God and serving Him in her fellow creatures, her suffering brothers and sisters.

Ollur, a small village near the Trichur highway, you will find an old and a bit imposing structure very close to the main road. That is St. Mary’s Convent of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel. Countless pilgrims rush to this strange but attractive place, with great reverence believing in the sanctity of the life of Mother Euphrasia. The tomb of Blessed Euphrasia has become a place of prayer and thousands of people come to pray, beg her intercessory prayers and thank her for favours received.

After a long span of spiritually fruitful life of 75 years, Blessed Euphrasia found eternal rest in the Lord on 29th August 1952. She was confined to the cloister for more than 50 years and suffered quite a lot those years from physical illness. A humble, hidden and silent life spent for God and fellow creatures. Her main occupation was prayer with penance. Despite the weaknesses of her frail body, the trials and sicknesses of old age, Blessed Euphrasia spent herself for others and discovered immense joy in doing so.

On the Boarding side of the St. Mary’s Convent, Ollur, the night after Christmas 1950, we the Postulants were getting ready to receive the habit of Carmel the next day, the Golden Jubilee of the St. Mary’s Convent, Ollur, founded in 1900 and the Golden Jubilee of the Profession of Mother Euphrasia and companions. We heard someone calling us, “Come and get the blessing of Mother Euphrasia. She is waiting for you on the Convent side”. At once, we all went down and walked to the Convent side. There she was: an old nun with a toothless smile waiting for us. She blessed us and told us to become very fervent brides of Christ and love Jesus without measure with an eager heart, and to be wise virgins. But I was thinking afterwards why is it that they called us to get Mother Euphrasia’s blessing and not the Mother Superior’s!

Then after that year, on May 27th we came to Ollur Convent for our novitiate. Then I used to watch Mother Euphrasia behind me walking fast to join us in our prayer. I used to see her sitting in the corner on a small bench in front of the chapel. She would sit and pray there, always looking at the Tabernacle and the big statue of our Immaculate Mother on the top of the altar. We used to watch this tireless Praying Mother. She was about 75 then. As we were novices we were not allowed to talk with the senior sisters. We knew that she was the Novice Mistress of our Novice Mistress.

But there had been occasions when we could see and talk to her, that is, when we get high recreation. I remember one such day when we all, 23 in number, lined up and went to the recreation hall of the senior sisters. Being the youngest, I was with the last two or three novices. We passed by the bench where the old sisters were sitting, and asked, “Mother aren’t you well?” Hearing our simple question, Mother Euphrasia had a hearty laughter along with the other sisters. I still remember the place where I asked that question, and Mother Euphrasia laughed shaking her head and opening her mouth.