Annakutty — meaning “little Anna” in Malayalam — was the nickname given to her by her parents, who had named her “Anna”. Little Anna was destined for greatness as fruit of the options and actions of her short life of 36 years. Later, she took the name of “Alphonsa”. She is the first Indian woman saint. Today, her feast day, Alphonsa is remembered as a model-saint for those suffering from illness and deprivation.
Annakutty was born on August 19, 1910, to Ouseph and Mary Muttathupadathu in Kudamaloor, Kerala. At a very tender age, she experienced great loss since her mother died, entrusting her to an aunt who was strict and overbearing. Besides braving criticism from her aunt, at the age of three, she contracted eczema and suffered much. Her weakness led to teasing from her classmates in school. She bore this with serenity and a smile.
As a young schoolgirl, Annakutty showed great maturity and excelled in doing small deeds with great love. She read the lives of saints and was fascinated by another “little saint” from France: Saint Therese of Lisieux who also lost her mother aged four and yet faced life heroically. Annakutty dreamt of becoming a nun-cum-saint like little Therese.
Being from a wealthy family, as was customary at that time, Annakutty’s aunt began seeking rich suitors for her to be married. Afraid of being forced into marriage, Anna attempted disfiguring herself by getting her leg burnt in a pit used for burning chaff. However, she accidentally slipped into the fire and suffered severe burns. She informed her aunt that she had no intention of marrying but wanted to become a nun to devote herself to love and serve God’s people.
Joining the Clarist Convent in 1928, Annakutty took the name of “Alphonsa” and spent much time in prayer and penance. Due to her austere lifestyle, her health worsened. Yet, what she lacked in physical strength she made up by spiritual steadfastness, heroic patience and tender love. Due to her intimacy with God and goodness towards all, she received spiritual gifts like foreknowledge of events and ability to master languages like Tamil effortlessly.
Amidst untold sufferings, Alphonsa prayed: “Lord, I’m ready to suffer anything and to offer up my life as a sacrifice to you.” She died on July 28, 1946 and was declared a saint by Pope Benedict on October 12, 2008.
Alphonsa teaches us to be patient amidst sufferings. Most suffering is man-made since we — consciously or unconsciously — inflict suffering on others with our selfish options and insensitive actions. So, let’s not blame God for our sufferings but help those who suffer. When we discover the meaning of suffering, we will have discovered the deeper meaning of life.
