2009 - Saint Alphonsa Birth Centenary | Commemorative Coin

The 2nd commemorative coin for the year 2009 was released to mark the Birth Centenary of Saint Alphonsa.

Saint Alphonsa Muttathupadathu (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946) holds a distinguished place as a Catholic Saint, being the first individual of Indian origin to be canonized by the Catholic Church. She also stands as the inaugural canonized saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church affiliated with the Saint Thomas Christian community.

Fondly known as Alphonsamma, she was born in the village of Arpookara in the Archdiocese of Changanassery. Alphonsa later joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, completing her education and taking her permanent vows in 1936. Although she dedicated herself to teaching for several years, her life was marred by persistent illness.

Her passing on 28 July 1946, at the age of 35, saw her laid to rest in Bharananganam, Travancore, in the present-day state of Kerala, within the Diocese of Palai.

Reports of miraculous interventions linked to Sister Alphonsa surfaced almost immediately following her death, frequently involving the children of the convent school where she had taught. The process for her canonization commenced on 2 December 1953 in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palai, with her being declared a Servant of God. Pope John Paul II elevated her status to Venerable on 9 July 1985, and her beatification was proclaimed on 8 February 1986 at Kottayam.

Numerous claimed miraculous healings, including the straightening of clubbed feet, have been attributed to her intercession, potentially influenced by her own experience of living with deformed feet. Two such cases were presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as evidence of her miraculous intervention. Ongoing instances of healing are documented in the magazine PassionFlower.

On Sunday, 12 October 2008, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced her canonization during a ceremony at Saint Peter's Square, cementing Saint Alphonsa's legacy as a revered figure in the Catholic Church.

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