On 8th November 2023, the Vatican officially declared Mother Eliswa as Venerable and exactly 2 years later, today, on 8th November 2025, we are gathered together in thanksgiving, to witness the beatification of Mother Eliswa; as we declare her Blessed. Today, the Church celebrates with great joy and gratitude, not only her heroic virtues but her simplicity and radical witnessing through her God-centered lifestyle, in remaining faithful to God to the very end, with graceful fortitude.
Dear People of God, I invite you to walk with me today as we recall the story of Mother Eliswa, which mirrors the life journey of every saint. A concrete YES that is constant and consistent in every situation that God places before them. Let us pray for the grace to emulate her virtue of humble submission to the Will of God, through persistent prayer and persevering obedience.
I assure you that Mother Eliswa can identify with every child and youth. From her childhood itself, Eliswa showed a keen interest in prayer and sacrifices. From her earliest days, young Eliswa stood apart: devoted to prayer, tenderly drawn to the Eucharist, deeply devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and empathetically attuned to the needs of the poor. At the tender age of a child, Eliswa was exceptionally compassionate to the poor and the underprivileged.
Mother Eliswa can identify with every daughter, every sister, every woman. Being the eldest of eight children to her parents, Thomman and Thanda, she embraced the challenges and responsibilities of a daughter, a sister and a woman. Submitting to the will of her parents, Eliswa obeyed them to marry Vatharu Vakayil, who died unexpectedly, not long after the birth of their only child, Anna. Through these personal experiences, Mother Eliswa can relate with every wife, every pregnant woman, every mother, every single-mother, every mother of a daughter and every widow after the death of her husband. Nourished through frequent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and engaging in constant acts of mercy by yielding to the Holy Spirit, she allowed God to reshape her identity – from wife and mother to bride of Christ and spiritual mother to many. Her exemplary life of faith and quiet surrender to God, was instrumental for her sister Thresia and daughter Anna to also join her way of life. These three women were the foundation of the Third Order of the Carmelite Discalced (T.O.C.D.) and of the present Congregation of Teresian Carmelites (C.T.C.). It was the first indigenous convent in Kerala, and a pioneering moment for the Church in India.
Mother Eliswa can also identify with every consecrated woman and religious nun. In a very special way, Mother Eliswa can identify with the Contemplatives and the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites (C.T.C) as we celebrate her beatification today. Mother Eliswa opened the doors for women of different rites, both the Latin Rite and the Syro-Malabar Rite, to embrace consecrated life. This inclusive vision was ahead of her time and a true reflection of synodality in action — walking together in communion. Her unwavering dedication to establishing a school, orphanage, and boarding house for girls, along with her commitment to education, pastoral care, and the empowerment of women—especially those who were poor and marginalized—stands as a lasting testament to her ardent compassion and faith.
Transcending all borders, Mother Eliswa can relate with every Catholic, every citizen of India and with the whole of humanity. She has walked through the hardships of this earthly journey, which we now partake. Mother Eliswa teaches us to root everything in Christ — in the Eucharist, in community, and in courageous faith. This flame of love for God burned brightly through every season of her life.
The founding essence of her enduring faith lies in her spirituality, vision, and mission, which anchored in her identity as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ through baptism—the very heart of synodality. As we, the Church, walk the path of synodality, listening, discerning, and journeying together — Mother Eliswa shows us the way. In a world faced with moral confusion and spiritual hunger, gender inequality and familial breakdown, ecclesial divisions and cultural upheaval, and all other challenges of family, church and society, Mother Eliswa teaches that the choice to become a saint will not be easy but it will be worth it. She invites us today, through her beatification, and together with the communion of saints, to open our hearts and to be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit prompting us to do God’s Will at each present moment, no matter how challenging it may be.
Therefore, I urge you, disciples of Christ and devotees of Mother Eliswa, to take courage! We are not alone in our daily struggles. Mother Eliswa understands and intercedes for us all in a very personal way.
We are all aware of the miracle in the womb. In 2005, in Ernakulam, Kerala, a baby girl was diagnosed with a cleft lip at 34 weeks of pregnancy. Through the intercession of Mother Eliswa, the child was miraculously healed in the womb, astonishing medical experts. The Vatican’s recognition of this miracle brought Mother Eliswa to this day of beatification, inspiring countless hearts with hope, faith, and wonder at God’s grace.
Now, Mother Eliswa is a step closer to sainthood. As we praise and thank God for the first miracle, I invite you to pray for a second miracle to take place. From now being declared blessed, we now look forward for her being canonized as a saint in God’s time, as countless hearts continue to be uplifted and inspired by her holy, courageous, and unwavering life of faith and love.
So today, with immense JOY and GRATITUDE, we rejoice to witness this historic moment for the global Carmelite family, for the Archdiocese of Verapoly, for the Church of Kerala, for India, for Asia and for the Universal Church. We rejoice with all the consecrated women, all mothers, all those who suffer in silence and still choose to love. Her tomb at Varapuzha, which I too had the privilege to visit two days ago, has become a place of pilgrimage, where people of all backgrounds come to seek her intercession. And now, she intercedes for us from heaven as Blessed Eliswa — a beacon of hope, a spiritual mother, and a saint for our times. Mother Eliswa, pray for us. Amen!
Saturday 8TH November 2025, National Shrine Basilica of our Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadom, Kochi, Kerala, India
Cardinal Sebastian Francis
Bishop of Penang, Malaysia