Govt releases St Alphonsa commemorative coins

The Indian government on Sunday released commemorative coins to mark the birth centenary of Saint Alphonsa.

Born on 19 August 1910 at a rural village near Kottayam, Kerala, Alphonso became the first Indian woman to be canonised in Vatican in October last year.

Releasing the coins, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, hailed Alphonsa as a person who "taught us to transcend the barriers of language, culture and geography to live together."

"St Alphonsa embodies the noble spirit and her life symbolises spirituality. Her short life of 36 years has been a fountain of selfless service, compassion and love," he was quoted saying.

He praised Christianity as a religion that practice love for humanity, tolerance and religious harmony and lauded the efforts of Christian missionaries in the field of education. He noted that Saint Alphonso worked for the education of the underprivileged.

Born in an ordinary family in Kudamaloor in Kottayam, Anna Muttathupadath became a nun when she was 18 and was christened Sister Alphonsa. Until her death in 1946 at the age of 36 after 16 years of illness, she was largely unknown outside her village.

A number of miracles attributed to her started coming to light after her death which were formally examined first by Indian church authorities and then by Vatican's various committees, papal courts and medical panels. Her burial place at Bharananganam in southern Kerala has become a pilgrimage site.

Last year, the Indian government released a postal stamp in memory of the nun.