Beatification of Mother Eliswa: Malaysia’s Cardinal Francis calls Kerala visit a “pilgrimage of hope”

Kochi, Kerala, November 6, 2025: Cardinal Sebastian Francis of Penang, who has been deputed by Pope Leo XIV to preside over the Beatification of Mother Eliswa, described his forthcoming visit to Kerala as a “pilgrimage of hope for India, Kerala, and the Church of Asia”.

Mother Eliswa, the first nun of Kerala and the pioneer of the first indigenous congregation for women in India, will be declared Blessed during a solemn Eucharistic celebration at the Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom in Vallarpadom, Kochi, on November 8. Cardinal Francis will preside over the ceremony on behalf of the Holy Father.

Calling his participation a culmination of his own pilgrimage of hope, the top Malaysian prelate with roots in Kerala said that the invitation to represent the Pope was “a total surprise and a special gift”. He emphasised that the Beatification of Mother Eliswa was a historic and spiritual moment not just for Kerala but for the entire Church in Asia.

Speaking about the foundress of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites (TOCD) nuns — from which later emerged the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites of the Latin Rite and the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel of the Syro-Malabar Rite — Cardinal Francis praised her as “a woman of faith and holiness who was daring enough to begin a religious congregation rooted in the local milieu while remaining open to both Rites”.

“Eliswa is not a stereotypical saint,” he observed. “There are many who can identify with her after getting to know her story — married women, mothers, single mothers, and widows. Each stage of her life deserves study and contemplation.”

Cardinal Francis’s parents hailed from Thrissur, Kerala, before migrating to Malaysia when it was still under British rule. Appointed Bishop of Penang in 2011, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis on 30 September 2023.

He also served as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei from 2016 to 2023, and currently chairs the Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).

The Beatification of Mother Eliswa marks a historic moment for the Indian Church, honouring a visionary woman who transformed the spiritual and social landscape of 19th-century Kerala through her deep faith and pioneering spirit.

Beatification of Mother Eliswa: Malaysia’s Cardinal Francis calls Kerala visit a “pilgrimage of hope”

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