Religious Sister and Martyr (1954-1995)
Her life
+ Mariam was born in Pulluvazhy, Kerala, Inida. Born into the Syro-Malabar Rite of the Catholic Church, she entered the Franciscan Clarist Sisters in 1971, after having completed her secondary studies. She was known in religious life as “Rani Maria.”
+ Following her profession of religious vows in 1974, she served as a teacher in her congregation’s school in Binjor.
+ In the years that followed, Rani Maria served in various religious houses, holding various positions within the community. In 1992, she completed a degree in sociology and was transferred to Undayanagar later that year.
+ On February 25, 1995, Rani Maria was brutally murdered by a hired hitman in a knife attack on a bus near the town of Indore. The assassination had been arranged by local landlords who were angered by the sisters’ advocacy on behalf of the landless poor.
+ Blessed Rani Maria Vattalil was immediately hailed as a martyr and was beatified in 2017.
For prayer and reflection:
- “Jesus for all, and all for Jesus.”—Blessed Rani Maria Vittalil
Spiritual Bonus
On this day we also remember Saint Toribio Romo González. A parish priest in Tequila and Agua Caliente, villages in the archdiocese of Guadalajara, he was remembered for his generosity and devotion to the Eucharist. He was shot to death in his rectory on the morning of February 25, 1928, during the religious persecutions of the Mexican Revolution; he was twenty-eight years old. Canonized in 2000 with other Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution, “San Toribio” has come to be honored a special protector and patron of immigrants. Numerous miracles and favors have been attributed to his intercession, especially among Mexican immigrants coming to the United States.
Prayer
O God, who gladden us today with the annual commemoration of blessed Rani Maria, graciously grant that we may be helped by her merits, just as our lives are lit up by the splendor of her example of chastity and fortitude. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For a Virgin-Martyr)
Saint profiles prepared by Father Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...