MOTHER ELISWA: A WOMAN WHO REACHED ON THE SUMMIT OF ‘UNRECOGNIZED SUCCESS’

Fr. Dr. Stephen Kachappilly Cap

Mother Eliswa a stardom of the central Kerala explored many possibilities and managed to face all nuances of her time damming from the public to within. Consecrating herself into the holy self of Jesus, the fully immersed pious lady made some immediate penetrations towards the well-established social manipulations of her time. This meticulous woman, whose works were neither recognized nor honored earlier, is becoming a magnetic force and a spiritual panoramic in the upcoming facts-searching Kerala. A unique name, Mother Eliswa doesn’t stand for a person and congregation today, but rather she stands more to the families, nations and world at large. For this reason, no one can content herself into the small locality of Koonammavu, nor to a particular faith, politics or liturgical rites. Having undergone a disciplined well-motivated way to contemplation, she came out as stronger as a fine gold piece from the burning furnace of tortures and sufferings. Unfortunately, we lack such bold characters in societies where injustice became a dress code of everyone’s habit. This immeasurably working-woman deserves a decent apology for being segregated by the dominants and influential for many convenient reasons. Perhaps, the first christian lady in the context of Kerala whose bold initiatives to walk out from kitchen to different zone in public brought immense fruits in the later stages. Mother Eliswa remains a designation for higher possibilities and a spirit of women flock. In the world of youth’s emulation, the old ‘she’ remains a first-hand reference whose resemblances in attitude can bring many more changes in a much-needed society and church. The question why she is important, is not actually important if the reader knows her authentic self. If the question repeated by the ignorant the answer would make all flotation into a statement of facts where mother Eliswa would appear as a spiritual queen of ‘the Kerala church’ (doesn't pertain any particular church as it is used by some rites) from its very origin.

THE PATRONESS OF ROSARY

Mother Eliswa, the first lady whose place is not second to someone anywhere in the world in spreading devotion to mother Mary by making rosaries. She composed a group of neighborhood ladies and taught them how to make rosaries by reciting rosary itself – the first holy-working place having prayer at the lips and working with faith. The habitual recitation of rosaries gave awareness to its makers that they were engaged enormously in a prayerful activity and not in a business. Such rosaries will become strong weapon in the hands of faithful, because the space between each bead is separated with hidden prayers from the lips of their makers. This strictness of mother Eliswa brought immense result and differences of atmosphere in the family prayers in Kerala. The availability of rosaries helped people to begin consistent rosary recitation in the families with angelus. This contribution credited her with the well-deserved title ‘the patron of rosary devotion’ in the context of Kerala. 
   

She did not aim at a commercial resolution, although making rosaries brought a reasonable income to the poor ladies of her time. Ever since its start, name and fame added to ‘Koonammavu rosaries’ and has been in great demand till today. People all over started referring ‘Koonammavu’ as the place of stitching rosaries. The holy project of rosaries initiated and encouraged by mother Eliswa was adopted by many ladies in Koonammavu till the date. Frequently, exporting rosaries to different parts of the Christian and non-Christian world including Vatican City has become an unsurprising phenomenon. A survey conducted has been brought out following facts concerning rosary ministries of Koonammavu. At present, there are two thousand and fifty-four parishes of Indian dioceses of different rites purchasing rosaries recurrently from here. They are the regular suppliers of rosaries to fourteen European, Scandinavian, African and Latin American countries. There is also frequent supply of rosaries to UAE, Middles East and Mediterranean countries. Sensing demands of rosaries and possibilities of business wrongly enforced other people to make and sell rosaries in the fake-name of this place. However, the rosaries made in Koonammavu is typically following the prayerful secrets and instructions of Mother Eliswa and outcome of this is disclosed in the one who use them. Thus, it is an extension of a dissimilar mode of prayer service rather than being engaged in a competitive business partnership. Mother Eliswa an infamously buried stalwart of center Kerala, belonged to none except Crucified Jesus from her very origin. The woman who deserves many salutes had chosen to be simple and hidden at all times. Nevertheless, this was the kind of proclamation she had been betrothed with, being revitalized to live, and having yearned to contemplate over.

THE UNIQUE EDUCATIONIST

It is easy to begin something new when people and finance are on your side with a strong back up of political-societal influences. Imagine with the usage of a special metaphor to measure a situation which was existing hundreds of years back in the community of cast driven Kerala. In such communities, forget about a lady who might volunteer for any new endeavors, but at least it was not possible to have them a comfortable life in the public forum. The unorganized state of Kerala was a conditioned station where the social, cultural and political circumstances were not conducive to begin or live any spiritual ventures. This period had been referred and tilted as ‘Kerala a mental asylum of casts and untouchability’ by the ever-Great Swami Vivekananda. Really it was such a tough place to compare with. Untouchability was insisted by the superior clans of the society which had made poor peoples’ life miserable and pathetic. The womenfolk of the lower caste clans were therefore subjected to the inhumane practices of the time including the practice of not wearing clothes on their sensual assets.

Against such social evils, many prominent personalities such as Sri Narayana Guru, Sahodaran Ayyappan, Ayyankali and still many more came forward and organized strong remonstrations. These movements were protests against untouchability, casteism, injustice and inequality in all sectors and for exterior classes, depressed classes or scheduled classes. Unfortunately, no one courageously from womenfolk came forward to join them, or conducted protest by themselves till the entry of Mother Eliswa in the scene. This spiritualized royal lady of Vaippassery family who was married to Vakayil family in Koonammavu inaugurated a new movement for women in the whole of Kerala. Through a new religious movement for women ‘TOCD’ she had strengthened women of her locality and beyond, to begin a Carmelite way of life. This first lady religious from Kerala maintained to begin education for women, hostel facilities for girl children and handicraft works for them to learn daily wages. She encouraged ladies to come out from their fearful zone of the self, suppressed and enforced onto them by the social prevalence of male dominance.

Scripture says “and he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt: 25: 20-21).  Eliswa was not a lady of multi talents, however, she knew very well how to multiply them and enter into the joy of her master. Like the prudent servant in the bible, she kept on multiplying the talents given to her. From time to time she was made the cause of joy in as many things as she could at the commands of her master Jesus. At present, this well-established congregation has newly inaugurated cloistered sisters, spiritually trained retreat preachers, hundred and fifty lay fraternity novices, twenty-six hospitals and health care centers, apart from a number of centers for homeopathy, acupuncture with alternative-medicine treatments. Notably, the medical-lab technician trained centers, school of nursing, old age homes for poor, Karuna special school for differently abled boys and girls, informal education to street children, special trained jail ministers, are undertaking commendable services both national and international level. Quite number of sisters are engaged in sixty-four educational institutions to groom the boys and girls to be morally bounded citizens of future India.