Edification Letter

Circular letter to our sister- Carmels concerning the life and death of our beloved Sr. Serafina of the Infant Jesus.

Jesus be ever with us all
My dear Rev. mother and all our mothers and sisters,

With profound sentiments of joy and sorrow may I convey to your Reverences the mercies of the Lord as seen in the life and death of our beloved Sr. Serafina.

Sr. Serafina of the Infant Jesus, known in the world as Asucena Theodosia Nazareth, was born at Candolin, Goa, on 20th of December 1899, of devout parents Mr Sebastiano Nazareth and Felicidad Carduozo and was baptized on the 31st of December 1899. When our sister was only four her beloved father was called to eternal rest, leaving the young mother and two brothers in desolation. Within few months our sister had the happiness of having one more brother, Luis, the companion of her childhood and her support in later years. The good mother gave them a most Christian education, infusing into them very solid piety.

Asucena was very affectionate, kind hearted and diligent that all the surviving relatives remember her as such even now, as we learn from their letters. Jesus was ever asking of her greater detachment when her little brother joined the Seminary and the beloved mother was called for eternal rewards just few months before the long-awaited day of the ordination of their beloved Luis. Our sister knew well from very early days to say her "Fiat" to all that God demanded of her. When Rev. Fr. Luis was appointed parish priest, our sister attended on his needs with great abnegation and in turn, he helped her to advance in her spiritual life. God had still greater plans for this brother and sister; as years went on, they desired to dedicate themselves entirely to the service of God. In I933 Fr. Luis decided to enter the novitiate of the Discalced Carmelite Friars of the first Order at Carmel Hill, Trivandrum. On his first trip to Kerala for the interview with the superiors of Carmel, Asucena requested him to enquire about a religious institution where she could dedicate herself to God. In his short stay in Kerala, Fr.Luis, now Fr.Marie Joseph OCD had contact with our Mother Foundress, Rev .Mother Maria Rosario of Jesus and sought his sister's admission into the recently founded St. Teresa's Mount, Kottayam. She took leave of her people and country and set out for Kerala in the company of Rev. Fr.Marie Joseph, on the 24th of October 1934, and reached Kottayam on the 27th. She was admitted to the convent in the presence of His Excellency Mgr. Bonaventura Arana OCD, on Sunday, 28th October 1934, Feast of Christ the King.

Our sister had some difficulty to express herself or to understand any language thoroughly, but she managed with a mixture of Portuguese, English and Konkani. Our mothers saw in her a humble handmaid of the Lord, always hard working and at the service of everyone. Perhaps her singular grace was her ability to hide herself. She received the Holy Habit on the 6th of May 1935, together with a companion whom she considered as her twin sister in religion; her natural twin sister had left her, for heaven few months after their birth. On the 8th May 1936 she made her profession of simple vows for three years and on the 8th of May 1939, she pronounced her Solemn vows and received the sacred Veil.

Years passed rapidly and, at the beginning of 1946, a foundation at Karwar was proposed and Sr Serafina was one of those selected to go. Horrible sufferings awaited them in those jungles of Karwar, without a suitable dwelling or spiritual assistance. God had other plans for them; after a year of suffering and anguish, they were called back to Kerala, to Thiruvalla where they were received by the Bishop, priests, religious and laity with great pomp and enthusiasm. Their new v-0cation.was evident to dedicate themselves to pray and sacrifice for the reunion of their separated brethren.

Our sister took part with great abnegation in all the labours of the new foundation. She has done the offices of Sub- Prioress, councillor, assistant mistress of novices, sacristan, linen keeper, Provisora, assistant portress infirmarian and Tercera. Whatever work she did, she did it neatly well, she was very dexterous for crochet work. It was as tercera, that is the one who has surveillance over the workmen, an office Sr. Serafina held for several times, she took the keenest interest in all that was being undertaken.

God visited her with the grace of physical sufferings in the last years of her life and particularly in her last illness which she bore with heroic patience. In 1954, hurrying to the choir for examination of conscience before dinner she slipped a step of the stairs and fractured her right leg. In the September of 1963, she had a major operation in which the doctors, nurses as well as the sister who accompanied her were surprised and edified at her patient endurance of intolerable sufferings. Returning from the hospital and convalescing, she had to undergo an operation of her knee. Recuperating her health, she was able to attend all the community acts, when our Lord asked a greater sacrifice of Sr. Serafina. Her sight began to fail and an operation was urgent. In 1967 her right eye was operated; it was a complete failure in spite of repeating the operation after two days. As always, she said her "Fiat" to the holy will of God. From hence, she could not do any work that demanded much concentration of the eye, especially needlework. But she went on helping the sisters diligently in whatever she could, especially in gathering firewood, cutting grass for cattle, and washing clothes. At the end of that year, our Lord granted her the happiness of having Rev, Fr Marie Joseph here to preach the annual retreat of the community and she was pleased to see her little Luis Babu in such spiritual heights after a long period of Hermit’s life in the desert of carmel.

In 1969, she developed a tumour in her breast to which she did not attach much importance and with her spirit of mortification she continued her daily duties. However, she suspected, here was the beginning of her great trial, a trial which was to, eventually, lead her to greater sufferings until her death in 1977; but she was ready to accept whatever God sent despite the anxiety she felt. The doctors prescribed immediate surgery. It proved to be a giant fibre of very malignant cancer. Thanks to being God, our sister responded well to this operation to being of a very robust nature and as recommended by her doctor she underwent a treatment of Cobalt Therapy in the hospital of Medical College, Trivandrum. It was these visits to the hospital that our sister was brought face to face with the misery and sufferings that cancer brings into this world. The sight of those poor people stirred her heart and tried to lighten their day a little by greeting them with a smile and with words of compassion and love though she could not speak or understand Malayalam. Returning from Trivandrum and recuperating, she attended all the community acts.

Our sister had a singular devotion to our Most Holy Mother, our Holy Father St Joseph and our Holy parents. She was in charge, of an altar of our Lady of Fatima, presiding our recreation room, and she took great trouble to decorate it every day until she could no more climb the stairs. For every feast of our Most Holy other, the altar as in the festal array. If one forgot that it was first Saturday or 13th of the month, just a glance at this altar was sufficient to remind her of it. When she was a novice, she selected for her the motto of our Holy Mother "suffer or to die" and prayed to our Lord for more sufferings and our Lord, in turn, asked her for everything. Seeking only to do His Holy will, she offered everything for the salvation of souls. She took keen interest for all that concerns our Holy other the Church, our Holy Order and superiors, our· community, our benefactors, the families of our sisters and workers; enquired about all of them and prayed for them.

Days passed on without anything particular about Sr. Serafina except for the periodical checkup and continued medicines until June 1974 when she began to feel great pain in her arm end other side effects of the radiation treatment. However, despite these impediments, she insisted on doing everything by herself. On July 11th 1974, she had a quite unexpected ordeal - Rev. Fr. Mary Joseph, the only surviving brother also was called for his eternal rewards.

On the 6th of November 1975, another secondary growth was removed; a tissue from it was sent to the medical college for test and the result was alarming; that the cancer was in, its terminal stage and even radium treatment is of no avail. As her doctor called me apart to disclose it, sister suspected something serious and, on our return, she told me “our mother, don't be reluctant to tell me the result, I am ready for everything." But to the surprise of the doctors she improved; or rather pulled on, but a pain on her back and persistent cough were becoming more troublesome. As she recuperated a little she was insisting. to permit her to attend the night offices in the choir, when in May 1976 our Lord sent her the most painful herpes and some boils and sores all over the body, in her own funny way she used to call them "my Sorores.” So again, she had to be bedridden. Our Lord Who was pleased with her patience was likewise pleased to prolong her sufferings in order that more grace might be poured out upon souls. A series of illnesses during the last five months of her life left her quite helpless.
Due to atrophy her legs were unsteady and she trying to do everything by herself, she had some falls. Then I forbade her to stand or move about without someone's help. The sisters vied with one another to help Sr Serafina and to watch her day and night. At the end of August, the doctor told us of her possibility of being paralyzed; she also underwent great mental anguish, for she was horrified at the thought of being paralyzed. However, our Lord comforted her when she was told that there was an opportunity for an act of abandonment to the Holy Will of God. She expressed her desire to receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick and Viaticum while she was conscious, so on the 6th of September !976 during a very solemn ass celebrated in our choir according to the new rite, she was anointed by our chaplain Rev. Fr. Bonaventure OCD. She also had the consolation of being visited by His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Parekattil, Our Bishop His Excellency Cornalius Elenjical, our regular superior Rev. Fr.Francis Gregory OCD.

They blessed her and prayed for her. On October 13th, a day of her predilection, being very devoted to our Lady of Fatima, she received the Holy Viaticum and the sisters remained with her singing. We had our recreations near her cell so that she also may take part; she was very grateful for the attention and love showered on her by our sisters, fathers and doctors. One of the fathers who attended her spiritual needs presented her an "Ecce Homo" which she hung on the wall in front; from the sight of it she drew from that fountain of strength, the graces necessary to sustain her combats, in the long hours of sufferings She passed her days saying Rosaries and Ejaculations. Paralysis progressed and by the new year her sufferings reached the peak; she was quite helpless she reminded us of Christ nailed to the cross and her pale ash colour, of a consumed sacrifice.

In the night of Saturday, 29th January, the sister who was keeping watch found her very uneasy and when we suggested to , call doctor, she asked for our father chaplain. So, we hurriedly called our father and said the recommendation of the soul. But as we had given some tablets for wheezing and fatigue, she found herself a little better and began asking pardon to father and to all of us for awaking us at midnight. Then the father asked her whether she wished to receive Holy Communion. She answered very clearly "not now father, it is enough to give in the morning as usual" and we all returned to rest leaving two sisters to watch Sr Serafina. All throughout Sunday, she was drowsy and silent, though conscious.

The doctor came and gave her two bottles of glucose drips and told us that nothing more can be done. In the night, he called again at the turn to enquire how Sr Serafina was and warned us that she might pass off at any moment. Sunday night also passed calmly and when the sister who was watching took leave of her at the clapper Sr Serafina was conscious. After a minute or two I entered her cell to arrange an altar for communion and found her unconscious and breathing heavily. The whole community and Rev. Fr. Bonaventure were summoned immediately and we prayed all the prayers for the dying as in our ritual, sung Credo and Salve Regina and Father gave her Plenary Indulgence in articulo mortis she stopped breathing. It was 5.55 AM on Monday 31st of January 1977.

After singing a ‘Libera’ the community wet to recite the Morning Prayers while four of us remained to shroud the corps and afterwards we took in procession to the choir. Our father chaplain offered the first Requiem mass for the soul of Sr Serafina. We recited an office of the Dead. Inspite of the fact that it was a weekday, a good crowed filled our chapel. Deep is our gratitude to all of them, especially to His Excellency Mgr. Cornelius Elenjical, our Bishop, to His Excellency Mar Athanasius bishop pf Thiruvalla to our chaplain Rev Fr Bonaventure OCD who attended to her spiritual needs with great abnegation, to Rev Fr Joseph Kochuparambil, to Dr Kurian Scaria and Dr Abraham YP who treated her with great solicitude to the very end.

The obsequies were solemn. For the first time in our carmel we took part in the new funeral rite sung in Malayalam so beautifully by His Excellency our bishop and the priests of our Diocese. At 5:00 PM Our Bishop accompanied by His Ex. Mar Athanasius and many fathers entered the enclosure for the funeral and her mortal body was consigned to the grave. Though we trust that our beloved sister is already enjoying God may I beg you mothers and sisters, to add as early as possible, the suffrages according to our Constitutions and whatever your generosity will inspire. Sr Serafina who was so grateful for any favor done to her will repay you, as also He, Who Said “whatever you do to the least of my little ones, you do unto ME.”

With deepest sisterly love and gratitude
I remain,
Humbly yours in Jesus and Mary,

Mary Antony of the Holy Spirit OCD
Prioress

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