Thousands of Christians will attend the beatification of Sister Rani Maria in Indore on Saturday, Nov 4
Clarist Sister Rani Maria Vattalil, 41, was stabbed in front of more than 50 bus passengers on a remote road in Madhya Pradesh state on February 25, 1995, as she traveled to her home state of Kerala .
The Catholic church follows a four-phase canonisation process of which beatification is the penultimate phase.After the Vatican’s nod, the process began in 2003 and Sister Rani Maria was declared “Servant of God” in 2005. In March this year, beatification of the Kerala-born nun was sanctioned.
Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Cardinal Angelo Amato will come from the Vatican to preside over the ceremony. After beatification, Sister Rani Maria will be known as Blessed Sister Maria. ‘Blessed’ is a stage before sainthood.
Among those expected to attend the ceremony are 45 bishops and five cardinals from India. About 120 members, including her close relatives, from the nurse’s native village will attend the ceremony. In all, about 10,000 Christian community members are likely to attend the ceremony.
Born in 1954, Sister Rani Maria came to north India as a member of Franciscan Clarist Congregation for missionary work. In 1995, she was dragged out of a bus and stabbed 54 times by one Samandar Singh near Udainagar, and left to die. Singh was allegedly hired by moneylenders affected by her work among women who were organising self-help groups.
Singh was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The nun’s family later pardoned him. He was released from prison in 2006. He is now preparing to join in celebrations for her beatification on November 4. It was not clear if Singh (49) would attend the ceremony. He told The Indian Express, “I would like to attend ’’.
source: Indian Express