Life of Determination and Transformation

Life of Determination and Transformation She has known the Sisters since she was a small child at their orphanage. With hard work, this former teacher is now helping others as an elected councilor in Kerala.

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth have been part of Alphonsa Mathew’s life, since she was a toddler at an orphanage run by the Sisters. Alphonsa’s mother was struggling to survive, she knew that Alphonsa would find love and encouragement in the care of the Sisters. Alphonsa says this foundation led her to become a lifelong educator, and later inspired her to seek an elected position. Today, Alphonsa, a faithful friend to and frequent volunteer alongside Gracy Thombrakudyil, SCN, is newly elected as councilor in the administrative body of Calicut District, Kerala, India. She ran for office after retiring from teaching. The mother of two grown daughters is excited about this latest phase of her life and sees it as an opportunity to help improve the lives of even more people.

Alphonsa speaks of the early difficult years of her life in which her father abandoned his young family. Her mother turned to the Sisters for help. Alphonsa credits the Sisters with being women of care and compassion, and inspiring her to dream big. The Sisters saw in her the ability to lead, and nurtured these skills. She says because of the Sisters, she was determined to use her life to have a lasting impact on society. Alphonsa knew that education was the way to reach her goal. Devoted to her studies, she earned a postgraduate degree in English along with a bachelor’s degree in Education. She cleared the Public Service Commission examination with ease, serving as a teacher and headmistress until her retirement a year ago. Reflecting on her profession, Alphonsa shares that she was always striving to impart gospel values to co-workers and students. She is described as going out of her way to reach out to those in need, often trying to help broken families.

Over and over, Alphonsa has credited the Sisters with being her source of inspiration and giving her the foundation to be a successful elected official, teacher, and mother. Married to a farmer, Alphonsa felt blessed that her husband was supportive of her dreams and goals too. When Alphonsa needed a caretaker at home to help attend to the two daughters, he could always be relied upon. Alphonsa is grateful to God to have such a devoted partner who has been there in every sense, from raising the daughters, to steadying the family financially, to encouraging her.

In this latest chapter of her life, Alphonsa says she felt compelled to be a voice for the voiceless. She was drawn to minister alongside Sister Gracy with migrants. She witnessed the discrimination of the migrants and was moved to advocate for their rights. Alphonsa says that this ministry has been one of the most satisfying periods of her life. After working alongside Sister Gracy, Alphonsa desired to have an even larger impact. She ran for office and raised her voice against the atrocities done to the marginalized. As one who believes in the phrase, “Walk the talk,” Alphonsa says she plans to continue to help the migrants and believes that she can bring about a change in existing policies. The lifelong educator shares she sees the face of God in each person, particularly in the migrants who contribute immensely to the economy of the state. She wants to help others have the same realization.

The SCNs are grateful for the gift that Alphonsa is to the ministry to migrants, and Alphonsa is forever grateful to the Sisters for the gift they are in her life.