Which saint became the first Indian woman to be canonized by the Catholic Church?

Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception became the first Indian woman to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

Alphonsa was born Anna Muttathupadathu in Kudamaloor, Kerala, in 1910. She joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation and took the religious name Alphonsa. Her life was marked by serious illness and suffering, which she accepted within her religious vocation and spiritual outlook.

She worked as a teacher and lived in the convent at Bharananganam. Alphonsa died on July 28, 1946, aged 35. Devotion to her grew in Kerala, particularly among the Syro-Malabar Catholic community, and reports of favors and miracles contributed to the formal process recognizing her sanctity.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified Alphonsa in 1986 during his visit to India as cardinal prefect; Pope Benedict XVI later canonized her at Saint Peter’s Square on October 12, 2008. Her canonization made her the first Indian woman saint recognized by the Catholic Church. Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara was canonized at the same ceremony.