Mother Veronica of the Passion
Encyclopedia
Mother Veronica of the Passion (October 1, 1823 - November 16, 1906), originally Sophie Leeves, founded the Apostolic Carmel
, a religious congregation for women.
Her father was the Anglican chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople, where she was born in 1823. She converted to Roman Catholicism on February 2, 1850 in Malta
. She went to France
and joined the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1851. On September 14, 1851, she took the name Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion.
On receiving an inspiration to start an Apostolic Carmel she went to India
in 1862 and spent two years at Mangalore
and Kozhikode
. Later, she left for France and joined the Cloistered Carmel of Pau in 1867. She prepared a group of sisters of the Carmelite Third Order Regular as "Carmel for Missions" congregation at Bayonne
, France, on July 16, 1868.
Through them she founded the Apostolic Carmel in Mangalore, Karnataka, in 1868. Later she rejoined Carmel of Pau.
Mother Veronica died in 1906, aged 83, and was buried in Pau in 1906. Her order has grown and now has branches in various parts of India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Pakistan, Kenya, Rome and Bahrain. The Congregation is governed under six Provinces and centrally administered by the General Team from the A.C. Generalate, Bangalore with Sr. Mary Vincent as the present Superior General.
Mother Veronica's cause of canonization
was taken up by the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel in 1997.
Mother Veronica of the Passion (October 1, 1823 - November 16, 1906), originally Sophie Leeves, founded the Apostolic Carmel, a religious congregation for women.
She was born in 1823.Her father was Henry Daniel Leeves an Anglican chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople and mother Marina Haultain,the daughter of a Colonel in English army.
When Sophie was in her teens a change came over her. She spent long hours in prayers. She was like a child crying for the light. Her spirit craved for something that was beyond her reach. She did not know what she wanted. God had his plans for her. "Easter Tuesday ended in a dark night" she writes."I blew out the last candles. The house was still. Suddenly a clear but soft voice broke the stillness and I heard these words distinctly "My peace I leave you; My peace i give you. Then all was still again, the night as well as my heart".
She felt drawn to the Catholic Church specially the sacraments of confession and communion. Mrs.Leeves and others were annoyed at this. But Sophie knew God was leading her to unknown paths. She broke off the engagement, she had made with a young and handsome naval officer. She converted to Roman Catholicism on February 2, 1850 in Malta
.
She went to France and joined the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1851. On September 14, 1851, she took the name Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion.
On receiving an inspiration to start an Apostolic Carmel she went to India in 1862.The Bishop of S.Kanara Msgr.Michael Antony O.C.D had appealed to France for assistance to hand over the education of youth to religious and as a preliminary step had bought a house at Calicut in 1860 and fitted it up for a convent and at the request of the people opened a school there on the 1st April 1862, calling it St.Joseph's. Mother Veronica and Sr.Mary Joseph after a long and tiring voyage and a brief halt at Mangalore arrived at Calicut on April 27th 1862, and took charge of St.Joseph's Convent.She served as the first superior of the convent. She spent two years at Mangalore and Kozhikode.
Later, she left for France and joined the Cloistered Carmel of Pau on July 2nd 1867. She prepared a group of sisters of the Carmelite Third Order Regular as "Carmel for Missions" congregation at Bayonne, France, on July 16, 1868.Through them she founded the Apostolic Carmel in Mangalore, Karnataka, in 1868. On October 11th 1873 the little carmel at Bayonne was closed down and Mother Veronica went back to Carmel of Pau.
Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel
The Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel is a Carmelite religious order dedicated to lay education founded in the latter part of the 19th century by Mother Veronica of the Passion, the Foundress of the Apostolic Carmel with her Mentor Bishop Marie Ephrem, envisioned the birth of a "Carmel for the...
, a religious congregation for women.
Her father was the Anglican chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople, where she was born in 1823. She converted to Roman Catholicism on February 2, 1850 in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. She went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and joined the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1851. On September 14, 1851, she took the name Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion.
On receiving an inspiration to start an Apostolic Carmel she went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1862 and spent two years at Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
and Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
. Later, she left for France and joined the Cloistered Carmel of Pau in 1867. She prepared a group of sisters of the Carmelite Third Order Regular as "Carmel for Missions" congregation at Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, France, on July 16, 1868.
Through them she founded the Apostolic Carmel in Mangalore, Karnataka, in 1868. Later she rejoined Carmel of Pau.
Mother Veronica died in 1906, aged 83, and was buried in Pau in 1906. Her order has grown and now has branches in various parts of India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Pakistan, Kenya, Rome and Bahrain. The Congregation is governed under six Provinces and centrally administered by the General Team from the A.C. Generalate, Bangalore with Sr. Mary Vincent as the present Superior General.
Mother Veronica's cause of canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
was taken up by the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel in 1997.
Mother Veronica of the Passion (October 1, 1823 - November 16, 1906), originally Sophie Leeves, founded the Apostolic Carmel, a religious congregation for women.
She was born in 1823.Her father was Henry Daniel Leeves an Anglican chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople and mother Marina Haultain,the daughter of a Colonel in English army.
When Sophie was in her teens a change came over her. She spent long hours in prayers. She was like a child crying for the light. Her spirit craved for something that was beyond her reach. She did not know what she wanted. God had his plans for her. "Easter Tuesday ended in a dark night" she writes."I blew out the last candles. The house was still. Suddenly a clear but soft voice broke the stillness and I heard these words distinctly "My peace I leave you; My peace i give you. Then all was still again, the night as well as my heart".
She felt drawn to the Catholic Church specially the sacraments of confession and communion. Mrs.Leeves and others were annoyed at this. But Sophie knew God was leading her to unknown paths. She broke off the engagement, she had made with a young and handsome naval officer. She converted to Roman Catholicism on February 2, 1850 in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
She went to France and joined the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1851. On September 14, 1851, she took the name Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion.
On receiving an inspiration to start an Apostolic Carmel she went to India in 1862.The Bishop of S.Kanara Msgr.Michael Antony O.C.D had appealed to France for assistance to hand over the education of youth to religious and as a preliminary step had bought a house at Calicut in 1860 and fitted it up for a convent and at the request of the people opened a school there on the 1st April 1862, calling it St.Joseph's. Mother Veronica and Sr.Mary Joseph after a long and tiring voyage and a brief halt at Mangalore arrived at Calicut on April 27th 1862, and took charge of St.Joseph's Convent.She served as the first superior of the convent. She spent two years at Mangalore and Kozhikode.
Later, she left for France and joined the Cloistered Carmel of Pau on July 2nd 1867. She prepared a group of sisters of the Carmelite Third Order Regular as "Carmel for Missions" congregation at Bayonne, France, on July 16, 1868.Through them she founded the Apostolic Carmel in Mangalore, Karnataka, in 1868. On October 11th 1873 the little carmel at Bayonne was closed down and Mother Veronica went back to Carmel of Pau.
Links
- http://www.apostolic-carmel.org/history.htm
- http://www.apostolic-carmel.org/founders.htm
- http://providenceghss.com/mother.htm
- http://holyangelsschoolcbse.org/objectives.htm
- http://www.stjosephsangloindianschool.org/history.htm