CNS STORY: Prospect of one of their own being beatified thrills Palestinians

By Judith Sudilovsky
Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The Palestinian students of the Rosary Sisters' High School in East Jerusalem's Beit Hanina neighborhood are eagerly and prayerfully awaiting the beatification of one of their own.

Sister Soultaneh Maria Ghattas, founder of the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary of Jerusalem, will be beatified Nov. 22 in Nazareth, Israel. Born in Jerusalem in 1843, she founded the first and still the only Palestinian women's religious congregation. She was given the name Marie Alphonsine when she entered religious life.

"Mother Marie Alphonsine is Palestinian and she is from here, so we feel like she is connected to us, and we feel more connected to her," said 16-year-old Tala Zananiri, whose cousin is one of the girls involved in the miracle that cleared the way for the nun's beatification.

Her cousin, Natalie Zananiri, a former student of the high school, was among the five girls rescued from a collapsed septic tank six years ago. The girl's mother had prayed to Mother Marie Alphonsine earlier in the morning asking her to protect her daughter, and the rescue was credited to the late nun's intercession.

Mother Marie Alphonsine was given credit for a similar miracle in 1885. Serving with her order in Jaffa, in what is now Israel, she threw her large rosary to a young girl who had fallen into a deep cistern filled with water and invoked Mary to help the girl. Rescuers saved the girl.

Mother Marie Alphonsine will be the second local Catholic to be beatified. The first was Carmelite Sister Mariam Bawardi, a member of the Melkite Catholic Church from the northern Israeli village of Ibillin, who was beatified in 1983.

Pauliana Hallac, 16, another student at the Rosary Sisters' High School, said she feels a special connection to Mother Marie Alphonsine, who may have answered her prayer for her Muslim friend's mother.

Hallac said her friend's mother had been struck with an illness that had paralyzed her arms and legs, which deeply saddened the entire family. After learning more about Mother Marie Alphonsine's life in religion class and reading about her at the beginning of the school year, Hallac said she decided to pray to her.

"I don't know why I said it, but I did. I didn't tell my family or any of my friends," Hallac said. "When I got home my friend sent me a text message that her mother had moved her hand. I was really surprised. I didn't believe it at first. I don't know if it was a miracle."

She has continued praying to Mother Marie Alphonsine and talked about her experience to her schoolmates in September.

"I did believe in miracles before, but I didn't think it would happen with me. I didn't expect it. Even till now I can't believe it," Hallac said. "Now every night I pray to Mother Marie Alphonsine, firstly because she is Palestinian and secondly because she is the one who helped me when I needed her."

At 14, Mother Marie Alphonsine became a postulant of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition. After professing her vows in 1862, she was assigned to Bethlehem, where she taught religion.

She was deeply devoted to Mary and promoted devotional prayers to her, particularly the rosary. She said Mary inspired her to found the Rosary Sisters.

When the congregation was begun, Father Joseph Tannous Yamine was appointed director and rented a house for the five postulants who entered July 24, 1880. Mother Marie Alphonsine was able to get a dispensation three months later from her vow of obedience to her superiors in the St. Joseph order so she could enter the new congregation.

Mother Marie Alphonsine served in cities, towns and villages throughout the Holy Land until 1917 when she moved to Ein Kerem -- today a part of Jerusalem -- where she lived a life devoted to prayer. She spent the last years of her life in Ein Kerem, dying March 25, 1927, while praying the rosary with her sister, Sister Hanneh Ghattas, also a member of the order.

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