Mariam Thresia was born in 1876 in Kerala, in what is now southern India, and from a young age was drawn to intense prayer and penance, reportedly experiencing mystical phenomena including visions and the stigmata later in life, which she generally tried to keep hidden. Rather than joining an existing convent, she felt called to found a new community focused specifically on visiting families in their own homes, particularly those affected by illness, poverty, or family breakdown.
She founded the Congregation of the Holy Family in 1914, establishing a form of religious life more directly engaged with ordinary family life than the cloistered convents common at the time in the region. She died in 1926 and was canonized in 2019.
Saint Mariam Thresia
Founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family
An Indian mystic who founded a religious congregation dedicated to visiting the sick and marginalized poor directly in their own homes.
- Born
- 1876
- Died
- 1926
- Birthplace
- Puthenchira, Kerala, India
- Died in
- Kuzhikkattussery, Kerala, India
- Country
- India
- Canonised
- 2019-10-13
- Century
- 20th century
Why People Pray to Saint Mariam Thresia
Saint Mariam Thresia is invoked by those caring for struggling families, and by anyone seeking to support the sick and poor within their own homes.
