Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan led the Indian delegation at the ceremony in which Pope Francis will declare Mariam Thresia a saint in Vatican City on Oct. 13. Muraleedharan visited the Vatican City on October 12-13 for the canonisation of Sister Mariam Thresia, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Sister Mariam Thresia, born on April 26, 1876, in Thrissur, Kerala, founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1914. She passed away on June 8, 1926. On April 9, 2000, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

In his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio program last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also referred to Sister Thresia.

“Sister Thresia, in her short lifespan of 50 years, worked for the good of humanity becoming a noble example for the entire world. Whatever task Sister Mariam Thresia undertook and accomplished, she did so with utmost dedication and devotion,” he had said.