Sr M Lydia AC
Apostolic Carmel Generalate
Bangalore 

Mangalore, Jul 15: Mother Veronica, foundress of the Apostolic Carmel Congregation with its first house St Ann’s Convent, Mangalore, has been declared Venerable by the Vatican.

The bulletin of the Vatican, "Promulgation of Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, July 9, 2014" announced the following:

"The heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Veronica of the Passion (nee Sofia Leeves), professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, founder of the Sisters of the 'Apostolic Carmel’ ; born in Istanbul (Turkey) on 1 October 1823 and died in Pau (France) November 16, 1906."

This was subsequent to the approval of Pope Francis of the decision of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on July 8, that the Servant of God Mary Veronica of the Passion nee Sophie Leeves has practised virtue to a heroic degree and authorised Cardinal Angelo Amato SDB, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to issue the Decree declaring her Venerable." It was then published in the Vatican bulletin of July 9."

Mother Veronica, a British (Anglican) convert to Catholicism is the Foundress of the Apostolic Carmel Congregation with its first house St Ann’s Convent, Mangalore in India, started in 1870 which became the Mother House with the closure of the Foundation House (1868) in Bayonne, France.

Mother Mary Veronica began life as Sophie Leeves in 1823 in Istanbul. She was the daughter of Marina Leeves and Rev Henry Daniel Leeves, a Military Chaplain to the British Ambassador. She was well educated and had skills in writing and music. However, as a teenager she became very prayerful. She felt drawn to the Catholic Church, especially the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion.
Her mother and others were not pleased, especially when she broke off her engagement to young and handsome naval officer. She was received into the Catholic Church in February 1850 in Malta where her father was stationed.

The following year, she went to France where she entered the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition, and became a professed as a member in 1851 and received the name Sr Mary Veronica of the Passion. Having worked in several schools in Europe, she was sent to Calicut, India in 1862. She showed a special love for the less fortunate. She wanted both the rich and the poor to enjoy all the ‘goods of the land’ – God’s gift for his people. She learnt the local language Malayalam. In 1867, she returned to France to start in Bayonne, what became the Apostolic Carmel. She trained three sisters and sent them to India. Shortly after their arrival, the Sisters opened St Ann’s School for Girls.

In 1873, Mother Veronica herself returned to the cloistered monastery, the Carmel of Pau, from there she prayed for her Apostolic Carmel in India for decades until she died in 1906 at the age of 83. Mother Veronica’s cause of canonization was taken up by the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel in 1996. The next step on the road to sainthood is the approval of one miracle after which Mary Veronica could be beatified. If a second miracle were approved, it would open the way for her canonisation.