Mother Veronica of the Passion
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| Mother Mary Veronica of the Passion | |
| Born | Miss Sophie Leeves October 1, 1823 |
|---|---|
| Died | November 16, 1906 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic nun |
Mother Veronica of the Passion (October 1, 1823 - November 16, 1906), originally Miss Sophie Leeves, was the foundress of Apostolic Carmel, a religious congregation for women.
She was born into a deeply religious family (her father was Anglican Chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople) of English parents in Constantinople as an Anglican, but converted to Catholicism at the age of 27 on February 2, 1850 in Malta, Cyprus. She then went to France and joined the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1851. On September 14, 1851, she became Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion.
On receiving an inspiration to start an Apostolic Carmel she came 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 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.
