Mother Veronica nee Sophie Leeves was born in 1823 in a Pious, cultured English Anglican family. She was gifted with singular talents of mind heart which were nurtured by sound education and wide travels.In 1850 she embraced the Catholic faith and then responded generously to the call to religious life. She entered the Congregation of the sisters of St. Joseph of Apparition in 1851, taking the name, sister Mary Veronica of the passion.
In 1862 she was sent to found a Congregation at Calicut, India, and there discovered an inner call to find a teaching congregation of Active Carmelites to serve the need of the faith formation through education of young girls of the West Coast of India. After facing many difficulties she founded the Apostolic Carmel at Bayonne, France, in 1868, herself having first enetred the Carmel of Pau, France.
The First group of sisters trained by her came to India in 1870 and were established in the Diocese of Mangalore. Circumstances forced her to re-enter the Carmel of Pau. She lived there a holy life of loving surrender to God until her death in 1906. “A generous person will be blessed a hundred times”. Her life of generous sacrifice and prayer has indeed borne abundant fruit.
Today the Congregation that she founded has grown into a mighty tree and the sisters of the Apostolic Carmel run hundreds of institution in SriLanka, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Africa and Rome. Her vision that “God Alone suffices” has been kept afresh and green in the heart of thousands of students through the joyful and dedicated service of the sisters in the field of Education. Her life becomes an example for us to follow her footsteps to offer one’s life in the service of God and humanity. Specially to youth and the less privilaged.
