Mother Eliswa Vakayil

Eliswa Vakayil, religious name Eliswa of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (15 October 1831 – 18 July 1913) was a religious sister from Kerala. Eliswa Vakayil, religious name Eliswa of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (15 October 1831 – 18 July 1913) was a religious sister from Kerala. She was the founder of the first indigenous Carmelite community for women in India, the Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites (TOCD), which later became the Teresian Carmelite Sisters and the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC). As the community grew, a more permanent convent building was made and blessed in March 1867. The first sisters made their religious vows in July 1868. Vakayil's inclusive vision later led her to admit sisters of the Syro-Malabar Rite into the congregation.