Beatification of martyr
Devasahayam Pillai under way
in Nagercoil on Sunday.
Nagercoil: A large number of
people witnessed the
beatification ceremony of
martyr Devasahayam Pillai at
a programme organised on the
Carmel school campus here on
Sunday, 1st Dec. 2012.
Pope Benedict XVI, Head of
the Catholic Church,
declared Devasahayam Pillai,
Blessed. An idol of the
martyr was sanctified on the
occasion. Religious
personalities, including
Angelo Cardinal Amato,
Salvatore Pennacchio Oswal
Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop
of Mumbai Telesphore P.
Cardinal Toppo, Archbishop
of Ranchi George Cardinal
Alencherry, Major Archbishop
of Syro-Malabar Catholic
Church, Moran Mor Baselios
Cleemis Catholicos, Curia
Bishop Dr. Bosco Puthur and
more than 40 archbishops
from various places across
the country witnessed the
ceremony. Over thousand
parish priests, reverend
fathers and Sisters also
were witnesses to the
ceremony.
K.T. Pachaimal, Forest
Minister; J. Helen Davidson,
Kanyakumari MP; A. Nanjil
Murugesan, Nagercoil MLA
among other politicians
cutting across party lines
participated.
• Church beatifies India's
first 'lay' martyr
• STAFF WRITER
• Nagercoil (TN), Dec 2 (PTI)
Devasahayam Pillai, the 18th
century "martyr" who
"sacrificed" his life for
the faith in the erstwhile
princely state of Travancore,
was today beatified by
Catholic Church here.
Pillai is the first lay
person to be elevated to the
rank of the "Blessed" in
India as a procedure ahead
of raising a person to
Sainthood under the Canon
Law followed by the Church.
THE SERVANT OF GOD
DEVASAGAYAM PILLAI (Kottar
Diocese)
(23 April 1712-14 January
1752)
The Servant of God,
Devasagayam Pillai, was born
in 1712, of Vasudevan
Namboodri and Devakiamma at
Nattalam, formerly of South
Travancore, now in the civil
district of Kanyakumari in
Tamil Nadu .
He was named Neeakanda
Pillai, and “Pillai” denotes
his caste affiliation, Nair,
and it is among the high
castes in the Hindu social
order. A man of character
and well educated, Nilakanda
Pillai started his career as
a soldier and then became a
Palace official in charge of
Kingdom’s treasury.
During his tenure as
Treasury official, the
Kingdom suffered due to lack
of revenues and loss of
property. Neelakanda Pillai
shared his sufferings and
the difficulties with
Eustachius Benedictus De
Lannoy, the captured Dutch
Captain, who was then
serving as an army advisor
to King Marthandavarma. A
fervent catholic that he
was, De Lannoy, quoting the
Book of Job, counseled him.
Taken up by his explanation,
Neelakanada Pillai wanted to
become a Christian. Fr.
Giovanni Battista Buttari, a
Jesuit Missionary based in
Vadakkankulam, baptized him
as Devasagayam, Lazarus, on
May 14, 1745.
After his conversion,
Devasagayam Pillai converted
many people including his
wife, Bhargaviamma.
Convinced of the equality of
all as Children of God
(Gal.3:28) he decried caste
distinction and
superstitions. At the
insistence of the infuriated
Hindu Priests, the King
wanted him to reconvert to
Hinduism. But Devasagayam
Pillai was firm in his faith
and so the King ordered him
to be arrested. He was
arrested on Feb.23, 1749,
and for three years he was
tortured and paraded in
chains to various places
including Pukliyurkuruichi,
now a parish in Kottar
Diocese. A defiant
Devasagayam refused to give
up Christ and so he was shot
to death on January 1752 at
Kattadimalai forest,
Aralvaimozhy. His mortal
remains were discovered by
the Christians who brought
them to Kottar and buried in
front of the main altar of
the Church of St. Francis
Xavier, Kottar, which in
turn became the Cathedral of
the Diocese of Kottar.
Attempts were made to
present his cause to the
Holy See, starting with the
Ad Limina visit Report-1756.
Recently in 1993 the Cause
was canonically instituted
in the diocese of Kottar.
The Diocesan Enquiry was
duly sent to the
Congregation for the Cause
of Saints and the validity
of the Diocesan process was
confirmed on 18th March
2010. The Historical
commission (2011) and the
Theological commission
(2012) in Rome have
unanimously approved the
POSITIO and the fact that
the Servant of God suffered
death for his faith. On June
28, Pope Benedict XVI has
authorized the Pontifical
Commission for the Cause of
Saints to promulgate the
decree declaring the Servant
of God Devasagayam Pillai(
Lazarus) from the Diocese of
Kottar beatified.
Address: Vice Postulator,
Bishop’s House, P. Box 17,
Asaripallam Road,
Kanyakumari District, 629
001, Tamil Nadu.
