Saint Devasahayam Pillai
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Introduction
Bᴏʀɴ :
23 April 1712 Palliyadi, Nattalam, Kanyakumari District, Kingdom of Travancore.
Dɪᴇᴅ :
14 January 1752 (39 Yrs) Aralvaimozhy, Kingdom of Travancore.
Hᴏɴᴏᴜʀᴇᴅ Iɴ :
Catholic Church Latin Rite
Bᴇᴀᴛɪꜰɪᴇᴅ Iɴ :
2 December 2012, St. Xavier's Church, Kottar, Tamil Nadu
by Angelo Amato (On behalf of Benedict XVI)
Fᴇᴀsᴛ Dᴀʏ : 14 January
Mᴀᴊᴏʀ Sʜʀɪɴᴇ : Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier
Aᴛᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛᴇs : Tied up in chains, Praying on knees before execution
Also known as
Neelakandan
Neelam
Nilakandan
Nilam
Blessed Devasahayam Pillai (1712–1752), born Neelakanta Pillai in southern India, is a beatified layman of the Latin Catholic church. Born into a Hindu family in the 18th century, he converted to Christianity and is considered a martyr of the Christian faith. Pillai was an official in the court of the king of Travancore, Maharaja Marthanda Varma, when he came under the influence of Dutch naval commander, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, who instructed him in the Catholic faith. He is believed to have been killed by the then Travancore state for upholding his Christian faith.
In 2004, at the request of the diocese of Kottar, Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council (TNBC) and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) recommended Devasahayam Pillai for the process of beatification to the Vatican. Some Hindu groups objected to this initiative on the grounds that there was no evidence of religious persecution in Travancore during that period, and that Pillai was executed for sedition. However, documents dating back to the period of Devasahayam Pillai show that conversion of court officials to Christianity was not tolerated.
On June 28, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree regarding the martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai and he was referred to as "Venerable".
On 2 December 2012, a ceremony of beatification and declaration of martyrdom was held in Nagercoil, in the Roman Catholic diocese of Kottar in Southern India, presided over by Angelo Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, acting as papal delegate. Devasahayam Pillai is the first layman to be elevated to the rank of "Blessed" in India (the step preceding raising a person to Sainthood under the Canon Law of the Catholic Church).
An overview
Dr Frazer Mascarenhas SJ, May 21, 2022: The Times of India
Not an ordinary saint
First of all, there are very few Indians who have been canonised as saints and all of those, so far, have been either Indian priests or religious women (nuns). What makes Lazarus Devasahayam (Neelakanda’s Catholic name) an exception is that he was not a priest, but an ordinary official in the administration. Such a person, in Catholic terminology, is known as a “lay person”. Devasahayam was influenced by a captive Dutch naval commander and he followed his conscience into the Catholic faith, adopting the name Lazarus (which means, ‘God is my help’) in 1745. His new convictions and his personal affinity for Jesus had a deep effect on him, leading him to make major changes in his lifestyle and value system. His wife, Bhargavi Ammal, also became Catholic, and took the name ‘Gnanapoo Ammal’ (Theresa). Devasahayam also began to champion the rights of lower castes, acknowledging them as God's children too.
Devasahayam was, at first, well received, even by the king, who is reported to have built a small chapel for him, and even paid for an attendant Catholic priest. (There was already a Catholic community in the area made up largely of people of lower castes.)
Soon, his ideas and preachings about the ‘equality of all human beings’ fell at odds with the entrenched inequality of the caste system of Indian society. If in the 21st century, India still sees evidence of a rigid social hierarchy, with a rash of “honour killing” cases across caste groups, one can imagine what things were like back in the 18th century!
As he took on the role of an anti-caste crusader, the everyday conflict soon led to persecution. For the officials of the higher castes, in the service of the king, his life had become something they could not tolerate. He was finally arrested on orders of the king, in 1749, and charged with treason. Three years later, after being given a chance to renounce his new faith and values, Devasahayam was tortured and shot dead.
Although a Catholic for only seven years, he witnessed in action the love that Jesus brings into the world, and the consequences of this love for the fellow living. His body is buried in, what is now known as, Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Kottar Diocese, Nagercoil. As a martyr, he is now recognised as a Saint of the Catholic Church — someone who gave his life for the gospel values of human rights, dignity and equality.
How did this selection take place?
The story begins with Pope Francis — the first pope from a third world continent, Latin America, in 2013 — who was keen to bring focus on those parts of the Catholic world that had been in the shadows for centuries, while Europe and North America took the limelight.
It was at Pope Francis’ encouragement that Catholic communities across the world, for the last nine years, began to highlight heroic examples of Christians living among their own people. This has led to the selection of an unlikely set of candidates for canonisation, not because they lacked courage or holiness, but because they came from parts of the world that did not wield influence in Rome.
Additionally, since its highest decision-making conclave — the Council of Vatican II — emphasised the role of lay people over 50 years ago, the church has been giving a great deal of importance to the vocation of the “laity” — the people who try to emulate the values of Jesus in ordinary life and relationships.
The local church in Tamil Nadu identified Devasahayam from the Church records and legends as a deserving candidate, who merited the recognition of a saint, and proposed his name to the Vatican. After a lengthy process, in which representatives from the local church had to make presentations to Vatican officials, Devasahayam was declared “blessed” in 2012 — an interim stage, before being canonised.
In the Catholic church, those declared blessed are already thought of as being close to God and are therefore prayed to for favours and blessings. In fact, for a person to be canonised, miracles needed to be performed and recorded by the blessed. A miracle attributed to Devasahayam was reported in the Diocese of Kottar and investigated by the Vatican, and found to be authentic. This had to do with “the resuscitation” of a 20-week-old foetus in the womb of a woman who had prayed to Blessed Devashayam. The medical board that examined the case in 2019 unanimously declared that the healing could not be explained by any current medical knowledge.
Vatican officials, and later a meeting of cardinals examining the evidence, approved the authenticity of the miracle in February 2020. This led to the approval of his name for sainthood, leading to his canonisation on May 15, 2022, by Pope Francis, in the presence of cardinal Oswald Gracias and several bishops, priests and lay people from India.
The situation of equality, in which the dignity of every person is cherished and respected, is very precarious today, and India is unfortunately a prime example. There are lessons to be learnt from Devasahayam, who went about preaching about Jesus (by way of giving witness to his own spiritual experience), and he insisted on the equality of all peoples, despite caste differences. This is why the saint stands out as an inspiration to all for the causes he stood for and the values that today need reminding. The writer is parish priest, St Peter’s Church, Bandra, Mumbai
A brief biography
January 14th is the feast day of Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, the first Indian lay martyr to be beatified.
Popularly known as Devasahayam Pillai (God’s help), he was born Nilakandan Pillai (1712-1752) into a Hindu family in the then Kingdom of Travancore (in the present district of Kanyakumari, in Tamil Nadu) southern India.
Pillai, an upper-caste Hindu nair convert to Christianity, was a member of the royal service and was close to King Marthanda Varma, then-ruler of Travancore. He was very much loved by the king and was a good man who was faithful to his duty. However, after several bad harvests, he lost his goods. This devastated him and who wondered: “Who will respect me now that I’m poor?” Nilakandan shared his worries with a devout Catholic, a Dutch official by the name of Benedictus Eustachio De Lannoy who explained to him the meaning of suffering in the light of the Book of Job. For Nilakandan, Job’s example and his trust in God was decisive. Convinced of the truth of the Christian mysteries, Nilakandan asked for Baptism which he received in 1745 from the hands of Father Giovanni Battista Buttari, a Jesuit missionary, after nine months of preparation. He took the name Devasahayam, the Tamil translation of the biblical name Lazarus, which means “God has helped.”
On the day of his Baptism, Devasahayam dedicated himself solemnly to Christ: “No one [forced] me to come; I came by my own free will. I know my heart: He is my God. I have decided to follow Him and will do so my whole life.” His life was no longer the same; Devasahayam dedicated himself to the proclamation of the Gospel for four years.
However, the heads of his native religion did not look kindly on his conversion to Christianity. He was threatened, beaten, mistreated, imprisoned and tortured uninterruptedly for three years. Despite his sufferings, Devasahayam remained firm in his faith. His wife, Bhargavi Ammal too became Catholic and she took the name Gnanapoo Ammal (Theresa). Their conversion antagonized upper-caste Hindus and King commanded Pillai to reconvert to Hinduism but he refused.
Noticing that his example caused many to do the same, the king ordered his arrest in 1749, charging him with treason and espionage. He was imprisoned, tortured and finally banished to the Aralvaimozhy forest, a remote border area of Travancore. According to Church documents, en route to the forest, he was beaten daily, pepper was rubbed in his wounds and nostrils and he was exposed to the sun and given only stagnant water to drink. He prayed to God weeping, and hit the rock with his elbow, which gave forth water in a miraculous way he could drink. This rock continues even today to give water and even now people visit this fountain in large numbers. Today people drink this miraculous water and receive God’s healing. This rock is called Muttidichanparai meaning the rock from which water gushed forth.
He was a Catholic for only seven years. In that short period, he was in prison for three years under severe persecution for witnessing his faith. Finally, he was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhy forest on January 14, 1752. His corpse was thrown into the forest, but was found by some Christians who buried him in front of the altar of the church of Saint Francis Xavier, which would later become the cathedral of the diocese of Kottar.
Very soon Devasahayam was venerated in the region. His beatification was already desired in 1756, but it was only in 1993 that his cause was opened canonically in the diocese. Soon a ceremony of beatification and declaration of martyrdom was held in Nagercoil on 2 December 2012 in the Roman Catholic diocese of Kottar, southern India, exactly 300 years after his birth! Prior to this, on June 28, 2012, the then Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree regarding the martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai and he was referred to as “Venerable”.
Pillai’s tomb at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Nagercoil attracts large numbers of devotees. His life teaches how to witness our faith. While undergoing severe persecution, he never complained or was deterred. The spirit of evangelism was strong in him.
Towards sainthood
2021
Nov 11, 2021: The Times of India
Devasahayam Pillai, a Hindu converted to Christianity in the 18th century, will become the first Indian layman to be conferred sainthood.
Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, together with six other Blesseds, during a Canonization Mass in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican on May 15, 2022, Church officials said. The announcement was made by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.
With the completion of the process, Pillai, who took the name “Lazarus” after embracing Christianity in 1745, will become the first lay person from India to become a saint, the church said.
“Lazarus” or “Devasahayam” in the local language, meaning “God is my help”.
“While preaching, he particularly insisted on the equality of all people, despite caste differences. This aroused the hatred of the higher classes, and he was arrested in 1749. After enduring increasing hardships, he received the crown of martyrdom when he was shot on 14 January 1752”, a note prepared by the Vatican said.
Sites linked with his life and martyrdom are in Kottar Diocese, in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Devasahayam was declared Blessed on December 2, 2012, in Kottar, 300 years after his birth. PTI
Sainthood
15 May 2022
By Linda Bordoni , May 15, 2022: VATICANNEWS
Lazarus Devasahayam: 'A saint for new beginnings'
A Hindu-born man from Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, who converted to Christianity in the 18th century, Lazarus Devasahayam is set to become the first Indian layman to be declared a saint on 15 May 2022.
Devasahayam, who took the name ‘Lazarus’ in 1745, was first approved for sainthood in February 2020 for “enduring increasing hardships” after he decided to embrace Christianity.
As the postulator for his cause, Father Joseph Elphinstone told Vatican Radio that Devasahayam is a poignantly significant figure for India today, as he embodies a model of fraternity and recognition of the dignity of all persons, regardless of religion or of social standing.
In fact, Fr Joseph explained, born to an upper-caste Hindu family, he embraced Christianity and championed the rights of India’s lowest castes preaching the equality of all people despite rigid caste differences. But first, he emphasized, this canonization is a high honour for the laity that is increasingly involved in the life of the Church and its people.
Father Elphinstone explained that this is a significant time for the Catholic Church in India, “a vibrant Church that is growing and is moving towards the laity,” a laity that is becoming more and more involved in different activities and is, in fact, “the centre the Church is trying to serve.”
So, to have a layperson “being honoured and elevated to the highest rank is the best and highest honour we can give to the laity,” he said.
The fact that Devasahayam was able to do great things, contributing to the Church, to the community and to the people is being transmitted to Indians today, he continued, and thousands of people are flocking towards this saint.
He is a saint who is very concerned about people, “their problems, their worries, their differences, their cultures,” he said.
A champion of equality
Lazarus Devasahayam has also left a great legacy in the field of rights, of equality, as he - a Hindu upper-class man who preached equality despite caste differences - was close to the marginalized as he followed the Gospel of Christ.
Father Joseph explained that “many may think that he was killed, martyred, just because of his conversion,” but that is not the case because in the kingdom of Travancore where he served and converted to Christianity, “the king himself built a small chapel for him, he appointed and paid for the chaplain,” and he worked alongside the Carmelite missionaries who were working there.
“What was not tolerated was that being a high caste man, he had no barriers after he became a Christian” and he forged ahead following God’s Word that all His children are equal.
For him, Father Joseph said, there was “no barrier, no difference, no high and low, no rich and poor, no class caste.”
Christians, he said were considered a low and insignificant community and when this saint “freely started moving with them, chanting with them, celebrating with them, mingling with them, eating with them,” the high caste people in the palace could not tolerate it.
Devasahayam and a synodal Church
Devasahayam is particularly significant in today’s context, Father Joseph continued, also because he is totally in line with Pope Francis’ call to undertake a synodal process of collaboration, dialogue, listening, discerning.
Until now, he said, “we were not giving much importance to listening to the voice of the lower and the laity and the ordinary people. Now, this saint has given a new inspiration,” in this regard.
He pointed to the fact that every parish, every deanery, every diocese has started talking about what is the spirituality of this great saint; they have started conducting seminars, sitting together and having dialogues.
“And they would like to start a new centre where lay spirituality can be promulgated,” he noted: "So these are all new beginnings!"
What’s more, he continued, “he calls us also to listen to other religions, to different denominations - all of us together - not like simply our own people, our own Catholics, our own group.”
India today, Father Joseph said, needs to reflect on how to make a change. The caste divisions, he said, “are like cancer” in Indian society.
A proud moment for the country
“It's a proud moment, not only for the Tamil people, not only for Catholics in India,” Father Joseph said, but for everyone as witnessed by the fact that the government is sending three ministers to the canonization ceremony in Rome.
Indians, he said, have waited 270 years for this moment and they are celebrating with joy. In fact, he added, it is significant that, because of the conversion dimension involved, the canonization could have been instrumentalized by those who foster division. But happily, he said, “By God’s grace, we are having a peaceful coexistence and we are having a happy celebration.”
“We don't wish that this saint, who worked for peace and unity, may become a symbol of division, jealousy and rivalry.” Father Joseph said the Indian Church's perspective and focus is not on the conversion, but on the good values he lived and gave expression to.
The Canonization
Almost 6,000 people have applied for visas to travel to Rome for the Canonization. They are coming from India, Europe and the United States, Father Joseph concluded, expressing his personal sense of satisfaction and joy that his country has a saint who can become a symbol of bridge and communion.
