Saint Devasahayam
(Lazare) Pillai
Martyr indien (+ 1752)
Devasahayam (Lazare) Pillai, laïc indien, tué en haine de la foi en 1752, premier laïc indien bienheureux.
- canonisation le 15 mai 2022 à Rome (VaticanNews)
- Canonisations du 15 mai, mode d’emploi, Vatican News 29 avril 2022.
- Congrégation pour les causes des saints (en italien) - décret du 29 juin 2012 reconnaissance de son martyre - décret de reconnaissance de miracle du 21 février 2020
Né en 1712, en tamoul: முத்திப்பேறு பெற்ற தேவசகாயம் பிள்ளை, béatifié le 2 décembre 2012 à Kottar, dans l'État du Tamil Nadu (sud de l'Inde).
fête le 14 janvier
Hindou converti par un officier néerlandais catholique, qui l'a aidé à donner un sens à sa vie à travers la foi chrétienne, en lui faisant découvrir le livre de Job. Il est baptisé en 1745 par un missionnaire jésuite et prend le nom de Devasahayam, qui signifie Lazare en Tamoul.
Arrêté en 1749, le futur bienheureux est sommé de retourner vers l'hindouisme. Ses tortures durent trois ans. Devant son refus d'abjurer sa foi, le roi finit par ordonner sa mise à mort, le 14 janvier 1752. Sa dépouille est retrouvée par des chrétiens et inhumée devant l'autel de l'église Saint-François-Xavier, qui deviendra la cathédrale du diocèse de Kottar.
En anglais:
- Site internet du bienheureux martyr
- Devasahayam Pillai beatified, New Indian Express
- Cathédrale Saint-Xavier de Kottar
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/12848/Bienheureux-Devasahayam-(Lazare)-Pillai.html
Inde : Devasahayam
Pillai, premier martyr laïc béatifié
Un hindou converti sur
les traces de « Job » au 18e siècle
29 novembre
2012 | 1342 clics
Paul Kurian
ROME, jeudi 29 novembre
2012 (ZENIT.org)
– Devasahayam Pillai (1712-1752), sera béatifié dimanche prochain, 2 décembre,
dans son diocèse d’origine en Inde, exactement 300 ans après sa naissance. Il
est le premier martyr indien laïc à être proclamé bienheureux.
La célébration aura lieu
dans le diocèse de Kottar, dans le Tamil Nadu. Les organisateurs y attendent
quelque 100.000 personnes. La cérémonie sera présidée par le cardinal Angelo
Amato, préfet de la Congrégation pour les causes des saints. Les cardinaux
indiens Oswald Gracias et Telespore Toppo seront également présents.
Benoît XVI avait approuvé
le décret reconnaissant le martyre de Devasahayam Pillai en juin dernier
(cf. Zenit du
28 juin 2012).
Devasahayam – de son nom
hindou Nilakandan – Pillai est né dans le district actuel de Kanyakumari, au
Tamil Nadu, dans une famille de la caste hindoue « Nair », proche des
Brahmanes.
« Disciple de
Job »
Le vice-postulateur de la
cause, le P. A. Gabriel, a confié à Zenit ce 29 novembre, qu'il jouissait d’une
place importante dans le royaume : « il travaillait comme officier au
palais et le roi l’aimait beaucoup », raconte-t-il, ajoutant que
Nilakandan était un homme bon et « fidèle à son devoir ».
Mais après de mauvaises
récoltes et une mauvaise intendance, il perd ses biens, poursuit le
vice-postulateur, expliquant que cette épreuve est « dévastatrice »
chez Nilakandan, qui se demande avec angoisse : « Qui me
respectera à présent que je suis pauvre ? ».
Il partage alors ses
profondes préoccupations avec un catholique, Eustachius Benedictus De Lannoy,
un officier néerlandais, qui lui explique la signification des souffrances à la
lumière du livre de Job.
Pour Nilakandan,
l’exemple de Job et sa « confiance absolue en Dieu » est
« décisif », souligne le P. Gabriel: il décide de « suivre ses
traces », tel un disciple.
« De ma propre
volonté »
Il demande le baptême,
convaincu de la vérité des mystères chrétiens, et il est baptisé en 1745 par le
P. Giovanni Battista Buttari, un missionnaire jésuite, après neuf mois de
préparation. Nilakandan prend le nom de "Devasahayam", traduction
tamoule du prénom biblique de "Lazare", qui signifie "Dieu a
secouru".
Le jour de son baptême,
ajoute le P. Gabriel, Devasahayam se consacre solennellement au Christ :
« Personne ne m’a forcé à venir, je suis venu par ma propre volonté. Je
connais mon cœur : Il est mon Dieu. J’ai décidé de le suivre et je le ferai
toute ma vie ».
Sa vie ne sera plus
jamais la même, insiste le P. Gabriel : Devasahayam se dédie à l’annonce
de l’Evangile pendant quatre ans. Son épouse se convertit, puis d’autres
personnes de son entourage.
Trois ans de martyre
Cependant, les leaders de
sa religion initiale ne voient pas sa conversion d’un bon oeil. Ils insistent
auprès du roi, qui fait arrêter Devasahayam en février 1749. On lui intime de
revenir à l’hindouisme.
« Il est menacé,
frappé, maltraité, mis en prison », et « torturé en continu durant
trois ans », y compris en public, poursuit le P. Gabriel. Mais Devasahayam
demeure ferme dans sa foi.
Constatant que son
exemple créé des émules, le roi ordonne sa mise à mort, le 14 janvier 1752. Sa
dépouille, jetée dans une forêt, est retrouvée par les chrétiens et inhumée
devant l’autel de l’Eglise Saint-François-Xavier, qui deviendra la cathédrale
du diocèse de Kottar.
Il est très vite vénéré
dans la région. Si, dès 1756, sa béatification est souhaitée, ce n’est qu’en
1993 que la cause est ouverte canoniquement dans le diocèse.
Un antidote au
matérialisme
Pour le vice-postulateur,
la vie de Devasahayam Pillai est un antidote au matérialisme:
« aujourd’hui, constate-t-il, la plupart des gens sont attirés par les
scintillements du monde, les promesses matérielles ».
Au contraire,
estime-t-il, la vie du bienheureux martyr, à la suite de Job, dans le
dépouillement accepté, au service du Seigneur, est un signe pour les temps
modernes.
Le P. Gabriel se dit
convaincu qu’à travers la vie de Devasahayam Pillai, des personnes qui ne
s’intéressent pas à Dieu peuvent être touchées.
Il ne fait pas de doute,
conclut-il, que cette béatification d’un « martyr, laïc et
converti », qui a lieu sous le signe de l’Année de la foi et du synode
pour la nouvelle évangélisation, est un modèle pertinent.
(29 novembre 2012) ©
Innovative Media Inc.
Inde : bienheureux
Devasahayam Pillai, un exemple pour l'Avent
Pour soutenir la foi des
chrétiens de ce « noble pays »
2 décembre
2012 | 1228 clics
ROME, dimanche 2 décembre
2012 (Zenit.org)
– Benoît XVI donne en exemple pour l’Avent le nouveau bienheureux indien,
Devasahayam Pillai. Il souhaite que sa béatification « soutienne la foi
des chrétiens de ce grand et noble pays ».
Ce laïc indien, mort
martyr au 18e siècle, a en effet été béatifié ce dimanche 2 décembre 2012, dans
son diocèse d’origine, à Kottar, dans le sud de l’Inde (cf. Zenit du
29 novembre 2012).
S’adressant aux
anglophones, Benoît XVI a salué particulièrement les membres du diocèse indien
ce matin au terme de l’angélus, place Saint-Pierre : « le témoignage
du Christ de Devasahayam Pillai est un exemple de l’attention à la venue du
Christ rappelée en ce premier dimanche de l’Avent », leur a-t-il déclaré.
Devasahayam Pillai s'est
converti de l'hindouïsme en découvrant le livre de Job, après avoir lui-même
perdu ses biens.
Le pape a souhaité que
l’Avent aide les baptisés à « centrer leurs vies à nouveau sur le Christ,
notre espérance ».
« Nous nous unissons
à la joie de l’Eglise en Inde et prions que le nouveaux bienheureux soutienne
la foi des chrétiens de ce grand et noble pays », a-t-il souhaité par
ailleurs en italien.
( 2 décembre 2012) ©
Innovative Media Inc.
BENOÎT XVI
ANGÉLUS
Chers frères et sœurs !
Aujourd’hui, l’Église
commence une nouvelle Année liturgique, un chemin qui est ultérieurement
enrichi par l’Année
de la foi, à 50 ans de l’ouverture du Concile
Vatican II. Le premier Temps de cet itinéraire est l’Avent,
formé, dans le rite latin, des quatre semaines qui précèdent le Noël du
Seigneur, c’est-à-dire le mystère de l’Incarnation. Le terme « avent » signifie
« venue » ou « présence ». Dans le monde antique, il indiquait la visite du roi
ou de l’empereur dans une province ; dans le langage chrétien, il se réfère à
la venue de Dieu, à sa présence dans le monde ; un mystère qui enveloppe
entièrement l’univers et l’histoire, mais qui connaît deux moments culminants :
la première et la seconde venue de Jésus Christ. La première est précisément
l’Incarnation ; la seconde est le retour glorieux à la fin des temps. Ces deux
moments, qui chronologiquement sont éloignés — et il ne nous est pas donné de
savoir de combien —, sont liés en profondeur, car par sa mort et sa
résurrection, Jésus a déjà réalisé cette transformation de l’homme et de
l’univers qui est la destination finale de la création. Mais avant la fin, il
est nécessaire que l’Évangile soit proclamé à toutes les nations, dit Jésus
dans l’Évangile de saint Marc (cf. Mc 13, 10). La venue du Seigneur
se poursuit, le monde doit être pénétré de sa présence. Et cette venue
permanente du Seigneur dans l’Annonce de l’Évangile requiert continuellement
notre collaboration ; et l’Église, qui est comme la Fiancée, l’Épouse promise
de l’Agneau de Dieu crucifié et ressuscité (cf. Ap 21, 9), en
communion avec son Seigneur, collabore à cette venue du Seigneur, par laquelle
commence déjà son retour glorieux.
C’est ce que nous
rappelle aujourd’hui la Parole de Dieu, traçant la ligne de conduite à suivre
pour être prêts à la venue du Seigneur. Dans l’Évangile de Luc, Jésus dit aux
disciples : « Que votre cœur ne s'alourdisse pas dans la débauche, l'ivrognerie
et les soucis de la vie… Restez éveillés et priez en tout temps » (Lc 21,
34.36). Donc, sobriété et prière. Et l’apôtre Paul ajoute l’invitation à « un
amour de plus en plus intense et débordant » entre nous et envers tous, pour
rendre nos cœurs fermes et irréprochables dans la sainteté (cf.
1 Th 3, 12-13). Au milieu des bouleversements du monde, ou des
déserts de l’indifférence et du matérialisme, les chrétiens accueillent de Dieu
le salut et en témoignent à travers une façon différente de vivre, comme une
ville placée sur un mont. « En ces jours-là — annonce le prophète Jérémie —
Jérusalem habitera en sécurité, et voici le nom qu'on lui donnera :
“Le-Seigneur-est-notre-justice” » (33, 16). La communauté des croyants est le
signe de l’amour de Dieu, de sa justice qui est déjà présente et qui
œuvre dans l’histoire mais qui n’est pas encore pleinement réalisée,
et par conséquent doit être attendue, invoquée, recherchée avec patience et
courage.
La Vierge Marie incarne
parfaitement l’esprit de l’Avent, fait d’écoute de Dieu, de désir profond de
faire sa volonté, de service joyeux au prochain. Laissons-nous guider par elle,
afin que le Dieu qui vient ne nous trouve pas fermés ou distraits, mais puisse,
en chacun de nous, étendre un peu son règne d’amour, de justice et de paix.
À l'issue de l'Angélus
Chers frères et sœurs,
Aujourd’hui, à Kottar, en
Inde, est proclamé bienheureux
Devasahayam Pillai, un fidèle laïc ayant vécu au XVIIIe siècle et mort
martyr. Unissons-nous à la joie de l’Église en Inde et prions pour que le
nouveau bienheureux soutienne la foi des chrétiens de ce grand et noble pays.
Demain, on célèbre la
Journée internationale des droits des porteurs de handicap. Chaque personne,
malgré ses limites physiques et psychiques, même graves, est toujours une
valeur inestimable, et elle doit être considérée comme telle. J’encourage les
communautés ecclésiales à être attentives et accueillantes envers ces frères et
sœurs. J’exhorte les législateurs et les gouvernants à défendre les porteurs de
handicap et à promouvoir leur pleine participation à la vie de la société.
Je salue cordialement les
pèlerins francophones. Nous entrons aujourd’hui dans l’Avent, le temps
liturgique de l’attente et de l’espérance du Christ, qui cette année, se situe
dans le contexte de l’Année de la foi. Je vous invite donc à
découvrir le lien profond entre les vérités sur l’incarnation du Christ que
nous professons dans le Credo et notre existence quotidienne. Dieu
veut nous sauver, et en son Fils Jésus, il s’est fait l’un de nous.
Approfondissons, de dimanche en dimanche, le salut qui nous est offert pour le
recevoir avec foi. Notre vie en sera transformée. Bon Avent à tous !
© Copyright 2012 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/fr/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20121202.html
Devasahayam Pillai, relics and old tombstone, St. Francis-Xavier
Cathedral, Nagercoil
Inde : un miracle
attribué à la prière du bx Devasahayam Pillai
Feu vert pour sa
canonisation
FÉVRIER 24, 2020 17:46
Le Vatican a reconnu un
miracle attribué à l’intercession du bienheureux Lazare, dit Devasahayam
(1712-1752), un laïc indien, ouvrant ainsi la voie à sa canonisation.
Le pape François a en
effet autorisé la
Congrégation pour les causes des saints à publier le décret de reconnaissance
de ce miracle en recevant le 21 février 2020 le cardinal préfet Angelo Becciu.
Devasahayam Pillai
(né Neelakantha Pillai) est
né le 23 avril 1712 dans le district actuel de Kanyakumari, au Tamil
Nadu. Issu d’une riche famille hindoue, il travaille comme officier dans
le palais du roi ou il se lie d’amitié avec un militaire
catholique néerlandais Eustache de Lannoy.
Sous l’influence de
Lannoy Pillai se convertit au catholicisme et reçoit le baptême en 1745 des
mains du père jésuite Jean-Baptiste Buttari. Neelakantha prend le nom de
« Devasahayam », traduction tamoule du prénom biblique de
« Lazare », qui signifie « Dieu a secouru ».
Après le baptême, Devasahayam
se dédie à l’annonce de l’Évangile pendant quatre ans. Son épouse se convertit,
puis d’autres personnes de son entourage.
La conversion de
Devasahayam irrite plusieurs hauts fonctionnaires de la cour royale ainsi que
la communauté des brahmanes qui insistent auprès du roi pour faire arrêter
Devasahayam. En février 1749, il est mis en prison, avec d’autres chrétiens.
Devasahayam est torturé
en continu durant trois ans, y compris en public, mais demeure ferme dans sa
foi. Constatant que son exemple crée des émules, le roi ordonne sa mise à mort,
le 14 janvier 1752. Sa dépouille, jetée dans une forêt, est retrouvée par les
chrétiens et inhumée devant l’autel de l’église Saint-François-Xavier, qui
deviendra la cathédrale du diocèse de Kottar (Etat de Tamil Nadu).
Devasahayam est béatifié
sous le pontificat du pape Benoît XVI le 2 décembre 2012. Devasahayam
Pillai est le premier martyr indien laïc proclamé bienheureux.
FÉVRIER 24, 2020 17:46
Devasahayam (Lazare)
Pillai, un laïc et martyr indien, parmi sept nouveaux saints canonisés l’an
prochain
Publié le 11/11/2021
Le 15 mai 2022,
Devasahayam (Lazare) Pillai (1712-1752), un laïc et martyr indien, sera
canonisé avec six autres nouveaux saints, dont Charles de Foucauld. Le Vatican
a confirmé la date le 9 novembre. « Sa canonisation inspirera de nombreux
laïcs, pour qu’ils osent s’engager et témoigner de leur foi », s’est réjoui le
père Raj, ancien secrétaire du Bureau pour les Dalits de la Conférence
épiscopale indienne. Pour Mgr Soosai Nazarene, évêque de Kottar, cette
canonisation survient à un moment significatif, alors que les persécutions
s’intensifient contre les chrétiens indiens.
Le bienheureux Lazare ou
Devasahayam Pillai, un laïc indien, sera canonisé le 15 mai prochain avec six
autres nouveaux saints.
Le bienheureux Lazare,
dit Devasahayam Pillai (1712-1752), un laïc indien, doit être canonisé l’an
prochain avec six autres nouveaux saints. Le pape François canonisera Devasahayam
Pillai le 15 mai prochain dans la basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome, selon
une annonce de la Congrégation pour la cause des saints, qui a confirmé la
nouvelle le 9 novembre. Le Saint-Père a ouvert la voie à la canonisation
du martyr indien, lors d’un consistoire qui a eu lieu le 3 mai dernier au
Vatican. « Enfin, le temps est vraiment venu de célébrer cet
événement. En fait, en mai dernier, quand le Saint-Père a ouvert la voie à la
canonisation, nous priions déjà pour qu’il soit déclaré saint bientôt, et voilà
que nous apprenons ces bonnes nouvelles », s’est réjoui
Mgr Soosai Nazarene, évêque de Kottar. Selon lui, cette canonisation
survient à un moment significatif, alors que les persécutions s’intensifient
dans le pays, où les chrétiens sont régulièrement accusés de conversions
forcées. « Témoignons de notre foi sans peur, en défendant la paix et
l’harmonie interreligieuse. Il nous faut aussi soutenir nos jeunes, pour les
encourager à s’engager et à témoigner de Jésus Christ », a poursuivi
l’évêque indien.
Le père Z. Devasagaya
Raj, ancien secrétaire du Bureau pour les Dalits de la Conférence épiscopale
indienne, salue un « événement dont nous pouvons tous être fiers, en
ce moment historique ». « Ce n’est pas fréquent que des laïcs soient
déclarés saints », a-t-il souligné, en appelant à se souvenir de tous
les laïcs qui ont donné leur vie pour le Christ, en particulier à Kandhamal, en
Odisha, dans l’est de l’Inde, où beaucoup de communautés indigènes et Dalits
(intouchables) ont perdu la vie durant les violences antichrétiennes de
2008. « La canonisation du bienheureux Pillai inspirera de nombreux
fidèles, en particulier les laïcs qui peuvent se sentir ignorés, pour qu’ils
osent s’engager et témoigner de leur foi », a confié le père Raj,
basé dans l’archidiocèse de Pondichéry-Cuddalore, au Tamil Nadu, dans le sud du
pays.
« Sa canonisation
inspirera de nombreux laïcs »
Devasahayam Pillai (né
Neelakantha Pillai) est né le 23 avril 1712, dans le district actuel de
Kanyakumari, au Tamil Nadu. Issu d’une famille hindoue de caste supérieure, il
a été officier dans le palais de Marthanda Varma, roi du Travancore, où il
s’est converti au catholicisme suite à sa rencontre avec un militaire
néerlandais, Eustache de Lannoy. Il a reçu le baptême en 1745 des mains du père
Jean-Baptiste Buttari, jésuite. Il a alors pris le nom de
« Devasahayam », (« Lazare » en tamoul). Après son baptême,
il s’est consacré à l’annonce de l’Évangile durant quatre ans. Son épouse,
Bhargavi Ammal, s’est également convertie et a choisi le nom « Gnanapoo
Ammal » (Thérèse).
La conversion de
Devasahayam a irrité plusieurs hauts fonctionnaires de la cour royale ainsi que
la communauté brahmane, qui ont insisté auprès du roi pour le faire arrêter. En
février 1749, il a été jeté en prison avec d’autres chrétiens. Devasahayam
a été torturé en continu durant trois ans, y compris en public, sans renier sa
foi. Constatant son influence, le roi a alors ordonné sa mise à mort, le
14 janvier 1752. Sa dépouille, jetée dans une forêt, a été retrouvée par
les chrétiens et inhumée devant l’autel de l’église Saint-François-Xavier, qui
est devenue la cathédrale du diocèse de Kottar (Tamil Nadu). Parmi les autres
bienheureux qui seront canonisés en même temps que Devasahayam Pillai, on
compte également Charles de Foucauld, ainsi que trois prêtres fondateurs
d’ordres religieux (César de Bus, Luigi Maria Palazzolo et Giustino Maria
Russolillo) et trois religieuses fondatrices (Maria Francesca di Gesù et Maria
Domenica Mantovani).
(Avec Ucanews)
Le miracle qui va faire
de Devasahayam un saint
Aliénor
Goudet - publié le 13/05/22
Le 15 mai prochain,
bienheureux Lazare dit Devasahayam (1712-1752), premier indien chrétien laïc
martyrisé, rejoindra le cortège des saints avec Charles de Foucauld. Moins
connu que ce dernier, il est pourtant à l’origine d’un miracle édifiant.
Nous sommes en Inde, en
2013. Une jeune femme sort d’une clinique la poitrine lourde et les larmes aux
yeux. Elle est enceinte de six mois et ne sent plus l’enfant qu’elle porte
bouger dans son ventre. L’échographie qu’elle vient de réaliser a révélé que le
cœur de son enfant ne battait plus. Pour les médecins, la situation est on ne
peut plus claire : le fœtus est sans vie.
Dévastée, le cœur brisé,
la jeune femme rentre chez elle. Mais au lieu de s’effondrer, elle se tourne
vers le ciel. Si la science et la médecine ne peuvent rien pour elle, alors
c’est d’une intervention divine dont elle à besoin. Elle s’isole pour prier.
Fervente catholique, elle tourne sa prière vers Devasahayam Pillai ou Lazare,
béatifié l’année précédente. Elle supplie Lazare de sauver son enfant.
Qui est Devasahayam
Pillai ?
En 1745, d’étranges bruits
courent dans le palais royal du Travancore (aujourd’hui Tamil Nadu en Inde). On
dit que Neelakantha Pillai, 33 ans, fonctionnaire brillant et ami intime du
roi, s’est converti à la religion des britanniques. Qu’il se fait à présent
appelé Devasahayam et qu’il refuse de participer aux cérémonies
religieuses.
Pourtant Neelakantha
Pillai a été élevé dans la culture et les traditions hindouistes. Comment cet
homme si respecté et fidèle à la religion peut-il aussi soudainement tomber
dans le blasphème ? C’est après avoir rencontré Eustache de Lannoy, un
capitaine néerlandais de la Compagnie des Indes, que Devasahayam a découvert le
Christ. Il avait perdu une grande partie de sa fortune à la suite de mauvaises
récoltes. Et Devasahayam se lamentait de perdre le respect de ses semblables à
cause de sa pauvreté. Se confiant à Lannoy, le capitaine lui parle alors
de Job, ce
personnage de la bible dont la foi est mise à l’épreuve maintes fois.
Lire aussi :Inde : les évêques du Kerala s’inquiètent d’une éventuelle
disparition des chrétiens
Bouleversé par le Dieu de
Job, Devasahayam s’instruit durant neuf mois. Lui et son épouse reçoivent le
baptême des mains du jésuite Jean-Baptiste Buttari. C’est là qu’il a choisi son
nouveau nom qui est l’équivalent tamoul de “Lazare”. Voyant le trouble que
cette conversion cause et que de nombreuses personnes suivent son exemple, le
roi entre dans une colère noire. En 1749, il le fait arrêter pour trahison et
espionnage. Il est torturé et banni. Sur le chemin de son exil, on lui met du
poivre dans ses blessures et on le bat quotidiennement. Il est finalement
fusillé dans la forêt de Aralvaimozhy en 1752. Son corps est récupéré par des
chrétiens et se trouve aujourd’hui dans la cathédrale du diocèse de Kottar.
La source et la vie
Durant le calvaire de son
exil, les bourreaux de Devasahayam lui refusaient à boire. Larmoyant, il
supplia Dieu de lui accorder de l’eau. C’est alors qu’en trébuchant, on dit
qu’il heurta de son coude une pierre et de celle-ci jaillit de l’eau.
Actuellement, cette source coule toujours et de nombreux chrétiens s’y rendent
pour être guéris. Ce rocher se nomme Muttidichanparai qui signifie
“rocher dont l’eau jaillit”.
Si ce miracle n’est pas
confirmé, Devasahayam est reconnu martyr et béatifié par Benoît XVI en
2012. Moins d’un an plus tard, le nouveau bienheureux ne tarde pas à faire
intercession, lorsqu’une jeune femme enceinte se tourne vers lui.
Moins d’une heure après
avoir commencé sa prière, celle-ci sent son enfant bouger dans son ventre. Elle
retourne à la clinique pour une nouvelle échographie qui confirme que le cœur
de son enfant bat de nouveau. C’est suite à ce miracle, qu’il sera canonisé le
15 mai par le pape François.
Lire aussi :Le miracle qui va faire de Charles de Foucauld un saint
Lire aussi :Pauline Jaricot sera béatifiée à Lyon le 22 mai 2022
SOURCE : https://fr.aleteia.org/2022/05/13/le-miracle-qui-va-faire-de-devasahayam-un-saint/
Also
known as
Lazarus
Neelakandan
Neelam
Nilakandan
Nilam
Profile
Devasahayam was raised a
high-caste Hindu, knew Sanskrit, Tamil and Malayalam, and was trained martial
arts and archery.
He was married,
and held a civil service job in the royal treasury.
Beginning in 1741,
he learned about Catholicism from
a French prisoner
of war, converted to
the faith, and was baptized on 14 May 1745 in
the diocese of Kottar, India,
taking the name Devasahayam, the Tamil equivalent of the meaning of the
name Lazarus.
Lazarus drew the ire of
and fell into confrontation with authorities because he mixed with lower
castes, something not acceptable for higher-caste people. He was arrested on 23
February 1749 for
his faith,
he was tortured and
abused, and then for three years was hauled from village to village as an
example of what would happen to Christian converts.
He spent the time in prayer and teaching any
who would listen, and priests would
sneak him Communion in his cell. Martyr.
Born
23 April 1712 in
Nattalam, Tamil Nadu, India
shot by
firing squad 14
January 1752 in
Aralvaimozhi, Tamil Nadu, India
body thrown onto a rock
pile and left for wild animals
remains recovered
and buried in
front of the altar of
the Church of Saint Francis in Kottar, India
28 June 2012 by Pope Benedict
XVI (decree of martyrdom)
2
December 2012 by Pope Benedict
XVI
the canonization miracle involved
a 24-week fetus who stopped moving and whose heart stopped beating in India in 2013;
the mother,
who was Catholic and
had a devotion to Blessed Lazarus,
began praying for
his intercession for the baby;
within an hour, she felt the baby kicking,
tests showed that the heart beat had resumed, and the infant was
later born with no complications
Additional
Information
other
sites in english
images
video
fonti
in italiano
Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Devasahayam
Pillai“. CatholicSaints.Info. 13 January 2023. Web. 13 January 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-devasahayam-pillai/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-devasahayam-pillai/
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square
First Sunday of Advent, 2 December 2012
Dear Brothers and
Sisters,
Today the Church begins a
new Liturgical Year, a journey which, 50 years after the opening of the Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council, is further enriched by the Year of Faith.
The first Season on this itinerary is Advent, formed — in the Roman Rite — of
the four weeks preceding the Nativity of Our Lord, that is, the mystery of the
Incarnation.
The word “advent” means
“coming” or “presence”. In the ancient world it meant the visit of the king or
emperor to a province; in the Christian language it refers to the Coming of
God, to his presence in the world; a mystery that embraces the entire cosmos
and history, but that has two culminating events: the First and the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ. The first is, precisely, the Incarnation. The second is
his glorious return at the end of time. These two events that are
chronologically distant — and we are not given to know by how long — are deeply
connected, because with his death and Resurrection Jesus fulfilled that
transformation of man and of the cosmos which is the final goal of Creation.
However, before the end, the Gospel must be proclaimed to all the nations, as
Jesus says in the Gospel according to St Mark (cf. Mk 13:10). The Lord’s Coming
continues, the world must be penetrated by his presence and this ongoing Coming
of the Lord in the proclamation of the Gospel requires our continuous
collaboration. Moreover the Church, who is, as it were, the Betrothed, the
promised Bride of the Lamb of the Crucified and Risen God (cf. Rev 21:9), in
communion with her Lord, collaborates in this Coming of the Lord, in which his
glorious return has already begun.
Today the word of God
calls us to this, outlining the lines of conduct we should follow to be ready
for the Lord’s Coming. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says to the disciples: “take
heed... lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and
cares of this life... at at all times, praying” (Lk 21:34, 36). Therefore,
moderation and prayer. And the Apostle Paul adds the invitation to “increase
and abound in love” among ourselves and for everyone, to make our hearts
blameless in holiness (cf. 1 Thess 3:12-13).
In the midst of the
upheavals of the world or in the deserts of indifference and materialism, may
Christians accept salvation from God and bear witness to it with a different
way of life, like a city set upon a hill. “In those days”, the Prophet Jeremiah
announced, “Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it
will be called: The Lord is our righteousness” (33:16). The community of
believers is a sign of God’s love, of his justice which
is already present and active in history but is not yet
completely fulfilled and must therefore always be awaited, invoked and
sought with patience and courage.
The Virgin Mary perfectly
embodies the spirit of Advent that consists in listening to God, with a
profound desire to do his will and to serve our neighbour joyfully. Let us
allow ourselves to be guided by her, so that God who comes may not find us
closed or distracted but rather may extend a little of his kingdom of love,
justice and peace in each of us.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and
sisters,
Today, in Kottar, India, Devasahayam Pillai, has been beatified.
He was a faithful layman who lived in the 18th century and died a martyr. Let
us join in the joy of the Church in India and pray that the new Blessed may
sustain the faith of the Christians of that large and noble country.
Tomorrow the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities will be celebrated. Every person,
also with his physical and psychological limitations, is always of inestimable
value and should be considered as such. I encourage the ecclesial communities
to be attentive and welcoming to these brothers and sisters. I exhort
legislators and governing authorities to protect people with disabilities and
to encourage their full participation in the life of society.
I welcome all gathered
here today to pray with me. I especially greet the people of Kottar who today
are celebrating the beatification of
Devasahayam Pillai. His witness to Christ is an example of that
attentiveness to the Coming of Christ recalled by this First Sunday of Advent.
May this holy season help us to centre our lives once more on Christ, our hope.
God bless all of you!
Lastly, I renew my
greeting to the various representatives of the world of travelling performers
whom I had the joy of meeting yesterday. I wish everyone a peaceful Sunday and
a good Advent journey. A good Advent and a good Sunday to you all! Many thanks.
© Copyright 2012 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20121202.html
Saint of the Day for
January 15
Saint Devasahayam Pillai
January 15
(April 23, 1712-January
14, 1752)
Saint Devasahayam
Pillai’s Story
Neelakandan Pillai was
born into an affluent Hindu family in 1712. As a young man he went into the
service of the royal household in India’s Travancore province. Eventually put
in charge of state affairs, Pillai became acquainted with Captain Eustachius De
Lannoy, the Dutch naval commander who trained the king of Travancore’s forces.
Their relationship awakened Pillai’s interest in the captain’s Christian faith.
At his baptism in 1745, Pillai chose the name Lazarus, or Devasahayam in the
Malayalam language. His wife and other members of his family were baptized at
the same time.
Soon after, Pillai’s
enemies convinced the royal court that he was using his position to force
others to convert, leading to his imprisonment. European Christians in
Travancore came to Pillai’s defense, urging the king to release him. After
three years the king complied under condition that Pillai go into exile to a
hostile territory. Though beaten and tortured almost daily, Pillai consistently
responded with kindness, openly praying for his captors. Shot to death by local
soldiers in 1752, Pillai’s body was transported to St. Xavier Church in Kottar.
Later when his remains were interred beneath the altar, the site became a
popular pilgrimage destination.
In 2012, Devasahayam
Pillai became the first Indian layman not connected to any religious institute
to be beatified. Ten years later he was canonized in Rome. His liturgical feast
is celebrated on January 14.
Reflection
At the May 15, 2022,
canonization Mass, Pope Francis said that the lives of the saints prove that
holiness is not an unreachable goal accomplished by a select few but comes from
acknowledging and sharing God’s love. Pillai, he said, exemplified the
Christian call “to serve the Gospel and our brothers and sisters, to offer our
lives without expecting anything in return, or any worldly glory.”
SOURCE : https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-devasahayam-pillai/
Church in India: Devasahayam’s canonization a
“historic moment”
Blessed Lazarus
Devasahayam of India and 6 others will be officially declared saints at a
canonization Mass and ceremony in the Vatican on May 15, 2022.
By Robin Gomes
The official declaration
of an 18th century Indian Hindu convert to Catholicism as a saint by the
Catholic Church in May next year, is a “historic moment”, according to an
official of the Catholic Church in India.
"To many of us who
have received the faith from our forebears, Devasahayam's testimony reminds us
that the Gospel is a treasure to be discovered and to which devote a lifetime,”
said Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai Diocese, secretary general of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI). Blessed Lazarus,
known as Devasahayam, became “poor for the sake of the poor and had love for
the poor, as Pope Francis says,” he told AsiaNews. The canonization “is
an encouragement to us to emulate Devasahayam”.
Blessed Lazarus, also
known as Devasahayam, will be the first layperson and martyr of Indian origin
who will be officially declared a saint of the worldwide Catholic Church.
He was martyred for his faith nearly 270 years ago in what is Tamil Nadu state
today.
On May 3, 2021, Pope
Francis officially cleared Blessed Lazarus Devasahayam and 6 others for
sainthood but had not set the date for the canonization ceremony because of the
pandemic. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints on November 9
declared that the canonization Mass will take place in the Vatican on May 15,
2022. The Pope will preside over the liturgy.
Biography
Born on April 23, 1712,
as Neelakanda Pillai, in the village of Nattalam, Devasahayam served in the
palace of southern India’s Hindu King Marthanda Varma of Travancore, whose
kingdom stretched from what is Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu state today,
right up to Cochin in neighbouring Kerala state.
Captain Eustachius De Lannoy,
a Dutch naval commander of the Dutch East India Company who was sent in 1741 to
capture Travancore’s port of Colachel was defeated and taken prisoner.
The dutchman who was later pardoned went on to become the king’s trusted
commander who won several battles for Travancore. It was during their
influential roles under the King of Travancore that Devasahayam Pillai and De
Lannoy became close friends.
Conversion and baptism
Devasahayam became
interested in the faith of De Lannoy, who enlightened him, leading to his
conversion in 1745. He was baptized at the Catholic church of
Vadakkankulam village (in the present Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu), by
Jesuit priest Father R. Bouttari Italus. He assumed the name
'Lazarus' or 'Devasahayam' in the local language, meaning ‘God is my
help’. His wife, Bargavi Ammal of Travancore, also followed her husband
and was baptized Gnanapoo, meaning Theresa.
Killed for “Hatred of the
Faith”
However, Devasahayam’s
conversion did not go well with the heads of his native religion, and was
regarded as a betrayal and danger to the Hindu kingdom.
His refusal to worship
the Hindu gods of the palace and renouncing the traditional Hindu religious
festivals greatly angered the officers. They could not tolerate his
preaching on the equality of all peoples, the overcoming of castes and
friendship with the untouchables of the lower classes, which is forbidden for a
person of high caste.
False charges of treason
and espionage were brought against him and he was divested of his post in the
royal administration. He was imprisoned and subjected to harsh
persecution. A Catholic for only seven years, he was shot dead in the
Aralvaimozhy forest on January 14, 1752.
Sites linked with his
life and martyrdom are in Kottar Diocese, in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu
state. His tomb at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Nagercoil attracts
large numbers of devotees.
Recognition of martyrdom
In the Catholic Church,
the sainthood cause of a candidate is a rigorous process that takes years and even
decades. It starts at the level of the diocese to which the candidate
belongs. In the case of Devasahayam, there have been sporadic efforts and calls
for his sainthood and martyrdom since 1756.
The Diocese of Kottar
received clearance from the Vatican on December 22, 2003, to open the cause of
Devasahayam’s martyrdom at the local level. At the start of the diocesan
inquiry which took place from 2006 to 2008, Devasahayam was conferred the title
Servant of God.
Thereafter, the process
moved over to the Vatican under the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On
November 15, 2011, the documents were submitted for evaluation by the
historical consultors, who concluded that the evidence collected was sufficient
and reliable to demonstrate the Devasahayam's martyrdom. On February 7, 2012, a
special meeting of theological consultors took note of the historical
reliability of the documents collected, which demonstrated both the “odium
fidei” [hatred of the faith] on the part of the persecutors and the its acceptance
on the part of Devasahayam. An ordinary session of cardinals and bishops
on May 8, 2012 gave its approval.
For a non-martyr
candidate, a miraculous healing through his or her intercession has to be
proved before beatification, which confers on him or her the title
Blessed. However, a miracle is not required prior to a martyr's
beatification, as was the case of Devasahayam.
Beatification
On June 28, 2012, Pope
Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate
the decree recognizing Devasahayam’s martyrdom. On December 2, 2012, Italian
Cardinal Angelo Amato, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of
Saints, presided over the Mass of Beatification at Carmel Higher Secondary
School campus in Nagercoil, Kottar Diocese, on behalf of Pope Benedict,
conferring on Devasahayam the title Blessed.
Speaking at the midday
‘Angelus’ prayer that day in the Vatican, Pope Benedict said, “Let us join in
the joy of the Church in India and pray that the new Blessed may sustain the
faith of the Christians of that large and noble country.”
The road to canonization
A miracle through a
candidate’s intercession is needed for the person to be cleared for
canonization or final sainthood.
In the case of
Devasahayam, an enquiry was initiated in the Diocese of Kottar regarding a
possible miracle. The Congregation described it as “the resuscitation of
a 20-week-old fetus of an Indian pregnant lady”. The medical board that
examined the case, on 28 February 2019 unanimously declared that the healing
could not be explained by current medical knowledge.
On December 5, 2019, a
special meeting of the theological consultors of the Congregation approved the
miracle. Cardinals and bishops, who met on February 18, 2020, also
approved it. Three days later, on February 21, Pope Francis authorized
the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree officially
recognizing the miracle, which effectively cleared Blessed Devasahayam for
sainthood.
Indian martyr,
Devasahayam, cleared for sainthood
Pope Francis has approved
two candidates for canonization, including Devasahayam Pillai of India, an
18th-century Hindu convert to Catholicism.
By Robin Gomes
Pope Francis on Friday
authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate 8 decrees
regarding 10 candidates, clearing two of them for sainthood.
Devasahayam
Among them is Indian
martyr, Blessed Lazarus, called Devasahayam, an 18th-century Hindu married man
who converted to Catholicism. A decree acknowledged a miracle through his
intercession that cleared him for sainthood.
Born on April 23, 1712,
as Neelakanda Pillai, in the village of Nattalam, Devasahayam served in the
palace of southern India’s Hindu kingdom of Travancore, which stretched from
what is Kanyakumari District today, right up to Cochin in Kerala state.
At Baptism in 1745, he
assumed the name 'Lazarus' or 'Devasahayam' in the local language, meaning ‘God
is my help’. However, his conversion did not go well with the heads of
his native religion. False charges of treason and espionage were brought
against him and he was divested of his post in the royal administration.
He was imprisoned and subjected to harsh persecution. A Catholic for only seven
years, he was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhy forest on January 14, 1752.
Sites linked with his
life and martyrdom are in Kottar Diocese, in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu
state. His tomb at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Nagercoil attracts
large numbers of devotees.
Devasahayam was declared
Blessed on December 2, 2012, in Kottar, 300 years after his birth.
In remarks that day
during the midday “Angelus” prayer in the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI recalled
Devasahayam as “faithful layman”. He urged Christians to “join in the joy
of the Church in India and pray that the new Blessed may sustain the faith of
the Christians of that large and noble country.”
Pope Francis also
acknowledged a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Maria
Francesca di Gesù (born: Anna Maria Rubatto), that clears her for
canonization. The foundress of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of Loano was
born in Carmagnola (Italy) on February 14, 1844, and died in Montevideo
(Uruguay) on August 6, 1904.
The canonization of these
two candidates will be decided at a later date.
Carlo Acutis
Another miracle was
recognized through the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Carlo
Acutis, a layman. He was born on May 3, 1991, in London (England) and
died on October 12, 2006, in Monza (Italy).
The young catechist had
an ardent devotion to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. A normal boy who
loved studying and playing football was also worked for homeless people and
helped in soup kitchens.
He is known for
documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloguing them all onto
a website that he himself created in the months before his death from leukemia
at the age of 15. He has been cleared for beatification.
Martyrdom of Grande
The Pope also recognized
the martyrdom of the Servants of God Rutilio Grande García, a Jesuit priest,
and his 2 lay companions, who were killed in hatred of the faith in El Salvador
on March 12, 1977.
Murdered before the start
of the Salvadoran civil war, Father Grande, who was a close friend of fellow
Salvadoran and martyr, Saint Oscar Romero, became an icon for human rights in
rural Latin America.
Known for his vigorous
defence of poor, the Jesuit priest, an elderly man and a teenager were shot by
a right-wing death squad as they were travelling in a car outside the village
where he was born.
The horror that the
assassination of Fr. Grande generated led Archbishop Oscar Romero of San
Salvador to take up the Jesuit’s mantle as a defender of the poor. Three
years later, Romero would succumb to the assassins' bullets for his outspoken
criticism of the military and work on behalf of El Salvador's oppressed.
The decree on the
martyrdom of Fr. Grande and his two companions does away with the need for a
miracle through their intercession to qualify for beatification, the final step
before sainthood, for which a miracle would be required. The
beatification date will be declared at a later date.
Heroic virtues
There were also 4 decrees
on the heroic virtues of the following candidates:
- Servant of God Emilio
Venturini, a diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters
Servants of Our Lady of Sorrows. He born in Chioggia (Italy) on 9 January
1842 and died there on 1 December 1905.
- Servant of God Pirro
Scavizzi, a diocesan priest. Born in Gubbio (Italy) on March 31,1884, he
died in Rome on September 9, 1964.
- Servant of God Emilio
Recchia of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata ( or Stigmatines). He was
born in Verona (Italy) on February 19, 1888 and died there on June 27, 1969.
- Servant of God Mario
Hiriart Pulido, a lay person. Born in Santiago de Chile (Chile) on 23
July 1931, he died in Milwaukee (United States of America) on 15 July 1964.
These four Servants of
God will now be called ‘Venerable Servants of God”, or simply ‘Venerable’.
Catholic leaders welcome
Indian martyr's impending sainthood
Bishop Soosai praises
Blessed Devasahayam Pillai as 'a messenger of peace and harmony'
Published: May 05, 2021
04:56 AM GMT
Catholic leaders in India
are celebrating after Pope Francis cleared the way for an 18th-century
martyr to be declared a saint.
Devasahayam
Pillai will become the first Indian lay Catholic to achieve sainthood
after the pope confirmed his canonization at an ordinary public consistory
at the Vatican on May 3.
“It is a great honor and
pride for the people of India but especially the people of southern India where
martyr Devasahayam Pillai is revered across the faith line. They see him as a
role model, a messenger of peace and harmony,” Bishop Nazarene Soosai of Kottar said.
“It is also a time to celebrate and renew our
faith because he is being declared a saint during a time when many fascist
forces are trying to divide the people in the name of religion, caste and
creed, but Blessed Devasahayam symbolizes a person who connects all people.
“It is moment where we
can encourage more laypeople to follow great people like Blessed Devasahayam
and build bridges between communities where all will be equal without making
any differences between any religions.
“He is already a saint
for us in the south. We are eagerly waiting the date from the Holy See when he
will be declared a saint. A historic moment is waiting in this part of the
world.”
When we celebrate the
canonization of Blessed Devasahayam, we should also focus on
evangelization through small deeds
Father Z. Devasagaya Raj,
former secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India's office of
Dalits and backward classes, told UCA News that “we should be thankful to the
Vatican that it has recognized Devasahayam Pillai as a saint."
“Churches in Odisha state
should also promote the canonization of laypeople who lost their lives for the
Christian faith 10 years ago,” added Father Raj, who is based in Tamil
Nadu’s Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore.
“When we celebrate the
canonization of Blessed Devasahayam, we should also focus on
evangelization through small deeds. Be like him and ready to witness Jesus
Christ during this present scenario where hatred has become deep-rooted in
society.”
Pillai, an upper-caste
Hindu convert to Christianity, was born on April 23, 1712. He was a member of
the royal service and was close to King Marthanda Varma, the ruler of
Travancore.
He converted to
Christianity in 1745 under the influence of Lannoy, the commander-in-chief of
the Travancore army, and was baptized by Jesuit Father R. Bouttari Italus. His
given name Neelakanda Pillai was changed to Lazer, but he became popularly
known as Devasahayam — God’s help.
Pillai’s
wife Bhargavi Ammal also became a Catholic and took the name Gnanapoo
Ammal (Theresa).
The Hindu king ordered
Pillai’s arrest in 1749, charging him with treason and espionage. Pillai 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, Pillai was beaten daily, pepper was rubbed
into his wounds and nostrils, and he was exposed to the sun and given only
stagnant water to drink. He was shot dead in the forest in 1752. He was a
Catholic for only seven years.
Pilai is among seven
blessed who will be declared saints soon, including Charles de Foucauld, a
French soldier who traveled extensively in North Africa and was killed on Dec.
1, 1916, by a band of marauders.
Others listed for
canonization include three priests who founded religious orders — Cesar de Bus,
Luigi Maria Palazzolo and Giustino Maria Russolillo — and two religious
founders, Maria Francesca di Gesu and Maria Domenica Mantovani.
SOURCE : https://www.ucanews.com/news/catholic-leaders-welcome-indian-martyrs-impending-sainthood/92345#
A Courageous Convert and a Living Legend
John Elphinston*
Cardinal Angelo Amato
beatifies Indian marytyr Devasahayam Pillai
The beatification of
India's first married layman and martyr is important not only for Asia but for
the millions of Christians who suffer in silence for their faith around the
world. On Sunday, 2 December [2012], in the Diocese of Kottar, Cardinal Angelo
Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints — on behalf of
Benedict XVI — beatified Devasahayam Pillai (1712-1752), from the Kingdom of
Thiruvithancore, today the Kannyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, India.
"Martyrdom and the
vocation to martyrdom are not the result of human effort, but the response to
an initiative and a call from God, they are a gift of his grace, which makes
one capable of offering one's life for love of Christ and of the Church, and
thus of the world". These words of Holy Father Benedict XVI (General
Audience Catechesis, 11 August 2010), are fully applicable to the life,
sufferings and the valiant death of the Blessed Servant of God Devasahayam
Pillai.
Many may not have even
heard the name Devasahayam Pillai, a mid-18th-century martyr of the Kingdom of
Thiruvithancore, half of whose territory constitutes Kannyakumari district,
Tamilnadu, South India. Devasahayam Pillai was born to an affluent and
prosperous Hindu, Nair family (landlord and warrior caste at the time) in the
year 1712 in a small hamlet called Nattalam. His name was Nilam or Nilakandan,
and "Pillai" was a popular nomenclature referring to his high caste
and social position. As a boy he learned Tamil and Malayalam, the languages of
the people. He also studied Sanskrit, Hindu scriptures and trained in the
traditional martial arts, archery, Varmasastra and the use of
weapons. He became a high official in the palace, in charge of Nilakandaswamy
Temple at Padmanabhapuram and an official in charge of the royal treasury,
collecting materials for the construction of forts, payment of wages, etc. He
married Bhargaviammal, a bride from an equally prominent Nair family.
Nilakandan Pillai
experienced heavy losses of property and cattle which caused him great
perturbation. Finding no relief in the performance of religious rituals to
placate his family deity Bhadrakali in every possible way, he sought counsel
from Eustachius Benedictus De Lannoy, a Dutch Catholic military officer, who
was arrested by King Marthandavarma after the Dutch were defeated at the Port
of Colachel in 1741. De Lannoy instructed him about the mystery of God's loving
providence in affliction, the Christian meaning of suffering in the Book of Job
and the redemptive suffering of our Saviour. Nilakandan Pillai was impressed by
Job's absolute confidence in God in the face of unbearable tragedies. Convinced
of the truth of Christian mysteries, Nilakandan Pillai expressed his desire to
be baptized, fully aware of the extreme consequences which might befall him. Fr
Giovanni Battista Buttari, a Jesuit Missionary at Vadakkankulam, about 30
kilometers away and outside the King's domain, instructed him for nine months
and baptized him on 14 May 1745. At baptism he received the name
"Devasahayam" which is a Tamil rendering of the biblical name
Lazarus, which means "God has helped".
Having joined the
Catholic community, Devasahayam Pillai returned home and continued his office
at the royal palace for four years carrying out his duties with his usual
efficiency and conscientiousness. On the side, he also started an apostolic
mission of evangelizing people, including his own caste. His first convert was
his wife Bhargaviamma. Highly educated and deeply rooted in the ancestral
religion, at first she resisted but finally yielded to the grace of God. She
took the name "Gnanapu" which is a Tamil rendering of
"Theresa". His continuous and courageous propagation of the faith,
spreading the Good News, leading many to conversion and to Christ, while
performing his high office at the King's palace angered the Brahmins. The neophyte also mixed and mingled with people of every status and
caste disregarding all caste distinctions. He threw away the symbols of his
"high" caste (Ponool), ate and lived with people of "low"
birth and returned to his office in the palace as a polluted person according
to their custom and belief. He even dared to challenge the Brahmins in respect
of their superstitions and heinous and inhuman oppression of the oppressed
castes — among whom the vast majority were the Christians of the coastal
Travancore. His new life became a cause of serious concern for all in the court
and among high caste Hindus, who became his bitterest enemies. They accused him
of the crime of betrayal, apostasy, contempt of religious practices and of
insulting the Hindu gods, the Brahmins and the royal throne. Some even tried to
woo him back from his new faith. But he showed great fortitude and firmness and
even boldly declared that he was willing to be tortured and put to death for
Christ.
The King, whose main
preoccupation was preserving military and political tranquility in the Kingdom,
finally gave in to the hostility of the royal coterie and caste Hindus against
Devasahayam and let them have their way by dismissing him from office and had
him arrested and put in a narrow prison on 23 February 1749. The following day
he was condemned to death by the King, to be eliminated as "an enemy of
the state". Before execution the King again gave a fresh order to take him
around through the most important and populous towns of the Kingdom for his
ignominy. He was paraded in all the important towns in the Kingdom in a most
shameful manner, seated backwards on a buffalo with an Erukku flower
garland around his neck, his hands tied behind his back and the executioner
holding the end of the rope by which the prisoner was bound in his left hand,
and a sharp raised sword in his right hand. This was the ultimate kind of shame
and mockery at that time.
When the parade was over,
he was then handed over to soldiers for execution. Left under the open sky, he
was tied to a neem tree with fetters, hugging the tree with his legs
bound in chains so that he could not move, sit or stand or recline. He was
exposed to the hot burning sun, heavy rains, very cold wind and sometimes was
almost submerged in the slush. He endured these most grievous sufferings for
seven months. In the midst of so much suffering, his only sorrow was the delay
of death and his only fear was that he might lose the crown of martyrdom. Far
from requesting or desiring to be set free from chains, which he did not allow
the guards to remove them, and when the guards gave him a chance to escape, he
simply refused.
Chained, he led a worthy
and exemplary life of virtues, prayer, penance and mortification. Every morn-
ing and evening he took time for contemplation and often during the day, he
prayed briefly and read books of piety, especially on the life of the saints.
In addition, he fasted every Friday and Saturday (he was martyred in the middle
of the night, between both days). He was always obedient to the priests and whenever
possible, he confessed his sins and received Holy Communion with the utmost
devotion. During imprisonment, only thrice could a priest make his way to him
in the dead of night. His lifestyle coupled with the fame of miracles brought
him many in great numbers and procured for him such veneration. He proclaimed
Christ to all of them. Many who denied faith for fear of execution were
persuaded by him to courageously return and repent. There are also many
miraculous events because of the Martyr. He was brought to a small place
called Puliyoorkurichy where, overcome by thirst, he planted his
elbow on a rock, from which spouted water that he drank. This rock continues to
give water and even now many people visit this fountain. Because of the prayers
of Devasahayam, the jailer and executioner who was without a child for a long
time obtained a child during his imprisonment in Peruvilai and became
friendly with him.
The efforts of the guards
to forbid the crowd from speaking to Devasahayam or from approaching and
listening to him were in vain. The soldiers reported this to the King, from
whom soon they got the order to secretly execute him. Finally, after three
years of gruesome torture, he was taken to a secret prison at Aralvaimozhi,
where condemned criminals were sentenced to death by the King. He had to be
killed quickly and secretly because the Catholics began visiting the Servant of
God in large numbers. The Government officials kept the place and the date of
his execution secret for fear of popular unrest. Finally, a little before
midnight between 14 and 15 January 1752, he was taken to the place of his
execution. As he was lying totally exhausted and unable to walk, he was carried
by the soldiers to the nearby hill, kattadimalai. There he knelt and
prayed intensely. The marks left by his knees and elbows can be seen even
today. There he was shot dead by the soldiers. As five bullets hit him, he
uttered for the last time, "Jesus save me". His body was cast away in
to the forest to be torn up by the wild animals.
He had spent almost three
years in fetters. Priests diligently tried in vain to in get hold of his body.
At last, on the fifth day his bones were found shorn of flesh. His tongue was
lying apart, incorrupt. They were gathered diligently and buried in front of
the main altar of the famous church of St Francis Xavier, the present day
Cathedral of the Diocese of Kottar. When the Bishop of the diocese heard of the
heroic death of the Servant of God, he decreed that the Te Deum be
sung in all churches in gratitude to God for "the palm of martyrdom"
obtained by Devasahayam Pillai.
Soon after his death, the
places connected to his life and death became important places of pilgrimage by
all people. Many interior villages of the present district of Kanyakumari witnessed
mass conversions to Catholic faith following his death, just as the mission
work of St Francis Xavier was the main cause of conversions of the people along
the coast. The name "Devasahayam" became one of the popular names for
Catholics and non-Catholic Christians in the region. Following his martyrdom,
he became a living legend and a venerated hero for the people of the region of
Tamilnadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka and even beyond. Several narrations, poetry,
folklore, stories and dramas were attributed to him depicting his heroic life
and martyrdom.
Anyone who becomes
acquainted with the outstanding life, conversion and martyrdom of Devasahayam
Pillai must be totally perplexed as to why this famous and venerated martyr has
been proclaimed a blessed after two and a half centuries. Why 260 years of
delay on the part of everyone for promoting this cause? It is impossible to
comprehend that in 18th century Devasahayam, a married layman, five days after
his death, was buried in front of the main altar of the famous church of St
Francis Xavier, unless he was popularly revered and even venerated during his
life and after his death as a holy man. Still more remarkable, Devasahayam is
like St Paul (an orthodox Pharisee who embraced Christ being fully aware of the
inevitable consequences), an orthodox high caste man, who embraced Christianity
for noble intentions, being aware of its extreme consequences to the fullest
extent and lived and propagated his faith right where he was, in the royal
court, an environment which was completely under the control of fanatically
orthodox high caste people. In such a challenging situation he shed his blood, as a
revolutionary, aggressively speaking for Christ and against the orthodoxy's
superstitions and extreme inhumanity.
The call to holiness is
for everyone. But, in the history of the Church the vast majority of saints are
from the class of religious men and women. In this context, the beatification
of the first lay, married martyr in India, becomes a significant one. His
sanctity is not only important for today's universal Church, but also his zeal,
courage and suffering can grant firmness, fortitude and solace to millions who
are still silently suffering persecution in different parts of the world.
Devasahayam paid the price for his faith in Christ even to the extent of
radically renouncing anti-Gospel, anti-Christian values like caste system and
other dehumanizing evils. His beatification is a call for all of us, now more
than ever!
*Vice-Postulator
Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
5 December 2012, page 11
For subscriptions:
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SOURCE : https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/courageous-convert-and-a-living-legend-5434
Birth and Boyhood:
The Servant of God Devasahayam was born in 1712. By birth he was a Hindu. and
his name was Neelam (Nilam), also expanded as Nilakandan. He
belonged to the royal Nair caste and therefore he is also pupularly known
as Devasahayam Pillai. As a boy, he learnt Sanskrit and had traditional
training in martial arts.
Youth and Marriage:
Nilam was brought up as a devout Hindu. Besides Tamil and Malayalam, the
languages of people, he also trained himself in archery, Varmasastra and the
use of weapons of war. He was made an official at royal court
at Padmanabhapuram. He was respected for the sincerity of his person and
firmness of mind, which made him dear to his colleagues and to the King
Marthanda Varma. He married Bargaviammal of Mekkod, a neighbouring
village.
Conversion and Baptism:
In performing his duties as a palace official, Neelam Pillai came in contact
with a Catholic officer, Eustachius Benedictus De Lannoy, a Dutch military
officer, arrested by King Marthandavarma after the Dutch were defeated at war
at the Port of Colachel in 1741.
At a particular stage of their relationship Nilakanda Pillai was found to be
extremely unhappy and saddened. When De Lannoy enquired about the reasons for
his sadness he narrated a series of tragedies that had overtaken his family.
His bulls had died one after another and crops had failed, which meant
tremendous financial loss for him and there was no way out of his sadness.
On hearing all this, De Lannoy narrated to him the Old Testament story of Job
and demonstrated how God tested the faith of a good man through sufferings.
Finding De Lannoy's explanation reasonable and convincing, Nilakanda Pillai
expressed his desire to become a Christian and requested De Lannoy to instruct
him for baptism. De Lannoy sent him to Vadakkankulam, a hamlet outside the
limits of the Kingdom of Travancore, with a letter to Fr. Giovanni Baptista
Buttari,, a Jesuit Missionary, requesting him to baptize Nilakandan.
Fearing that Baptism would spell suffering and persecution, Fr. Buttari
hesitated for some time to baptize him. Fr. Buttari examined his past life in
order to instruct him and to test the maturity of his decision and the depth of
his conviction in the Catholic faith.
This instruction continued for nine months. Finally, moved by the persistence
of Nilakanda Pillai he baptized him at the church of the Holy Family,
Vadakkankulam on 14 May 1745. At baptism the Servant of God was given the
name "Devasahayam" which is a Tamil rendering of the
biblical name Lazar, which means "God has helped".
Life after Baptism:
Having joined the Catholic community, Devasahayam himself started exhorting others
to receive Baptism and even converted some to Christian faith, one of them
being his own wife who took the name "Gnanapu" which is a
Tamil rendering of "Theresa".
In his personal life, the neophyte Devasahayam mixed and mingled with people of
all statuses and castes. Because of his newly found faith he disregarded caste
distinction, threw away the symbols of his "high" caste, ate and
lived with people of "low" birth and came to the palace-office as a
"polluted" person. Noticing the marked changes in Devasahayam because
of his Christian life, the high caste people accused him of the crime of
betrayal and contempt of religious practices and of insult of gods, of the
Brahmins and the royal throne.
Tested for faith:
Some Brahmins and court officials tried their best to woo the Servant of God
back from his newly won Christian faith. But the Servant of God showed great
fortitude in expressing firmness of faith and even daringly declared that he
was willing to be tortured or even to be put to death for Christ.
Persecuted for faith:
The King, having been incited against Christians, arrested Devasahayam on 23
Feb. 1749 and put him in a very narrow prison. Soon condemned to death by the
King, he was tortured in several ways. He was paraded to many towns and villages,
both hands bound behind his back, seated on a buffalo facing backward,
garlanded with Erukku flowers as a symbol of shame.
Some Miraculous events:
The Servant of God was brought through a small place
called Puliurkurichy where overcome by thirst he planted his elbow on
a rock, which gave forth water which he could drink. This rock continues to
give water even today and People visit this fountain in large numbers.
Through Puliurkurichy the soldiers brought him to Peruvilai and detained him
there for about 7 months tied to a neem tree. It is there that Devasahayam
became friendly with the soldiers and was helped to meet the Catholic priests.
He received Holy Communion from these priests. Thanks to Devasahayam's prayer,
the jailor (executioner) who was without child for a long time obtained a
child.
From Peruvilai he was taken to the prison at Aralvaimozhi where the condemned
criminals were sent for death by the King. It was on the border between the
kingdoms of Madurai and Travancore.
His life during years of torture:
During the years of his arrest and torture, the Servant of God led a life
worthy of a candidate for martyrdom. Every morning and night he spent certain
time for contemplative prayer, and often during the day he turned to God in
moments of brief prayer. He spent time also in reading books on lives of
saints, and when people were around, he read them aloud for people to hear. He
fasted on all Fridays and Saturdays in honour of the death of Christ and of
Mary, the Mother of God.
When a priest visited him, usually at the dead of night, he confessed his sins
and received holy Eucharist with utmost devotion. The priests were impressed by
the joy and consolation that the Servant of God experienced.
Killed for Faith:
Devasahayam had to be killed quickly and secretly because Catholics started
visiting the Servant of God in large numbers. The Government officials kept
secret the place and the date of his execution for fears of popular unrest.
Finally a little before the midnight of January 14, 1752 they took him to the
place of execution. As he was totally exhausted and was unable to walk he was
carried to the nearby hill called Kattadimalai. There he knelt and prayed for a
while intensely. The marks left by his knees and elbows can still be seen today.
Then he was shot dead by the soldiers with five leaden bullets, at midnight
between 14 and 15 January 1752.
Burial:
His body was thrown in between rocks and left there to be eaten by wild
animals. His mortal remains were discovered by the Christians and buried in
front of the main altar in the most important church of St. Francis Xavier,
which is the present Cathedral of the Diocese of Kottar. While laypersons are
not usually buried within a church, it is significant that the Servant of God
lies buried in a most revered church, a fact that attests to the regard that
the faithful and the clergy had towards his sanctity and towards the greatness
of his martyrdom.
Devotion to the Servant of God
Ever since the death of the Servant of God, a lot of people, irrespective of
caste or religion, started to visit the place of his death and prayed to him
for favours. Soon a small church was constructed at Kattadimalai and was
dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, in remembrance of his heroic death for Faith.
The life of Devasahayam is being acted out in dramas, sung out
in Villupattu and narrated in folklore. Thus the message of his life
and death and devotion to him spread throughout Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Considering the Servant of God as a saint, several people began to name
themselves as Devasahayam and this practice continues to this day.
SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20080414022825/http://www.martyrdevasagayam.org/History.html
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE
SERVANT OF GOD DEVASAHAYAM
1. EARLY SOURCES (First
Hundred Years):
1752 Tho mmanthirumuthu, Poet VEDASACHIYIN
THUYARAMANA PADUGAL,(TAMIL, The sorrowful Passions of the Martyr). Unpublished
Palm leaves writing in 190 poems of two lines each, by the Poet who was in
prison with the Servant of God.
1756 Clemens Josephus, Ad Limina Visit Report of
Bishop Clement Joseph, Bishop of Cochin, Manuscript (Latin) dated 15 November
1756 in Secret Archives of Vatican, S. CONGR. CONCILII RELATIONES, 237,
Fol. 53-74
1757 Buttari,Giovanni Battista, VITA DEL
PADRE GIOVANNI BATTISTA BUTTARI DELLA COMPAGNIA DI GESU, Loretto: Tiprografia
dei Fratelli Rossi 1844.
(The collection of
writings on/by Fr. Buttari, was made by his sister Mother Maria Maddalena Buttari, a Religious Sister. From the manuscripts
found in his shelf among the books of D. Lorenzo Buttari, a priest the grand
neview of Fr.Buttari).
1757 Buttari, Gianbattista, +19 maggio 1757 del P. Giovanni Battista Buttari, Manuscript in ARSI –
Vitae 95, fol 55-59V.
1773-1786 Paremmakkal, Thomman Cathanar, VARTHAMANAPPUSTHAKAM,
the original manuscripts, leaf 254, transl. By Placid J. Podipara, Roma :
Ponti. Institutum Orientalium Studiorum, 1971, p.156.
1794 Paolinoda S. Bartolomeo, INDIA
ORIENTALIS CHRISTIANA. Roma : Typis Sulmonianis, 1974. (Latin).
1796 Paolinoda S. Bartolomeo, SVIAGGIO ALLE INDIE ORIENTAIL. Rome : Antonio Fulgoni 1796. (Italian)
These two well-known books are authored by Paulinus a S.Bartholomeo
(1748-1806), a Carmelite Missionary, who spent 13 years (1776-1789) in India as
Rector in the Seminary at Verapoli and as Vicar General and as Apostolic
Visitator to the Kingdom of Travancore. These two books are valuable containing
memoris of his travel. (See P.Ambrosiano a S. Teresia, O.C.D., Nomencator
Missionariorum Ordinis Carmelitarum Discalceatorum. Romae: Apud Curiam Generalitiam(no year)
1820 Ward and Co MEMOIR OF THE SURVEY OF THE TRAVANCORE AND COCHIN STATES, Vol. II.
Trivandrum: Kerala Gazetters Department, 1994.
This is second of a two
volume official survey made by two officers who were appointed to carry out the
survey. The survey was begun in 1816 and was over in 1820. The volume contains
the earliest direct reference to the Servant of God found in any official
record of the Kingdom of Travancore.
1851 Docket Sheet, subject titled "CHRISTIANS CONVERTS- THEIR TREATMENTS IN NORTH TRAVANCORE”
unpublished official
letters of the years 1851 and 1853, showing the way Christians were treated in
the kingdom, though hundred years after the killing of Devasahayam. Numbered
C-215, the documents are earmarked "to be destroyed in -R-" which is
an indication that many official records were actually destroyed, while this
one escaped!
2. LATER SOURCES (After
Hundred Years):
1858 Martyr Devasahayam (Tamil). Pondicherry :Mission Press 1858.
This book, perhaps the
earliest biography of the Servant of God, claims to have been written by a
Jesuit priest, (whose name the book does not mention) and “published by an
order from Rome”. This work saw a second edition in 1892, in the same press.
1873 Whitehouse, Thomas, LINGERINGS OF LIGHT IN A DARK LAND. London: William Brown & Co 1873. C.M.Angur’s, Church History of Travancore (1903) quotes this work.
1878 Shungoonny Menopn, A HISTORY OF TRAVANCORE FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES. MADRAS : HIGGINBOTHAM, 1878
A writing aimed at
glorifying the greatness of the Rajas & Kingdom of Travancore.
1883 Samuel Mateer, F.L.S., NATIVE LIFE IN TRAVANCORE. London : W.H.ALLEN & CO, WATERLOO PLACE, 1883.
A christian missionary
writes mainly from his perspective. He criticizes Shungoonny Menon’s writing
(1878) as being biased.
1890 1890 C.No.3729 “PRISONERS – SENTENCED UNDER
TRAIL” dated 1890. A document (copy) from Central Archives of Kerala, showing
how prisoners were led from place to place hand-cuffed.
1894 Auguste Jean, R.P.S.J., LE MADURE
L’ANCIENNE LA NOUVELLLE MISSION Tome I. DESCEE, DE BROUWER & cie
Societe de Saint – Augustin, 1894.
Chapitre Quatrieme, « Les
Neophytes du Modure »
1900 1900 Zaleski, Monseigneur L.M., LES MARTYRS DE L’INDE. LILE – PARIS – ROME – MCM, Descee, Debruwer et CIC, 1900. Chapitre LXXV, “Devasagayam Pullay 1752”, pp 292-322.
1901 Mackenzie, G.T., CHRISTIANITY IN TRAVANCORE. Trivandrum, 1901
Started his writing and
research to help Mr.Nagam Aiya in compiling his manual to assist him with the
chapter on christianity.
1903 Agur, C.M., CHURCH HISTORY OF TRAVANCORE. New Delhi – Madras : Asian Education Services, 1990 (First published in 1903).
A study based on
historical research done by Agur, who was a grandson of Vedamanickam the first
convert at Mylady, consulting reliable sources (p.vii).
1906 Nagam aiya, THE TRAVANCORE STATE MANUAL. New Delhi, Madras: Asian Educational Services, 1989. First Published in 1906.
1908 Dahmen, The Rev., S.J., DEVASAGAYAM PILLAI’S CONVERSION AND MARTYRDOM FROM CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS. TRICHINOPOLY: St.Joseph’s College Press, 1908.
The book bases itself,
almost like a translation, on Buttari’s accounts.
1913 Casimiro Christoraode Nazareth, MITRAS LUSITANAS NO ORIENTE, ii tomo. LISBON : TIP. Diariode Noticias, 1913. Nova Goa: Tip. Arthur & Viegas, 1924.
Reporting on Pastoral
letters of Bp.Clemente of Cochin, the author mentions to the Bishop’s Pastoral
letter on the martyrdom of the Servant of God Devasahayam (P.84).
1913 Zaleski, L.M., THE MARTYRS OF INDIA. Mangalore: Cordialbail Press, 1913.
1914 Besse, Leon, S.J LA MISSION DU MADURE’: HISTORIQUE de ses PAANGOUS. Trichinopoly: Mission Catholique, 1914.
PP. 724 to 726 “Devasagayam Pillai”
1921 Varkey, E.J. M.A.(hons) CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN POPES AND THE RAJAS OF TRAVANCORE in XVIII CENTURY.
- Reprinted from The
Magazine of St.Joseph’s College, Trichirapalli, Feb.1921.
- Consists of only one article by the author, quoting in Toto the letter of
Pope Clemant XIV to Raja of Travancore dated 02 July 1774, sent through
Rev.Paulinus of St.Bartholomeo, delivered to the Raja in 1780.
1926 Hosten, H., S.J., “Lazarus DEVASAHAYAM, THE TRAVANCORE MARTYR” in The Examiner, Nov. 20, 1926. p.556-557.
1931 Madavadian, THE HISTORY OF DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI (Malayalam). Trivandrum : Fernandes & Sons, 1931 (1947).
1951 Ferroli, D., S.J. THE JESUITS IN MALABAR, Vol. II. Bangalore: The National Press, 1951.
This commendable work has
one chapter each on Fr.Buttari, and “Lazarus Devasahayam-Martyr”.
1952 Arasu, (Martyr Tamil). Madurai; De Nobili Press, 1951.
A Tamil Poet’s writing of
History through poems.
1956 Mascreen, P. J., DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI : AN INDIAN MARTYR (A short Biography). Quilon : Bishop’s House, 1956.
1965 Houpert, FR. Joseph C., S.J. CHRISITIANITY IN INDIA AND CEYLON. MADRAS: GOOD PASTOR DEPOT, 1965
The work calls Devasahayam
as “Indian Church’s most popular Martyr: (p.56).
1986 Rosakkutty, Kappan, (Martyr Devasahayam Pillai – Malayalam). Cochin : Janatha Book Stall, 1986.
1988 Amalagiri Anthonimuthu, : tphpthd tuyhW (Detailed History of Martyr Devasahayam Pillai – Tamil). Nagercoil : Nanchil Offset Printers, 1988.
This work presented by
the author part by part during the sittings of the Beatification Committee in
the Preliminary phase of the Cause of the Servant of God in the years 1984-88,
prior to its publication.
1997 Hambye, Edward R. HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA Vol. III, Bangalore : Church History Association of India.
The well-documented
volume brings out the martyrdom of Devasahayam in the context of “antagonism
against christians” (pp 86-87).
2000 Visalam, Pa, UMAI OLIGAVENDRU PAADAVOE? Coimbatore: Vijaya Pathipagam, 2000.
2002 Narchion, J. Rosario. MARTYR DEVASAHAYAM : A DOCUMENTED HISTORY. NAGERCOIL: The Committee for the Beatification of Martyr Devasahayam, 2002.
This is the work produced
by the request and guidance of the preparatory Historical Commission and the
Beatification Committee. This work proved to be an important mile-stone in
establishing the historicity of the Martyrdom of the Servant of God
2004 Michel, M. (Devasahayam Pillai – Tamil). Vellicode: Delta Offset, 2004
2004 Perumal, A. KA. (THE HISTORY OF MARTYR DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI – TAMIL). CHENNAI : United Writers, 2004.
The author presents in
print also one of the earliest histories of the Servant of God.
3. RESEARCH WORKS
(Works directly or indirectly concerned with the Servant of God)
DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS
1980 Yesudas, R.N., DR. THE HISTORY OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY IN TRAVANCORE 1806-1908. Trivandrum : Kerala Historical Society, 1980, This is a dissertation accepted by the University of Kerala for the award of Ph.D. with pages I - XI and 345, refers to the persecution leading to the Killing of “Neelam Pillai” in Chapter 1 “Background”, pp.10, 21-23 and in Chapter X “Relations Between the missionaries and the Travancore Governement pp.219.243.
1994 Wilson, B. FR. DR., PROTEST AND ABSORPTION PROCESS IN DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI FOLK DRAMA. A Critical study of Nineteenth century Tamil Folk Drama Performed in the villages of South Travancore, under the guidance of Dr.Thomas George, unpublished thesis for the degree of Doctor in Philosphy (Christian studies) at Madras University, Chennai, July 1994. (unpublished)
1996 Rosella, Sr. DEVASAHAYAM PILLLAI VASAKAPPA, unpublished thesis awarded Ph.D in Department of Christian literature, University of Madras, in 1996.
2002 Lawrence, HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN KANAYAKUMARI DISTRICT. Nagercoil: Rajesh Publications, 2002 awarded Ph.D. Degree in History at the Madurai Kamaraj University, MADURAI)
3.2 MASTERS DEGREE
(M.Phil) RESEARCHES
1986 Francis, V. (DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI : CHARACTERIZATION IN THE PALM-WRITTEN DRAMA-TAMIL), unpublished dissertation for the degree of Mamster in Philosophy (Tamil –Literature) at MADURAI KAMARAJAR UNIVERSITY, MADURAI, 1986.
1988 Pushparaj, P, M.A., M. Phil, DEVASAHAYAM PILLAI : THE MARTYR (1812-1752), a dissertation for the degree of Master in Philosophy in the department of History of MADURAI KAMARAJAR UNIVERSITY, MADURAI, Published by Nagercoil : Nanchil Book Stall, 1988
1997 Varghese Antony, Barnabas G., (WORSHIP AND FESTIVALS IN THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS-TAMIL ). An unpublished dissertation for the degree of Master in Philosophy (in the department of Tamil Literature at MANOMANIAN SUNDARANAR UNIVIERSITY, TIRUNELVELI, 1997.
1999 Gomatha Valli, C, DELANNOY (1715-1777), THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF TRAVANCORE ARMY. Unpublished dissertation for the degree of Master in Philosophy in the Department of History, Manomaniam Sundaranar Univiersity, Tirunelveli, 1999.
SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20080413052819/http://www.martyrdevasagayam.org/books.html
Devasahayam Pillai
becomes first Indian layman to be declared saint by Pope Francis
VATICAN CITYMAY 15, 2022
18:22 IST
UPDATED: MAY 15, 2022 21:28 IST
‘While preaching, he insisted on
equality of all people, despite caste differences’, says a note by Vatican
Devasahayam Pillai, who
embraced Christianity in the 18th century, on May 15 became the first Indian
layman to be declared a saint by Pope Francis during an impressive canonisation
ceremony at the Vatican.
Devasahayam was
recommended for the process of Beatification by the Vatican in 2004, at the
request of the Kottar diocese, Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council and the Conference
of Catholic Bishops of India.
Pope Francis, 85,
canonised Blessed Devasahayam during a Canonisation Mass in St Peter’s Basilica
in the Vatican.
A miracle attributed to
Devasahayam was recognised by Pope Francis in 2014, clearing the path to his
canonisation in 2022.
It was the first
canonisation ceremony at the Vatican in over two years. Pope Francis, who has
been complaining of strained ligaments in his right knee for months, used a
wheelchair to preside over the ceremony.
Nine others, including
four women, were also canonised along with Devasahayam.
“Our calling is to serve
the Gospel and our brothers and sisters, to offer our lives without expecting
anything in return, or any worldly glory,” the Pope said during the ceremony.
“Being disciples of Jesus
and advancing on the path of holiness means first and foremost letting
ourselves be transfigured by the power of God’s love,” he said.
A group of Indians
holding the tricolour cheered from the gathering when Devasahayam’s name was
announced.
With the completion of
the process, Devasahayam, who took the name “Lazarus” after embracing
Christianity in 1745, became the first lay person from India to become a saint.
Devasahayam was born on
April 23, 1712, as Neelakanta Pillai into a Hindu Nair family, at Nattalam in
Kanyakumari district, which was part of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.
He was an official in the
court of Travancore’s Maharaja Marthanda Varma when he was instructed into the
Catholic faith by a Dutch naval commander.
“Lazarus” or
“Devasahayam” in Malayalam, translates to “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 earlier had said.
Sites linked with his
life and death are in Kottar Diocese, in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil
Nadu. Devasahayam was declared Blessed on December 2, 2012, in Kottar, 300
years after his birth.
Faithful to celebrate
canonisation of Devasahayam
MAY 15, 2022 00:40 IST
UPDATED: MAY 15,
2022 18:13 IST
Devasahayam Pillai, a Hindu who converted to
Christianity in the 18th century, will become the first Indian layperson to be
conferred sainthood, by Pope Francis in the Vatican on Sunday
The Catholic Christian
community in the district is set to celebrate the canonisation of Blessed
Lazarus, popularly known as Devasahayam Pillai, by Pope Francis in the Vatican
on Sunday.
Devasahayam Pillai, a
Hindu who converted to Christianity in the 18 th century, will become
the first Indian layperson to be conferred sainthood.
According to church
records, Devasahayam was born as Neelakanda Pillai in 1712 in the village of
Nattalam in Kanyakumari that formed part of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.
He assumed the name ‘Lazarus’ or Devasahayam that translates to ‘God
is my help’ after embracing Christianity in 1745.
Devasahayam was declared
Blessed in Kottar in Nagercoil in 2012. The Vatican had cleared him for sainthood last year.
To commemorate the
canonisation that will take place at the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican,
thanksgiving prayers will be held at various pilgrimage centres in the district
on Sunday.
Thiruvananthapuram
Archbishop Thomas J. Netto will lead the prayers at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral
in Palayam. Neyyattinkara Bishop Vincent Samuel will lead the Pontifical Mass
at the St. Devasahayam Church in Chavallorpotta near Parassala that functions
under the Neyyattinkara diocese. The church, which is the first to be named
after Devasahayam, has been observing a 15-day festival to mark the
canonisation.
A vehicle rally was held from St. Joseph’s
Cathedral in Palayam to the St. Antony’s Pilgrim Church at Kamukincode on
Saturday to commemorate Devasahayam’s visit when he called on those who sought
refuge in the locality after fleeing persecution after converting to
Christianity.
In a statement, Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) laity council secretary V.C. Sebastian said
the conferment of sainthood will rejuvenate the Christian community in the
country, particularly the Catholic laity. The elevation of a layperson to
sainthood had immense relevance for the present times, he added.
Tomb
of Martyr Devasahayam Pillai
San Lazzaro
Devasahayam Pillai Padre di famiglia, martire
Nattalam, India, 23
aprile 1712 - Aral Kurusady, India, 14 gennaio 1752
Nilak (anche Nilakanta o
Neelakanta) Pillai nacque a Nattalam, nel distretto di Kanyakumari dello Stato
indiano del Tamil Nadu, il 23 aprile 1712, figlio di una famiglia facoltosa.
Entrò al servizio del maharaja di Travancore come alto funzionario. Dopo aver
conosciuto Eustachius de Lannoy, ufficiale di marina, inizialmente prigioniero
del sovrano, poi suo consulente militare, si avvicinò al cattolicesimo. Fu
battezzato secondo il rito latino della Chiesa Cattolica il 14 maggio 1745;
assunse il nome cristiano di Lazzaro, reso in lingua tamil come Devasahayam,
ossia «Aiuto di Dio». Cominciò un’intensa opera di evangelizzazione, portando
alla fede anche sua moglie. A causa dell’ostilità dei brahmini, fu estromesso
dal suo incarico e arrestato per alto tradimento. Per tre anni fu torturato e
sottoposto a offese, ma continuò a predicare il Vangelo. Alla fine venne ucciso
il 14 gennaio 1752. Fu beatificato il 2 dicembre 2012 a Nagercoil presso
Kottar, sotto il pontificato di papa Benedetto XVI, diventando il primo martire
laico di nazionalità indiana. Il 21 febbraio 2020 papa Francesco autorizzò la
promulgazione del decreto relativo al miracolo valido per la canonizzazione di
Lazzaro. Si celebrò il Concistoro ordinario per la canonizzazione il 3 maggio
2021 ed il 15 maggio 2022 in Piazza San Pietro papa Francesco ha celebrato il
solenne rito di canonizzazione unitamente a nove altri nuovi santi. I resti
mortali del martire sono venerati nella cattedrale di San Francesco Saverio a
Kottar.
Nilak, espanso in Nilakanta (o Neelakanta) Pillai nacque a Nattalam, nel distretto di Kanyakumari dello Stato indiano del Tamil Nadu, il 23 aprile 1712. Era figlio di Vasudevan Namboodhiri, brahmino, e di Devaki Amma, del gruppo guerriero multicasta dei Nair.
Fu educato come si conveniva a una persona del suo rango, raggiungendo un notevole livello culturale. Conosceva le lingue tamil e malayam ed era esperto nell’arte della guerra. Iniziò la propria carriera entrando al servizio di Marthanda Varma, maharaja di Travancore, come alto funzionario della sua corte. Sposò una giovane, Bhargaviamma, appartenente al suo stesso ceto sociale.
Nel 1742 conobbe Eustachius de Lannoy, ufficiale di marina di nazionalità francese. Era stato fatto prigioniero di guerra dal maharaja, che gli risparmiò la vita a patto che diventasse suo consigliere militare e addestratore delle guardie del palazzo. Neelakanta fece amicizia con lui, che cominciò a parlargli della fede cristiana.
Tuttavia, a causa di una cattiva amministrazione, perse i suoi beni. Ne fu molto amareggiato e si preoccupava che nessuno l’avrebbe più rispettato, una volta finito in povertà. Il capitano de Lannoy notò la sua tristezza e lo spinse a confidarsi con lui. Gli spiegò che anche la sua sofferenza aveva un senso, raccontandogli la storia biblica di Giobbe.
A quel punto, Neelakanta chiese di poter diventare cristiano. Il capitano de Lannoy gli presentò padre Giovanni Battista Buttari, gesuita, che lo seguì nei nove mesi di catecumenato successivi. Il 14 maggio 1745, Neelakanta si presentò per ricevere il Battesimo secondo il rito latino della Chiesa Cattolica, dichiarando: «Nessuno mi ha costretto a venire, sono venuto dalla mia propria volontà. Conosco il mio cuore: Egli è il mio Dio. Ho deciso di seguirLo e lo farò per tutta la mia vita». Ricevette il nome cristiano di Lazzaro, che significa «Aiuto di Dio»; in lingua tamil fu reso con Devasahayam.
Cominciò subito a predicare il Vangelo a chi gli stava attorno. Quando parlava, dichiarava che tutti gli uomini sono uguali, senza distinzione di caste. Anche sua moglie chiese il Battesimo, assumendo il nome di Teresa, o Gnanapoo Ammaal in tamil.
Proprio per quello che diffondeva, divenne ostile ad alcun brahmini. Il 23 febbraio 1749, il maharaja fece arrestare Lazzaro per alto tradimento, ordinandogli di tornare all’induismo. Fu quindi rinchiuso in una cella strettissima e messo in catene. La sua condanna a morte, pronunciata il giorno dopo, fu rinviata, con suo grande dispiacere.
Lazzaro subì svariate umiliazioni e torture. Ad esempio, venne portato per sedici giorni lungo le vie della capitale del regno con addosso una ghirlanda di “fiori della corona”, collegati alla divinità induista Shiva, accompagnato dal suono di tamburi. Mentre era insultato, rispondeva pregando.
In un’altra occasione, fu caricato in groppa a un bufalo, la cavalcatura di Yama, la divinità induista della morte. Venne anche flagellato con bastoni di legno di tamarindo. Infine, venne legato a un albero nella località di Peruvillai ed esposto alle intemperie.
Ciò nonostante, Lazzaro non smise di pregare, di predicare e di raccontare la Passione di Cristo. Molti venivano ad ascoltarlo: lui li incoraggiava a restare saldi nella fede, oppure insegnava agli induisti i rudimenti del cattolicesimo. Poiché esortava anche a non ubbidire a una legge che imponeva tasse ulteriori ai cristiani, fu nuovamente condannato a morte; anche in quel caso, però, la sentenza fu revocata.
Il suo ultimo luogo di prigionia fu Aral Kurusady (o Aralvaimozhy), agli estremi confini del regno. Per ordine del maharaja, non avrebbe dovuto ricevere visite. Al contrario, la notizia della sua presenza portò molti cristiani delle vicinanze ad andare da lui. Venne anche sua moglie, in lacrime; si congedò da lei esortandola a confidare in Gesù.
Anche se non tanto spesso, riuscì a ricevere i Sacramenti in modo clandestino, specie durante la notte. Trascorreva il suo tempo pregando, digiunando anche nei giorni non prescritti e leggendo ad alta voce testi religiosi, specialmente le vite dei Santi.
Alla fine i soldati del maharaja l’uccisero a colpi d’arma da fuoco, il 14 gennaio 1752. Il suo cadavere venne gettato nei contrafforti montani di Kattadimalai. Dopo cinque giorni, alcuni cristiani recuperarono almeno le ossa e le seppellirono nella chiesa di San Francesco Saverio a Kottar, successivamente diventata cattedrale.
La fama di santità e di martirio circondò subito Lazzaro: già nel 1780 Kariattil Ouseph Malpan inoltrò alla Santa Sede una richiesta per la sua canonizzazione. Di fatto, però, la difficile situazione dei cattolici di rito latino in India non permise di cominciare formalmente il processo sul presunto martirio per molti secoli.
La diocesi di Kottar e la Conferenza Episcopale Indiana promossero la causa solo nei primi anni del ventunesimo secolo. La Santa Sede concesse il nulla osta il 22 dicembre 2003. Il processo diocesano si svolse quindi a Kottar dal 3 luglio 2006 al 7 settembre 2008. Gli atti dell’inchiesta diocesana furono convalidati il 18 marzo 2010.
Alcuni storici indù misero in dubbio che ci fosse stata un’effettiva persecuzione contro i cristiani nel regno di Travancore, all’epoca dei fatti. Ulteriori fonti coeve, come «Viaggio nelle Indie Orientali» del padre carmelitano Paolino di San Bartolomeo, hanno invece dimostrato che il re puniva col carcere e con la morte i nobili che diventavano cristiani.
La “Positio super martyrio” fu consegnata nel 2011 ed esaminata, il 15 novembre dello stesso anno, dai Consultori Storici della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi; la causa, infatti, era di tipo antico o storico, dato che Devasahayam era morto oltre cinquant’anni prima.
Il 7 febbraio 2012 i Consultori Teologi si pronunciarono a favore dell’effettivo martirio in odio alla fede. Il loro parere positivo fu confermato l’8 maggio dello stesso anno dai cardinali e dai vescovi membri della stessa Congregazione.
Il 28 giugno 2012, ricevendo in udienza il cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefetto della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, papa Benedetto XVI autorizzò la promulgazione del decreto con cui Devasahayam Pillai era riconosciuto martire.
La sua beatificazione si è svolta il 2 dicembre 2012 a Nagercoil presso Kottar, al Carmel Higher Secondary School Campus, con la celebrazione presieduta dal cardinal Amato come delegato del Santo Padre. La memoria liturgica del primo martire laico indiano è stata stabilita al 14 gennaio, giorno della sua nascita al Cielo.
Per la sua canonizzazione, come riferisce il sito della Congregazione delle
Cause dei Santi, fu preso in esame un fatto avvenuto in India nel 2013. Gli
esami ecografici a cui si era sottoposta una donna alla quarta settimana di
gravidanza avevano riscontrato mancanza di battito cardiaco e di movimento
fetale.
La donna, di religione cattolica, si fece portare dai genitori dell’acqua
attinta dal pozzo di Nattalam, luogo di nascita del Beato Lazzaro, cui era
molto devota: la bevve e continuò a pregare. Circa un’ora dopo aver bevuto, la
donna sentì che il feto si muoveva. L’attività cardiaca fetale fu accertata da
successive ecografie. Il bambino nacque senza taglio cesareo, sano e in buone
condizioni cliniche generali.
Il 21 febbraio 2020, ricevendo in udienza il cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Prefetto della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, papa Francesco autorizzò la promulgazione del decreto con cui quel fatto era attribuito all’intercessione del Beato Lazzaro, aprendo la via alla sua canonizzazione. Si celebrò il Concistoro ordinario per la canonizzazione il 3 maggio 2021 ed il 15 maggio 2022 in Piazza San Pietro papa Francesco ha celebrato il solenne rito di canonizzazione unitamente a nove altri nuovi santi.
Autore: Emilia Flocchini
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/95663
BENEDETTO XVI
ANGELUS
Piazza San Pietro
I Domenica di Avvento, 2 dicembre 2012
Cari fratelli e sorelle!
Oggi la Chiesa inizia un
nuovo Anno liturgico, un cammino che viene ulteriormente arricchito dall’Anno della fede,
a 50 anni dall’apertura del Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano II. Il primo Tempo di
questo itinerario è l’Avvento, formato, nel Rito Romano, dalle quattro
settimane che precedono il Natale del Signore, cioè il mistero
dell’Incarnazione. La parola «avvento» significa «venuta» o «presenza». Nel
mondo antico indicava la visita del re o dell’imperatore in una provincia; nel
linguaggio cristiano è riferita alla venuta di Dio, alla sua presenza nel
mondo; un mistero che avvolge interamente il cosmo e la storia, ma che conosce
due momenti culminanti: la prima e la seconda venuta di Gesù Cristo. La prima è
proprio l’Incarnazione; la seconda è il ritorno glorioso alla fine dei tempi.
Questi due momenti, che cronologicamente sono distanti – e non ci è dato sapere
quanto –, in profondità si toccano, perché con la sua morte e risurrezione Gesù
ha già realizzato quella trasformazione dell’uomo e del cosmo che è la meta
finale della creazione. Ma prima della fine, è necessario che il Vangelo sia
proclamato a tutte le nazioni, dice Gesù nel Vangelo di san Marco
(cfr Mc 13,10). La venuta del Signore continua, il mondo deve essere
penetrato dalla sua presenza. E questa venuta permanente del Signore
nell’annuncio del Vangelo richiede continuamente la nostra collaborazione; e la
Chiesa, che è come la Fidanzata, la promessa Sposa dell’Agnello di Dio
crocifisso e risorto (cfr Ap 21,9), in comunione con il suo Signore
collabora in questa venuta del Signore, nella quale già comincia il suo ritorno
glorioso.
A questo ci richiama oggi
la Parola di Dio, tracciando la linea di condotta da seguire per essere pronti
alla venuta del Signore. Nel Vangelo di Luca, Gesù dice ai discepoli: «I vostri
cuori non si appesantiscano in dissipazioni, ubriachezze e affanni della vita …
vegliate in ogni momento pregando» (Lc 21,34.36). Dunque, sobrietà e
preghiera. E l’apostolo Paolo aggiunge l’invito a «crescere e sovrabbondare
nell’amore» tra noi e verso tutti, per rendere saldi i nostri cuori e
irreprensibili nella santità (cfr 1 Ts 3,12-13). In mezzo agli
sconvolgimenti del mondo, o ai deserti dell’indifferenza e del materialismo, i
cristiani accolgono da Dio la salvezza e la testimoniano con un diverso modo di
vivere, come una città posta sopra un monte. «In quei giorni – annuncia il
profeta Geremia – Gerusalemme vivrà tranquilla, e sarà chiamata:
Signore-nostra-giustizia» (33,16). La comunità dei credenti è segno dell’amore
di Dio, della sua giustizia che è già presente e operante nella
storia ma che non è ancora pienamente realizzata, e pertanto va
sempre attesa, invocata, ricercata con pazienza e coraggio.
La Vergine Maria incarna
perfettamente lo spirito dell’Avvento, fatto di ascolto di Dio, di desiderio
profondo di fare la sua volontà, di gioioso servizio al prossimo. Lasciamoci
guidare da lei, perché il Dio che viene non ci trovi chiusi o distratti, ma
possa, in ognuno di noi, estendere un po’ il suo regno di amore, di giustizia e
di pace.
Dopo l'Angelus
Cari fratelli e sorelle!
Oggi, a Kottar, in India,
viene proclamato beato Devasahayam Pillai,
un fedele laico vissuto nel 18° secolo e morto martire. Ci uniamo alla gioia
della Chiesa in India e preghiamo che il nuovo Beato sostenga la fede dei
cristiani di quel grande e nobile Paese.
Domani si celebra la
Giornata Internazionale dei diritti delle persone con disabilità. Ogni persona,
pur con i suoi limiti fisici e psichici, anche gravi, è sempre un valore
inestimabile, e come tale va considerata. Incoraggio le comunità ecclesiali ad
essere attente e accoglienti verso questi fratelli e sorelle. Esorto i
legislatori e i governanti a tutelare le persone con disabilità e a promuovere
la loro piena partecipazione alla vita della società.
Je salue cordialement les
pèlerins francophones. Nous entrons aujourd’hui dans l’Avent, le temps
liturgique de l’attente et de l’espérance du Christ, qui cette année, se situe
dans le contexte de l’Année de la foi. Je vous invite donc à
découvrir le lien profond entre les vérités sur l’incarnation du Christ que
nous professons dans le Credo et notre existence quotidienne. Dieu
veut nous sauver, et en son Fils Jésus, il s’est fait l’un de nous.
Approfondissons, de dimanche en dimanche, le salut qui nous est offert pour le
recevoir avec foi. Notre vie en sera transformée. Bon Avent à tous !
I welcome all gathered
here today to pray with me. I especially greet the people of Kottar who
celebrate today the beatification of
Devasahayam Pillai. His witness to Christ is an example of that
attentiveness to the coming of Christ recalled by this first Sunday of
Advent. May this holy season help us to centre our lives once more on
Christ, our hope. God bless all of you!
Einen herzlichen Gruß
sage ich den Pilgern und Besuchern aus den Ländern deutscher Sprache. Mit dem
ersten Advent treten wir aufs neue ein in die Zeit der Erwartung und der
Vorbereitung auf die Ankunft Christi. Als Christen sind wir adventliche
Menschen: Unser Leben muß ausgerichtet sein auf das Kommen des Herrn hin. In
diesem Jahr des Glaubens wollen wir uns im Advent mit neuer Kraft darum mühen,
Christus entgegenzugehen, ihm unser Herz zu öffnen, damit er in uns wohnen
kann, und mit Taten der Liebe seine Wiederkunft zu bereiten. Der Herr erfülle
euch allezeit mit seiner lebendigen Gegenwart.
Saludo cordialmente a los
peregrinos de lengua española que participan en esta oración mariana. Abrimos
hoy el Adviento, que nos trae a la memoria la doble venida de Jesús, la primera
que se reveló en la realidad de la carne y la segunda que se manifestará al
final de los tiempos. Que al comenzar este tiempo - como se ora en la liturgia-
el Señor avive en nosotros el deseo de salir a su encuentro, acompañados por
las buenas obras, y así un día merezcamos poseer el reino eterno. Que la Virgen
María, que esperó a su Divino Hijo con inefable amor de Madre, nos acompañe y
guíe para alcanzar estos anhelos. Muchas gracias.
Serdeczne pozdrowienie
kieruję do Polaków. Liturgia pierwszej niedzieli adwentu przypomina zapowiedź
powtórnego przyjścia Chrystusa. Zachęca do czuwania i do modlitwy, abyśmy byli
gotowi do radosnego spotkania z Panem. W tym duchu przeżywajmy adwentowy czas
oczekiwania. Niech Bóg wam błogosławi!
[Un cordiale saluto
rivolgo ai polacchi. La liturgia della prima domenica di Avvento ci ricorda
l’annuncio della seconda venuta di Cristo. Ci invita alla vigilanza e alla preghiera,
affinché siamo pronti al gioioso incontro con il Signore. In questo spirito
viviamo il tempo di attesa. Dio vi benedica!]
Rivolgo un cordiale
saluto ai pellegrini di lingua italiana, in particolare al gruppo di preghiera
«Missionari del Rosario» di Castellammare di Stabia. Rinnovo infine il mio
saluto ai vari esponenti del mondo dello spettacolo viaggiante, che ieri ho
avuto la gioia di incontrare. A tutti auguro una serena domenica e un buon
cammino di Avvento. Buon Avvento, buona domenica a tutti voi. Grazie
© Copyright 2012 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/it/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20121202.html
Tomb
of Devasahayam Pillai, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Kottar, Nagercoil
Lazzaro Devasahayam
Pillai
(1712-1752)
BEATIFICAZIONE:
- 02 dicembre 2012
- Papa Benedetto
XVI
CANONIZZAZIONE:
- 15 maggio 2022
- Papa Francesco
RICORRENZA:
- 14 gennaio
Laico indiano, padre di
famiglia e martire: durante la persecuzione contro i cristiani nel regno di
Travancore, trovò la morte perché colpevole di aver abiurato
l'induismo. Primo laico indiano a diventare santo
"È diventato
cristiano, indipendentemente dalla differenza di casta, abbracciando tutti come
fratelli amati" (card. Angelo Amato)
VITA E OPERE
Lazzaro
v.d. Devasahayam Pillai nacque il 12 aprile 1712, nel piccolo villaggio di
Nattalam, nella regione più a sud del regno di Travancore, India del sud, in
una tipica famiglia Hindu.
Si
chiamava Nilam detto anche Nilakandan. In quanto appartenente all’alta casta
dominante Nair, egli fu detto ‘pillai’. Appartenente ad una casta superiore, fu
educato da tutori e raggiunse un alto livello di preparazione. Gli
appartenenti al suo clan lavoravano come soldati al servizio del re e il
giovane Nilakandan si esercitò nelle arti marziali tradizionali, mentre studiava
e imparava anche molte lingue.
Iniziò
la propria carriera militare presso il re. In seguito divenne un ufficiale
presso il tempio di Nilakandaswamy, nel Padmanabhapuram. Grazie alla sua
grande intelligenza ed ai suoi talenti, fu ben presto nominato alto ufficiale
del palazzo del re e divenne ministro del regno e funzionario del palazzo reale
addetto al tesoro ed alle finanze reali.
In
quanto Hindu tradizionalista, Nilakandan si dedicò sempre fedelmente alle
devozioni agli dei e all’osservanza religiosa.
La Conversione
Nell’anno
1741 l’esercito Olandese voleva estendere la propria influenza alle coste del
Regno di Travancore, presso Malabar, India del sud. A questo scopo gli Olandesi
decisero di attaccare il regno di Travancore. La guerra durò a lungo e alla
fine il re Marthandavarma li sconfisse presso il porto di Colachel. Molti
soldati e generali Olandesi, tra cui un capitano cattolico Eustache de Lannay,
furono fatti prigionieri al termine della guerra.
Il
re di Travancore, Marthandavarma, desiderava espandere il proprio regno verso
la parte nord di Travancore. Sapendo che il generale dell’esercito Olandese De
Lannoy era un esperto stratega militare ed un valente guerriero, lo arruolò nel
proprio esercito ed in seguito lo nominò generale. De Lannoy fu incaricato di
modernizzare l’esercito e di costruire fortificazioni, come Udayagiri.
L’ufficiale di palazzo Nilakandan, ministro responsabile per le finanze del
regno, divenne molto amico di De Lannoy.
Le
continue disgrazie nella famiglia di Nilakandan divennero occasione di
condivisione delle sofferenze con De Lannoy. Quest’ultimo tentava di
consolarlo narrandogli le storie di sofferenza di Giobbe, uomo giusto,
descritte nella Bibbia. Lentamente Nilakandan si sentì attratto dal cristianesimo
ed espresse il desiderio ardente di credere in Gesù e di diventare cristiano.
Il
re Marthandavarma era contrario a qualunque conversione al cristianesimo ed in
particolare a quelle di persone appartenenti alle classi superiori.
Perseguitava tutti i cristiani per evitare ulteriori conversioni. De Lannoy,
conoscendo molto bene le nefaste conseguenze delle adesioni al vangelo, ebbe
molte esitazioni nell’aiutare l’amico nel suo desiderio di abbracciare la fede
cristiana. Alla fine però, grazie alle continue insistenze, De Lannoy decise di
aiutarlo e lo inviò presso Don Giovanni Battista Buttari, missionario Gesuita,
sacerdote presso Vadakkankulam, al di fuori del territorio del regno di
Travancore, allo scopo di evitare l’ostilità del re Marthandavarma.
Il
14 maggio 1745 P. Buttari battezzò Nilakandan con il nuovo nome di Devasahayam,
corrispondente al biblico Lazzaro, che significa “aiuto di Dio”. Dopo il
battesimo, Devasahayam fu molto felice e incominciò una grande opera di
evangelizzazione per promuovere la fede in Gesù Cristo. Anche sua moglie
Bargaviyamma ricevette il sacramento del Battesimo, col nuovo nome di
Gnanappoo, cioè Teresa.
False accuse contro
Devasahayam
La
conversione di un ministro del re fu ritenuta un tradimento e un pericolo per
la solidità dello stato induista indiano. I brahmini cominciarono a muovere
false accuse contro Devasahayam presso il re.
Il
suo primo rifiuto di adorare gli dei Hindu del palazzo e di prendere parte alle
tradizionali feste religiose Hindu irritò molto gli ufficiali che non
tolleravano la sua predicazione sull’uguaglianza di tutti i popoli, il
superamento delle caste e l’amicizia con gli intoccabili delle classi più
umili, cosa proibita per una persona di casta elevata. Infine, lo accusarono
anche di aiutare i cristiani ed in particolare P. Buttari con forniture di
legname del regno per la costruzione di una nuova chiesa a Vadakkankulam.
L’arresto, la
persecuzione e la tortura per la Fede
Il
re, su insistenza degli ufficiali di palazzo, ordinò l’arresto di Devasahayam,
che, il 23 febbraio 1749 fu catturato. Il re gli chiese di abbandonare la sua
nuova fede e di osservare i costumi del sistema delle caste oppure sarebbe
stato punito. Tutti gli sforzi del re risultarono vani e Devasahayam rimase
fermo nella sua nuova fede e si rifiutò di abbandonare Gesù Cristo. In seguito
a ripetuti ed inutili tentativi di fargli abiurare la fede cristiana, il re
ordinò che venisse torturato a lungo pubblicamente, come monito per coloro che
pensavano di convertirsi al cattolicesimo. Anche molti altri cristiani venivano
perseguitati in quel periodo e molti di loro rimasero fermi nelle loro
convinzioni, seguendo l’esempio di Devasahayam: alcuni lasciarono il regno e
solo pochi rinnegarono la propria fede.
Persecuzione e tortura
Gli
ufficiali di palazzo ed i soldati misero in atto una serie di metodi crudeli
per torturare Devasahayam. Lo portarono in mostra attraverso il regno in un
modo ignominioso e straziante. Fu fatto sedere su un bufalo in maniera umiliante
e gli furono offerte ridicole corone di fiori. Veniva regolarmente picchiato in
pubblico con bastoni e spine. Misero polvere di peperoncino sulle sue ferite
per aumentare il dolore e le sofferenze. Lo costrinsero a stare in mezzo ad
insetti nocivi. Fu costretto a camminare per molti chilometri sotto il sole
cocente, con le mani ed i piedi incatenati. Presso una piccola roccia a
Puliyoorkurichy, egli era molto assetato, ma i soldati si rifiutarono di dargli
una goccia d’acqua; egli cadde in ginocchio sulla roccia e pregò: l’acqua che
sgorgò dalla roccia placò la sua sete.
Gli
ufficiali vollero intensificare le sue sofferenze portandolo in un posto
chiamato Peruvilai e lì lo consegnarono ai carnefici. Essi lo legarono
strettamente ad un albero, impedendogli così di sedersi o sdraiarsi.
All’aperto, sotto il sole cocente, la pioggia o il vento, soffrì la fame per
sette mesi. Accettò ogni cosa felicemente e offrì tutto per la gloria di Dio.
In mezzo a tutte queste sofferenze la sua fede in Gesù non fu mai scossa ed
egli rimase fedele alla fede cristiana. Non smise mai di pregare a lungo,
meditare, digiunare.
Trasferimento in un posto
segreto e martirio
A
Peruvilai una grande folla cominciò a recarsi presso di lui ogni giorno, per
ricevere le sue benedizioni e preghiere. I soldati lentamente cominciavano ad
essere gentili con lui fino al punto da suggerirgli di fuggire di prigione.
Venuto a conoscenza della nuova situazione, il re e gli ufficiali di palazzo si
sentirono sconfitti nel loro desiderio di far cambiare idea a Devasahayam e per
evitare che ancora più gente diventasse cristiana, ordinarono che fosse portato
in una prigione segreta presso Aralvaimozhy, al confine est del regno.
Anche
a Aralvaimozhy le torture continuarono e, giorno per giorno, la sua salute
divenne precaria, a causa delle continue sofferenze, delle catene e della
fame. Infine arrivò il momento supremo del martirio, che egli desiderava da
molto tempo.
Il
14 gennaio 1752 gli ufficiali ricevettero l’ordine speciale da parte del re di
ucciderlo in segreto. Devasahayam fu svegliato prima della mezzanotte e i
soldati lo portarono a spalla come un animale, non essendo in grado di
camminare. Lo portarono su una collinetta nella foresta di Aralvaimozhy. Per
l’ultima volta egli chiese ai soldati un po’ di tempo per pregare. Nel mezzo
della notte si inginocchiò sulla roccia e si abbandonò completamente al Signore
per un quarto d’ora. Quando finì di pregare, chiese ai soldati di fare
il loro dovere. I soldati eseguirono gli ordini dei loro comandanti. Gli
spararono tre volte e Devasahayam cadde sulla roccia gridando: “Gesù,
salvami!”. Quindi per assicurarsi che morisse, spararono altri due colpi. Gli
aguzzini lo gettarono nella foresta, allo scopo di distruggere ogni prova della
sua uccisione, in modo che il suo cadavere venisse divorato dalle belve. Dopo
cinque giorni, i cattolici che vivevano nelle vicinanze, vennero a sapere
dell’uccisione, raccolsero i suoi resti mortali e li seppellirono nella Chiesa
di San Francesco Saverio a Kottar (l’attuale cattedrale della Diocesi di
Kottar), nello Stato di Tamilnadu.
“ITER” DELLA CAUSA
a) In vista della
beatificazione
In
virtù della fama di martirio del Servo di Dio Devasahayam, largamente diffusa
in India, fu iniziata la sua Causa di beatificazione. Si svolse l’Inchiesta
diocesana sull’asserito martirio, nella Curia vescovile di Kottar, dal 2006 al
2008.
La
Causa fu sottoposta alla valutazione dei Consultori Storici, il 15 novembre
2011, i quali riconobbero che le prove raccolte erano sufficienti ed affidabili
per la dimostrazione del presunto martirio. Seguì, il 7 febbraio 2012, il
Congresso peculiare dei Consultori Teologi, i quali presero atto
dell’attendibilità storica dei documenti raccolti, dai quali risulta dimostrato
sia l’odium fidei da parte dei persecutori sia l’accettazione da parte del
Servo di Dio.
La
Sessione Ordinaria dei Cardinali e Vescovi si svolse l’8 maggio 2012 con esito
positivo.
Il
Santo Padre Benedetto XVI autorizzò la promulgazione del Decreto super
martyrio il 28 giugno 2012 e, il 2 dicembre successivo, nella città di
Nagercoil (diocesi di Kottar) si svolse la cerimonia di beatificazione, con
grandissima partecipazione di popolo.
b) In vista della
canonizzazione
Nel
2015 si è svolta nella Diocesi di Kottar l’Inchiesta diocesana su un presunto
miracolo ottenuto per intercessione del Beato, cioè la rianimazione di un feto
alla 20ma settimana di gravidanza di una signora indiana.
La
Consulta Medica della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, nella riunione del
28 febbraio 2019, all’unanimità ha riconosciuto la guarigione non spiegabile in
base alle attuali conoscenze mediche.
Il
5 dicembre 2019 si è tenuto il Congresso Speciale dei Consultori Teologi
della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, con esito positivo. Identico parere
è stato manifestato dai padri Cardinali e Vescovi, nella Sessione Ordinaria del
18 febbraio 2020.
Sua
Santità Francesco ha autorizzato la Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi a
promulgare il decreto super miraculo 21 febbraio 2020.
Den salige Devasahayam
Pillai (1712-1752)
Minnedag: 14.
januar
Devasahayams familie
hadde stor innflytelse ved hoffet til kongen av Travancore, Maharaja Marthanda
Varma, som i likhet med det meste av hoffet tilhørte Nair-kasten, som var en
krigerkaste. Devasahayam begynte å tjenestegjøre i palasset som ung mann. Hans
evner og entusiasme gikk ikke upåaktet hen i palasset, ettersom han snart fikk
ansvaret for statsaffærene som en tjenestemann under Ramayyan Dalawa, Dewan av
Travancore. Han giftet seg med Bhargaviammal fra landsbyen Mekkodu nær Eraniel,
som tilhørte hans egen kaste.
På denne tiden kom
Devasahayam under innflytelse av den nederlandske marinekommandanten kaptein
Eustachius De Lannoy, som i 1741 var blitt sendt som kommandant for en
nederlandsk marineekspedisjon av det nederlandske Østindiakompaniet. Formålet
var å erobre Colashel, en havn som sto under kontroll av Travancore, og
etablere en handelspost der. I slaget som fulgte mellom de lokale styrkene og
kaptein De Lannoys menn (Slaget ved Colashel), ble nederlenderne beseiret. 24
av dem, inkludert De Lannoy og hans assistent Donadi, ble tatt til fange, mens
resten enten flyktet eller ble drept.
De Lannoy og
nederlenderne ble senere benådet av kongen, på betingelse av at de
tjenestegjorde i hæren i Travancore. De Lannoy vant senere kongens tillit i den
grad at han ble kommandør for de væpnede styrker i Travancore. Han vant mange
slag og erobret flere naboterritorier for Travancore. Det var mens de hadde
innflytelsesrike roller under kongen av Travancore, at Devasahayam Pillai og De
Lannoy ble godt kjent med hverandre. De Lannoys kristne tro interesserte
Devasahayam, og De Lannoy opplyste ham om troen. Dette førte til at han
konverterte fra hinduismen til katolisismen i 1745.
Etter at Devasahayam
hadde akseptert den kristne tro, ble han døpt i den romersk-katolske kirken av
latinsk ritus i landsbyen Vadakkankulam i dagens distrikt Tirunelveli i staten
Tamil Nadu, hvor jesuittene hadde en misjon under p. R. Bouttari Italus SJ. Han
endret sitt fødenavn Neelakanda Pillai til Lazar (Lasarus), men han er bedre kjent
under oversettelsen av navnet til tamil og malayalam, Devasahayam, som betyr
Guds hjelp.
Pillai var gift med
Bhargaviamma fra Travancore. Hun ble også overtalt til å konvertere til
kristendommen av sin ektemann. Hun fikk dåpsnavnet Gnanapoo Ammaal (tilsvarer
Teresa på tamil og malayalam. Hun fryktet represalier i Travancore som en
reaksjon på hennes religiøse konversjon, så hun fortsatte å bo som innflytter i
denne landsbyen. Noen av Devasahayam Pilla's nærmeste familiemedlemmer mottok
også senere dåpen etter å ha blitt omvendt til kristendommen.
Katolske kilder hevder at
den høyeste brahminske presten i kongeriket og medlemmer av den kongelige
husholdning og Nair-samfunnet brakte falske anklager mot Devasahayam til
Dewanen, Ramayyan Dalawa, og at Devasahayam ble fratatt sin portfolio i
administrasjonen og ble senere anklaget for forræderi og for å avsløre
statshemmeligheter til rivaler og europeere. Det ble gitt ordre om at han
skulle bringes på en bøffel til Kuzhumaikkad, hvor han skulle henrettes. Men
den originale kongelige ordren ble senere endret flere ganger, og til slutt lød
den på å bringes på ryggen av en bøffel tilbake til grensen til Aralvaimozhy
for å straffes med forvisning etter å ha gjennomgått en serie med tortur utført
av ti ulike palasstjenestemenn etter instruksjoner fra ministre.
Devasahayam ble ført til
Aralvaimozhy av soldater en periode på noen få dager. I henhold til datidens
tradisjon ble han i likhet med alle svært grusomme kriminelle malt med røde og
svarte flekker, og først ble han ført gjennom bebodde områder, sittende bak
frem på ryggen av en vannbøffel gjennom det sørlige Travancore fra palasset
Padmanabhapuram. Underveis ble han daglig pisket med åtti slag, fikk pepper
gnidd inn i sårene og i neseborene, utsatt for solen og gitt bare brakkvann å
drikke.
Mens de stanset i
Puliyoorkurichi, ikke langt fra palasset Padmanabhapuram som tilhørte kongen av
Travancore, mener de kristne at Gud slokket hans tørst ved å la vann strømme
frem fra et lite hull i en klippe, hvor han hadde knelt ned for å be. Dette
vannhullet finnes fortsatt på eiendommen til en kirke i Puliyoorkurichi, rundt
femten kilometer fra Nagercoil. Noen mener også at bladene av et neemtre
(Margosa) i landsbyen Peruvilai, som han hadde vært bundet til på marsjen til Aralvaimozhy,
helbredet sykdommene til syke mennesker i landsbyen og rundt. Mange flere
mirakler tilskrives Devasahayam Pillai.
I 1752 var den originale
ordren til kongen og hans Dewan å deportere ham fra Travancore og inn i Pandya
i Aralvaimozhy. Han ble satt fri i de skogkledde høydene nær Aralvaimozhy. Der
tror man at han begynte dyp meditasjon, og folket fra de tilgrensende
landsbyene begynte å besøke den hellige mannen. Kristne kilder hevder at denne
gangen sammensverget høykastehinduer seg for å kvitte seg med Devasahayam.
Noen mennesker mener at
soldater dro opp i åsene og prøvde å skyte Devasahayam, men de var ikke i stand
til å skyte. Han tok da våpenet i sine hender, velsignet det og ga det tilbake
til soldatene for å drepe ham med det, dersom de ønsket det. Soldatene tok imot
våpenet og skjøt fem skudd i ham. Deretter ble liket skjødesløst kastet nær
foten av fjellene i Kattadimalai.
Det var i Kattadimali i
distriktet Kanyakumari at Devasahayam Pillai døde den 14. januar 1752. Hans
jordiske rester ble gravlagt nær alteret i kirken St. Xavier's Church i Kottar
i Nagercoil, som nå er en katedral. Katolikker mener at han led martyrdøden,
mens hinduer mener at det ikke finnes noen bevis for religiøse forfølgelser på
den tiden, og at Pillai ble henrettet for oppvigleri.
Devasahyam Pillais klær
og andre eiendeler oppbevares i den lille byen Vadakkankulam i distriktet
Tirunelveli i staten Tamil Nadu. De stilles ut i kirken hvert år på 15. august,
som er høytiden for Marias opptakelse i himmelen. Hans hustru ble gravlagt på
kirkegården der.
Ifølge den rapporten som
ble skrevet i 1756 av den daværende biskopen av Cochin, som Kirken i
Kanyakumari da var underlagt, ble Devasahayam Pillais kristne martyrium straks
gjort kjent for Vatikanet. I 1780 sendte Kariattil Ouseph Malpan en anmodning
til Vatikanet om å helligkåre Devasahayam Pillai. I 1984 tok en gruppe legmenn
igjen initiativ til å søke om saligkåring av Devasahayam. På begynnelsen av
2000-tallet begynte kristne å be ved hans grav. I 2004 anbefalte den indiske
bispekonferansen (CBCI) hans saligkåring etter lange diskusjoner. Deretter
startet grundige undersøkelser av tilgjengelig historisk materiale.
Den 28. juni 2012
undertegnet pave Benedikt XVI dekretet fra Helligkåringskongregasjonen som
anerkjente hans død som et martyrium in odium fidei – «av hat til
troen», og han fikk dermed tittelen Venerabilis, «Ærverdig».
Han ble saligkåret den 2.
desember 2012 i bispedømmet Kottar, på en eiendom som tilhører Carmel Higher
Secondary School, nær kirken som inneholder hans grav, St. Xavier Cathedral i
byen Nagercoil i delstaten Tamil Nadu i India. Som vanlig under dette
pontifikatet ble seremonien ikke ledet av paven selv, men av hans personlige
utsending, i dette tilfelle kardinal Angelo Amato SDB,
prefekt for Helligkåringskongregasjonen i Vatikanet. Hans minnedag er dødsdagen
14. januar. Hans grav ble restaurert og forskjønnet før saligkåringen.
Kilder: Patron
Saints SQPN, en.wikipedia.org, martyrdevasahayam.org - Kompilasjon og
oversettelse: p.
Per Einar Odden
Opprettet: 1. desember
2012
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/devasahay
Holy Mass and
canonization 2022 in Tamil | LIVE from vatican | Devasahayam pillai | Pope
Francis : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mJZIZOeurQ&ab_channel=ourGodTamil
Voir aussi : http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/Narchison_Devasahayam.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20080414022856/http://www.martyrdevasagayam.org/evidences.html
https://www.cath.ch/newsf/lazare-devasahayam-pillai-premier-laic-indien-eleve-au-rang-de-saint/
https://blesseddevasahayampillai.blogspot.com/p/death-of-pillai.html
