After canonising nuns, priests and bishops so far, for the first time, a layman from India will be canonised by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022. Blessed Devasahayam from Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu was a Hindu converted to Christianity in the 18th Century.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican has formally announced the canonisation. Furthermore, it has also been announced that six other Blesseds from around the world will be canonised on May 15 next year at St Peter’s Church in the Vatican.
Who’s Devasahayam?
He was born on April 23, 1712, to Hindu couple Vasudevan and Devaki in Palliyadi village near Nattalam in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, part of the-then princely state of Travancore. His name originally was Neelakanda Pillai. His father, Vasudevan, was an influential person in the Travancore government and, as a result, he sent Neelakanda to work for the government.
Religious conversion and emphasis on equality
In 1741, when the Dutch navy fought to capture the Colachel port in Kanyakumari, the captain, Eustachius De Lannoy, was defeated and sent to prison. Later, he was pardoned by the king and was affixed to the Travancore Army. Eustachius De Lannoy was a skilled military strategist, which later helped him rise as a commander of the Travancore Army after gaining the trust of the king. In the meantime, Neelakandan took the name ‘Lazarus’ after embracing Christianity in 1745, inspired by the practices of Eustachius De Lannoy. He then called himself Devasahayam, meaning servant of God.
According to Vatican press reports, While preaching, despite caste differences, Devasahayam particularly insisted on the equality of all people. This provoked hatred from the higher classes, which led to the arrest of Devasahayam in 1749 and he was shot on January 14, 1752, for practising Christianity. He was declared ‘Blessed’ by the Pope on December 2, 2012, and has been now declared a ‘Saint’.
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