Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended

Context

• A Hindu man from Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, who converted to Christianity in the 18th century, is set to become the first Indian layman to be declared a saint by the Vatican on May 15, 2022.

About

• Devasahayam Pillai, who took the name ‘Lazarus’ in 1745, was first approved for sainthood in February 2020 for “enduring increasing hardships” after he decided to embrace Christianity, the Vatican said.
• Devasahayam is said to have faced harsh persecution and imprisonment after he decided to convert to Christianity, ultimately resulting in his killing in 1752.
• Born on April 23, 1712 in the village of Nattalam in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari District, Devasahayam went on to serve in the court of Travancore’s Maharaja Marthanda Varma.
• It was here that he met a Dutch naval commander, who taught him about the Catholic faith.
• In 1745, soon after he was baptised, he assumed the name ‘Lazarus’, meaning ‘God is my help’.
• But he then faced the wrath of the Travancore state, which was against his conversion.
• It was only in February 2020, when the Vatican cleared him for sainthood, that they dropped ‘Pillai’ from his name, referring to him as ‘Blessed Devasahayam’.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-is-devasahayam-pillai-sainthood-7618659/

Download PDF