Vatican City, Nov. 9, 2021: Pope Francis will canonize Devasahayam Pillai, together with six others, during a canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on May 15, 2022.
The announcement was made November 9 by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. It follows the Ordinary Public Consistory of May 3 this year whereby the Pope had authorized the canonizations, without however setting a date for the ceremony because of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Blessed Lazarus (Devasahayam)
Blessed Lazar is the only martyr among those set to be canonized.
Blessed Lazarus, known as Devasahayam, was a Nair caste in India. Converted to Catholicism by a Jesuit priest in 1745, Devasahayam Pillai took the name Lazarus.
In his preaching, he particularly insisted on the equality of all peoples, despite caste differences. This aroused the hatred of the higher classes. He was arrested in 1749. After enduring torture, he was shot on January 14, 1752.
Blessed Lazarus is the first lay person from India to be canonized.
Among the others for canonization, Blessed Charles de Foucauld was a French soldier who traveled extensively in Northern Africa.
Originally a fallen-away Catholic, he embraced the faith at the age of 28. Blessed Charles found his vocation during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
He was ordained at the age of 43, after which he returned to the desert in Algeria, where he lived a life of meditation, prayer and study.
He was killed on December 1, 1916, by a band of marauders. Blessed Charles de Foucauld inspired a “spiritual family” which follows his way of life.
Blessed Devasahayam Pillai – Pray for us.
A matter of joy for all Indian Christians. However, it should not exacerbate existing tensions on caste or religious lines