Devasahayam Pillai beatified
By Express News Service - NAGERCOIL
03rd December 2012 08:37 AM
Lakhs of people on Sunday attended a ceremony to mark the beatification of Martyr Devasahayam Pillai, the first layman from India to be given this honour by the Catholic Church.
The grand ceremony was held at the Carmel School grounds near Ramanputhoor in the town by the Diocese of Kottar where Pillai was born. The Chairman of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Angelo Cardinal Amato, participated in the function as the Papal Delegate and presided over it.
During the ceremony, Kottar bishop Peter Remigius, together with the postulator of the cause, approached Cardinal Amato and requested him to proceed with the beatification of Devasahayam Pillai while the bishop read some important anecdotes from the life of Pillai.
Following this, the Cardinal read the ‘apostolic letter’ in Latin and declared Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai ‘Blessed’ and noted that it had been permitted to celebrate his festivals in select places according to diocese laws on January 14 every year. Afterwards, the bishop read the translated version of the apostolic letter in Tamil and, at the end of the reading, a Latin hymn was sung as a large picture and the relics of Pillai were carried to the altar in a solemn procession. They were placed by the side of the altar, adorned with candles. The celebrant passed incense over the relics and a hymn on the blessed was sung. Later, Bishop Remigius thanked Pope Benedict XVI for proclaiming Pillai blessed and the bishop and the Papal representatives embraced each other.
Senior Catholic clergymen, including Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio, several cardinals from India, 40 bishops and almost 2,000 priests and nuns were joined by lakhs of faithfuls from different parts of the country to witness the ceremony.
State Forest Minister K T Patchaimal, Nagercoil MLA Nanjil Murugesan, Kanyakumari MP J Helen Davidson and politicians cutting across party lines were present at the event.
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Comments(17)
The entire story of devasagayam is fabricated to further conversions and the pope has given legitimacy to this. Its immoral, anti national and malicious.
Posted by gautham at 12/03/2012 19:05 Reply to this Report abuse
Fabrication? Immoral, anti-national and malicious? Has Mr. Gautham ever lived aruond or visited Padmabhapuram, Puliyoorkurichy, Colachel, Peruvilai, Nattalam, Vadakkankulam, Aralvaimozhy, Kaatadimalai, Kottar etc? How much is he aware of the history of Travancore Kingdom of 17-18 Centuries? 2-line comments perhaps are more a swinging clubs in the dark of his own maliciousness and flawed mindset than a sense of openness to things that have taken place in Thovalai, Agastheswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode Taluks.. Gita - AB.
Posted by Gitanjali at 12/03/2012 21:47 Reply to this Report abuse
Well said Gita. No one should talk without knowing the ground reality. People should visit St. Xavier's Church, Kottar, Nagarcoil before making some wrong comments. To be blessed in Christianity is not a joke -Jose
Posted by Jose at 12/04/2012 10:16 Reply to this Report abuse
Blessed Daivasahayam Pillai pray for the world to have the bliss and happiness to believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God. " But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God"( John 1:12). Good Jesus, You are " the Way, the Truth and the Life".
Posted by I.C. Se... at 12/04/2012 00:47 Reply to this Report abuse
Neelakandanpillai was a traitor of the Travancore kingdom. He was a spy He allied with Dutch. In spite of his treacherous act, Dutch was defeated. He stole timber from the forests of Travancore and smuggled it to Tirunelveli. He was caught red handed, He was assasinated by the law of the land for his various heinous acts. Now 200 years later the church wants to glorify him, thinking that everybody has forgotten the truth. This only proves that the churrch's' vested interest.
Posted by Ben at 12/04/2012 11:11 Reply to this Report abuse
[!User Complaint!] Mr Ben please reserve your ignorance for yourself.Whatever has happened is well documented by people with credibility.Learn to understnd this before making sweeping statements.
Posted by I.Stephen at 12/04/2012 14:59 Reply to this Report abuse
My dear friend, truth never fails. Even 200 or 2000 years passed Truth is Truth. All the facts about Devasahayam Pillai is are with evidence. He is a person know learned who is real God. He Knew Him, lived for Him and will live in the hearts of all people. Facts can not be hidden. Pope never approve false recommendations. The study the things analyse it, verify the history and evidences thoroughly and then only give approval for beautification. Devasahayam Pillai lived for truth. Truths can't be hidden by such false statements. You may not know anything about history. You talk in an anger that a person converted his religious beliefs. Everybody has their own religious feelings as he had.
Posted by Joseph Stephen at 12/04/2012 12:20 Reply to this Report abuse
Well written dear Ben, I was thinking there is nobody who knows the true trial of Neelakanda pillai. He was not punished because he converted to christianity, he was executed for treason, for being a dangerous element in the country. I don't know for what genuine reason the church is glorifying him. It is for vested interest of converting more people. They have proved beyond doubt that they are bad people.
Posted by Sasi at 12/06/2012 11:30 Reply to this Report abuse
Mr. Ben kindly check all the records before you post something. Learn to live as a new century man. The officials are not fool to go by any sort of blind documents.... It has happened after 200 years as you have rightly pointed...then imagine how much amount if work and reswarch would have been involved... It is easy to blame because our religious tolerance is very less.
Posted by Zail Singh at 12/07/2012 15:51 Reply to this Report abuse
[!User Complaint!] In one of the Syro-malabar websites,they have acknowledged that Da Lannoy was a protestant. Why would he send Neelandan Pillai to a Catholic church to get converted? Most of us have understood that this is yet another of those frauds for which the christian missionaries are so notorious .They are working over-time to 'plant the cross' in India by hook or by crook.I am sure this fraud will soon be understood by most of the hindus and also the converted christians who are intelligent.Somebody should consider taking the matter to court,because the main idea of the christian missionaries is to spoil our Makara Sankranti-Pongal celebrations and also enlist more conversions to their political and expansionist religion.
Posted by Vijayalakshmi at 12/14/2012 08:42 Reply to this Report abuse
The beatification of a fictitious Devasahayam Pillai is another of those frauds by the Catholic church to enlist more converts from among the gullible Hindu masses. People should be made aware of these frauds by the Catholic church and its missionaries.
Posted by Govindan at 12/05/2012 12:45 Reply to this Report abuse
It is not only conversion, do you know how much money they have collected from people, industrialists and business houses in Kanyakumari district using this fraud activities. Shame shame - This is nothing but action of beggers
Posted by Sasidhar at 12/28/2012 12:24 Reply to this Report abuse