HISTORY OF THE CAUSE OF SERVANT OF GOD DEVASAHAYAM

The history of the Cause is presented here in four phases:

Preliminary Phase
Introductory Phase
Diocesan Phase
- Diocesan Phase I
- Diocesan Phase II
- Diocesan Phase III
- Diocesan Phase IV
- Diocesan Phase V
Roman Phase

I. Preliminary Phase:

The Servant of God, Devasahayam, was shot dead just before midnight on 14 Jan. 1752. Most Rev. Clement Joseph S.J., the Bishop of Cochin sent out a pastoral letter, asking the people to sing ¡°Te Deum¡± in all the Churches. (Annexure 1).

The same Bishop submitted the Quinquennial report in 1756 to the Holy Father Pope Clement IV about the martyrdom of the Servant of God (Annexure No. 2, the copy of the original MSS).

Archbishop Joseph Mar Caryathil, during his travel in Rome and Portugal, together with Thomman Paremakkal submitted a petition to the Cardinal in Rome. (Annexure No.3). There was no positive response to their petition.

Paolino da S.Bartholomeo (1748-1806), a Carmelite Missionary, from 1776 to 1786, was Apostolic Visitator to the Kingdom of Travancore, submitted a report to the Holy Father about the martyrdom of Devasahayam (Annexure No.4.

In 1913, there was a Canonical opening of the tomb of the Servant of God, on the occasion of the repairing done to the pavement of St. Francis Xavier¡¯s Church. (Annexure No.5).

II. Introductory Phase:

First move by a group of Laity:
The ¡°Catholic Club of Nagercoil¡± took this initiative, calling for a meeting of its members on 23.10.1984 towards the beatification of Martyr Devasahayam Pillai¡±. (Annexure No.6). In this meeting, attended by ¡°hundreds of Catholics¡± elected a three members committee to begin this great work: The group consisted of 1) Mr.Amalagiri Antonimuthu 2) Mr.Antony Thamburan, 3) Mr.P.J.Dhas (Annexure No.7).

2. On 28 Nov. 1984, these members of the laity met the then Bishop M. Arokiasamy, Bishop of Kottar and requested him to initiate the process for beatification in a canonical manner. The Bishop released the first prayer (Annexure No.8) and officially nominated Rev. Fr. Leon Tharmaraj as ¡°the spiritual guide¡± of the group and established the first Official Beatification Committee consisting of six persons (Annenxure No.9).

Between 23 Oct.1984 to 15 Dec. 1992, in nine years the ¡°beatification
Committee¡± had 107 meetings.

4. The first version of the prayer for beatification of the Servant of God
Devasahayam was written by no less a person than Most Rev. M. Arokiasamy, the Bishop of Kottar and it was released on 05 Jan. 1985.

5. His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) on 05 Feb. 1986. The Most Rev. Dr. M. Arokiasamy the then Bishop of Kottar, presented him a souvenir of the Diocese of Kottar with an inscription of the Servant of God Devasahayam together with that of St. Francis Xavier

Enthused by this event of the visit of the Holy Father, the Beatification Committee was expanded to include new members totaling to 19. (Annexure 10).

In its meetings, the beatification committee conducted a real historical research on various aspects and stages of the life and death of the Servant of God Devasahayam and the socio-historical situation of the times (Annexure No.11.) This resulted in a documented book in Tamil on the Servant of God in the year 1988 (Annexure No. 12).

III. DIOCESAN PHASE -1

From 01.01.1993 to 18.04.1995

1. Appointment of Fr. A. Gabriel as Postulator
The work of the beatification committee from 1984 to 1992 had provided enough background to the Bishop of Kottar. The Most Rev. Leon A Tharmaraj appointed Fr. A. Gabriel as Postulator (in the diocese) on 1st January 1993 (Norms, 2a). (Annexure No.13).

2. Representation by the Laity:
The Laity initiated the preliminary phase in the cause of the Servant of God, a layman martyr and the Laity of the diocese presented a requisition to the Conference of Regional Bishops, the Tamil Nadu Bishops¡¯ Council on 20th Feb. 1993 (Annexure No.14).

3. Nihil Obstat from Conference of Regional Bishops:
The Bishop of Kottar presented the cause at the meeting of the Regional Bishops of Tamil Nadu at Nagercoil on 1st March 1993. The cause was discussed in detail and the chairman of Tamil Nadu Bishops¡¯ Council His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Marianus Arockiasamy, Archbishop of Madurai issued a Nihil Obstat (norms 11a, 1983). (Annexure, No.15).

4. Constitution of the First Tribunal:
The Bishop constituted a tribunal for the cause on 3rd Dec. 1993, the Feast
of St. Francis Xavier. (Annexure No.16).

5. Historical Commission:
A Historical Commission was also constituted, consisting of 13 persons on 8th Dec. 1993 (Annexure No. 17).

6. The meetings of the Preparatory Historical Commission together with the members of Tribunal:
The preparatory Historical Commission held nine meetings up to 18th April 1995. The historical commission placed its findings in a report to the tribunal on 18th April 1995 (Annexure No.18).

7. The work of the first tribunal and its cessation:
From the time of its constitution until 18th April 1995, the tribunal, either in part or in toto sat I through all the meetings of the Historical Commission for 9 meetings in two years. The Notary, who also served as Secretary of the beatification committee which included all members, had written the reports. However the Tribunal did not function formally because the Historical Commission had not completed its work nor had it presented a list of witnesses to be examined.

IV. DIOCESAN PHASE -2

This phase started with the appointment of Rev. Fr. Cruz M. Hieronymus as the new Vicar General. Between 14th November 1995 and 15th November 2003, exactly eight years, the beatification committee, which included the members of the Historical Commission and some more interested priests and lay persons, conducted 48 meetings; most of them presided over by the Vicar General.

The following were the important points discussed in these meetings.

Visit to some places where there is a living tradition about the Servant of God:
In March (25) and April (24,25,26) 1998, some members of the Historical Committee and some other members of the Beatification Committee visited to Avur a parish in the diocese of Tiruchirapalli. Fr. Buttari, S.J. is buried there.

Other places visited were Vellode, Siriya Nayakkanpatti, Ponnumanthurai, Karisalpattu, Anumantharayankottai, Kosavapatti, Muthalagupatty, Mylapore, Manchampatti, Karungulam, Pugailaipatti and Purathakkudi.

The visiting team gathered the following facts and pieces of information:

In all those places, for the past five generations, people have been enacting folklore dramas on the Servant of God, two to seven nights continuously every year. More than 60 persons acted in them, after stringent ascetic practices and penance.
Many persons acknowledged as having received many favours such as birth of a child, recovery of eyesight, healing of the lame.
Each of these places has at least one place (roofed platform) called Siluvai Thinnai dedicated to the Servant of God.
In some places (e.g. Karungulam, Vellode) people have gone so far as to have a shrine dedicated to Devasahayam.

Having seen the necessity for a full-time worker in the Cause, the Bishop of Kottar asked for the services of Bro. Paul Chinnappan, S.J., whose entry initiated a new momentum in the process (Annexure No.19).
On 11 August 1999 the beatification committee recommended to the Bishop that the old church at Devasahayam Mount, built during the years following the death of the Servant of God, be converted into a museum. Mr. Amalagiri Antonimuthu, the main historian of the committee, prepared, with the help of artists, 29 drawings depicting important moments in the story of the Servant of God (Annexure No.20).
The occasion of the Great Jubilee year 2000 seemed to offer a fresh occasion to promote the Cause. In response to an invitation from the CBCI, (Annexure No.21), Most Rev. Leon A. Tharmaraj, the Bishop of Kottar sent to Rome the details about the Servant of God. (Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples) under the scheme: Commissione ¡°Nuovi Martirii¡±, Grande Giubileo 2000 (Annenxure No.22). The application did not receive any response from Rome.

A memorial for the Devasahayam:
It is unique that the mortal remains of a layperson were buried in front of the main altar in St. Francis Xavier¡¯s Cathedral, Kottar. The tomb lies buried with just an inscription on the floor. People hardly noticed the tomb. Therefore a monument was constructed within the church, in order to remind the visitors of the presence of the tomb. The monument was blessed on 3rd Dec. 1999, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier. (Annexure No.23, a photograph).

Observance of Jan.14 as a memorial Day:
In its usual monthly meeting on 11th July 2000, the beatification committee discussed ways and means and decided to propose to the Bishop the observance of January 14, the day of martyrdom of the Servant of God as ¡°Martyr Devasahayam Day¡± every year.

To initiate this annual observance, the Bishop sent out a circular to be read in all the churches of the diocese on Epiphany Sunday 2001
(Annexure No.24.
Dropping of the suffix ¡°Pillai¡±:
The committee discussed at length the reasons for keeping or for dropping the suffix ¡°Pillai¡±, usually appended to the name of the Sevant of God. ¡°Pillai¡± is understood as a caste name in Tamil Nadu, since it is appended to the male names of persons belonging to one particular ¡°high¡± caste. After a heated discussion the committee decided to drop it for the following reasons:
The suffix ¡°Pillai¡± is not really part of the name of the Servant of God. Before conversion his name was ¡°Nilam¡± or ¡°Nilakandan¡± and at baptism he was named ¡°Devasahayam¡± and not ¡°Devasahayam Pillai¡±.
¡°Pillai¡±, though does not directly refer to the caste of the Servant of God (¡°Nayar¡± caste), nevertheless it refers to both the highness of his caste and to the high position he held in the palace of the King.
The caste suffixes are now dropped in the society today.
Retaining a caste suffix will go against the value of casteless equality for which the Servant pf God very vehemently stood.

Writing of a Documented History on the Servant of God:
The beatification Committee wanted to ask Dr.Narchison to prepare a historical document in the name of the Committee. It was also decided to authorize him to make such research journeys as may be necessary, so that the committee may be able to bring out the book as soon as possible.
Accordingly the diocesan administration commissioned Fr. Narchison with the work. He took up journeys in India and abroad (Rome and Lisbon) from September to November 2001.

Between 11th Dec. 2001 and 18th May 2002, the committee sat up to discuss the draft of the six chapters of the book. As an important process towards the completion of the work, Dr. Narchison, accompanied by Fr. A. Gabriel, the diocesan Postulator and Fr. R. Antony, the Archivist of the diocese of Kottar and Mr. G. Varghese Antony, the member of the Beatification Committee visited some important places connected with the life and death of the Servant of God. The group had also a meeting and discussion with the historian, Mr. Amalagiri P. Anthonimuthu, at his residence (Annexure No.25)
The work was completed on 3rd Dec. 2002, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the Patron of the diocese, and was released in a grand function on the occasion of ¡°Martyr Devasahayam Day¡±, 14th January 2003 titled: MARTYR DEVASAHAYAM: A DOCUMENTED HISTORY (Annexure No.26) (J. Rosario Narchison, Martyr Devasahayam: a Documented History, Nagercoil: Assisi Offset Press, 2002).

50 articles on Life and Martyrdom:
The Beatification Committee decided to summarize the book into 50 articles to be submitted to Rome. Dr. Narchison drafted it and the Vicar General; Dr. John Kulandai presented the final draft, carrying out the amendments proposed by the committee which approved the document on 8th July 2003 (Annexure No.27).

A new Prayer:
As preparations were going on for the presentation of the Cause to the Holy Sea, the committee saw it fitting to support the efforts by a renewed prayer throughout the diocese. The Bishop approved the new prayer on 26th Oct. 2003 based on the prayer already being said (Annexure No.28 with translation dated 01-01-2004). This prayer was circulated to all the parishes with the proposal to recite the prayer before the final blessing at every Holy Mass in parishes.

V. DIOCESAN PHASE - 3

1 Diocesan Office Opened:
From the formal inception in 1993, all the matters relating to the Cause were carried out in the office of the Vicar General of the diocese. On 25th May 2004, a separate office was opened within the premises of the Bishop¡¯s House. Rev. Fr. A. Gabriel, the Postulator in the diocesan phase of the Cause began to function as the Vice-Postulator for the same Cause in its Roman phase.

2 Visit of the Postulator:
The Postulator for the Cause of Servant of God Devasahayam, Rev. Fr. George Nedungatt S.J., made a visit to the diocese of Kottar during the first week of July 2004, with the intention of visiting places connected with the Servant of God and helping the Canonization Committee in the promotion of the Cause. Arriving on 2nd July 2004, Fr. George Nedungatt, S.J. started his visit with a concelebrated Eucharist in St. Francis Xavier¡¯s Cathedral, where the mortal remains of the Servant of God has been buried. Then he visited various places connected with the life and death of the Servant of God and celebrated Eucharist at the spot at Aralvaimozhy or Devasahayam Mount where Devasashayam was shot dead on 14th Jan. 1752 and preached to the people on the greatness of the martyr¡¯s death as witness of Faith.

On Monday, 5th July 2004, the Postulator had a sitting with the canonization committee. While appreciating the committee, which he called ¡°an extraordinary thing¡±, he acknowledged that the committee had done some work, but pointed out that the work was not yet complete. He also pointed out that the work so far done, did not meet the conditions placed by the laws.

He underlined the need of appointing a Historical Commission, which should carry out its work after taking oath in a formal way. Its work should follow a historical method, presenting sources from which the evidences were taken, so that any historian could verify the finding.

On July 6, 2004, Fr. George Nedungatt SJ met the press of the Town, Nagercoil. He gave out a statement to the Press, which came out in various Tamil newspapers on the following day, with the other things that he said, reporting all the visits the Postulator made during his stay here (Annexure No.38).
3. Appointment of the Historical Commission:
The visit of the Postulator made one thing very clear: that the ¡°historical commission¡± appointed by the Bishop of Kottar in 1993, could be considered only as ¡°a preparatory historical commission¡± in the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam. Now that the work of the preparatory historical commission was accomplished some way, with the production of a documented work on the Servant of God and the drawing up of the 50 articles on his life and martyrdom, it was necessary for the proper procedure of the Process to appoint a historical commission ¡°to complete its work and to give due form to its findings according to the law of the Church. By a decree dated 5th July 2004, the Bishop Most Rev. Leon A. Tharmaraj constituted a historical commission consisting of Rev.Dr.J.Rosario Narchison (Convenor), Rev. Dr. E. John Kulandai (Secretary) and Mr. Varghese Antony (member) (Annexure No.39). All the three members took Juramentum immediately and started working in a formal way.

4. Visiting of Some Important Archives and Libraries by the Historical Commission

13.09.2004: The Historical Commission visited the Archives of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam. The Commission saw only an English Edition of Varthamana Pusthagam. The members were moved to see the original of the script of Pontifical site of Consecration Ceremony of Archbishop Joseph Mar Cariattil in Syriac.

The afternoon of the same day, the Historical Commission was rewarded to sight the original manuscript of Varthamana Pusuthagam, (1773-1786) written by Cathanar Thomman Parmakkal, a report of the journey he made together with Malpan Mar Joseph Cariattil in India, in Rome and in Lisbon.

04.10.2004: The Historical Commission, accompanied by Fr.A.Gabriel, Vice Postulator and Br.Paul Chinnappan S.J., visited the scientifically arranged archives of the diocese of Cochin. We found that the archives had documents dating only from the year 1838.

05.10.2004:The Historical Commission visited the archives of the diocese of Kollam. It was not a very useful visit, since the archives have not been arranged in order.

17.02.2005 Dr. E. John Kulandai, the secretary of the Historical Commission, accompanied by Fr.A.Gabriel, the Vice-Postulator, visited the Kerala State Archives of Thiruvananthapuram. The discovery of Memoir of Survey of the Travancore and Cochin States, by Lieutenants Wars and Conner from July 1816 to the end of the year 1820, printed in 1994 (first printed in 1901) was a good one because of the reference to the Servant of God and his death on page 13.

From 1st June 2005 to 28th October 2005, Dr. E. John Kulandai, the secretary of the Historical Commission visited (1) The New York Public Library, New York, (2) The Historical Archives of the Propagation of Faith, Rome, (3) The Roman Archives of the Society of Jesus, Rome, (4) the Library of Teresianum, Pontifical Institute of Spirituality, Rome, (5) BIBLIOTECANACIONAL, Lisbon, (6) The Library of Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, (7) the Library of Pontifical Urban University, Rome and the Secret Archives of Vatican and (8) the Archives of Carmelite Generalate, Rome.

The discovery of the Quinquennial Report of the Most Rev. Dr. Clemens Joseph, Bishop of Cochin date 15th Nov. 1756 was indeed a break through in the efforts of Historical Commission. (See Annexure N0.2).

5. Museum on the Servant of God Devasahayam:
On 12th Jan. 2006, Archbishop Peter Fernando, Madurai in the presence of the Bishops of Madurai Ecclasiastical Region, declared open a museum on the life and martyrdom of Devasahayam. The museum is being visited by thousands of people every week.

6. Weekly Retreat Centre at Nattalam:
On 14th Jan 2006, the Martyr Devasahayam Memorial Day, a diocesan pilgrimage was made to Nattalam, the birthplace of the Servant of God. As declared on that day, Nattalam was turned into a weekly Retreat Centre for all people. The retreat, held every Friday (in memory of the Servant of God who was martyred on a Friday), attracts hundreds of people from all walks of life.

7. Supplementary Tribunal Constituted:
Since the first tribunal for the Cause, constituted in 1993, failed to function formally and two members of the tribunal have been transferred to far off places (Annexure No.40), the Bishop constituted a supplementary tribunal for the Cause on 3rd March 2006, with Rev. Fr. S. Solomon, MCL as the Presiding Judge, Rev. Dr. I. Kulandaiswamy, DCL, as the Promoter of Justice and Rev. Fr. M. Soosai as the Notary. The new tribunal assumed charge by taking Juramentum on 11th March 2006 (Annexure No. 41).

8. Visit to Places of Interest:
In order to have a direct knowledge and experience of living traditions on the Servant of God in many places in Tamil Nadu, the Historical Commission arranged to make a visit to some places in the dioceses of Tiruchirapalli, Dindigul, Madurai and Tuticorin. The places visited were: Avur, Avarampatty, Vellode, Karungulam, Sirunayak-kanpatty, Anumantharayankottai, Muthalagupatti, Pugailapatty, Purathakudy, Notchiodapatty, Irundalai Parai, Maravapatty, Sempatty, Attur, Tattar Madam, Thinayoorani. The visits were carried out on 20th and 21st March 2006 (Annexure No.42) and 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, April 2006 (Annexure No. 43). The visit was helpful also to gather names of some witnesses to be presented to the tribunal.

9. Web-Site opened under the name, www.martyrdevasagayam.org.

VI. DIOCESAN PHASE -4
1.Presentation of the Cause to the Congregation for Causes of Saints:
November 2003 was an important month to remember. It was during this month that the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam was submitted to the Congregation for Cause of Saints in Rome. It was a happy coincidence, that by the Holy Providence of God, we believe, that the Ad Limina Visit of the Bishops of the Region of Tamil Nadu, was to take place at the same time. Having sent an application in duplicate and with all necessary enclosures, to the Congregation for Cause of Saints through the Apostolic Nunciature, New Delhi, on 25th Oct. 2003, the Bishop took a copy with himself and presented it directly at the decastery on 15th day of the month of November 2003.
The Regional Bishops too, who were in Rome for the Ad Limina visit, presented a memorandum, urging the Congregation for Causes of Saints to accept the Cause.

In the meantime, on 14th Nov. 2003, Bishop Leon A. Tharmaraj appointed Rev. Fr. George Nedungatt, S.J., Professor of Oriental Canon Law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, as the Postulator in Rome for the Cause.

He has also the faculty to appoint one or more vice-postulators to assist him in the promotion of the Cause. This appointment order was also taken to the Congregation for Saints.
2. Declaration of "Nihil Obstat" and approval of the appointment of the Postulator.
22nd December 2003 is a day to remember. It was on that day that the Congregation for Causes of Saints issued the declaration "NIHIL OBSTAT" for "beatification or declaration of Martyrdom" of the Servant of God Devasahayam, numbered Prot. N.2580-1/03, dated 22 December 2003.
On 23rd Jan. 2004, the Congregation approved the appointment of Rev. Fr. George Nedungatt SJ as the Postulator of the Cause in Rome.
3. Appeal made to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI):
The 26th meeting of the CBCI, General Body, from 7th to 14th January 2004 at Trichur, offered a timely occasion to make the Cause known at the national level. Planning to seize the opportunity, the Beatification committee met the President of the CBCI, The Most Rev. Dr. Cyril Mar Baselios, OIC, Archbishop of Trivandrum and presented him a request that "the Cause of Martyr Devasahayam, a married lay person, might be included in the agenda for the CBCI meeting in January 2004, so as to write a letter of recommendation to the Congregation for Saints". The letter added "This will also bring the awareness on this great martyr to the entire Christian community of India".

During its plenary session on 9 Jan. 2004, the meeting took up the item on the Agenda on Martyr Devasahayam. First, the Bishop of Kottar made a presentation on the life and martyrdom of the Servant of God. Each of the Bishops was given a copy of the Book: Martyr Devasahayam a Documented History by Dr. J. Rosario Narchison. There was a discussion and then "the house accepted the proposal unanimously.
4. News-Paper Reports and response:
The following day's important dailies brought out news-reports on the acts of CBCI concerning the Cause. It evoked both positive and critical responses from readers. The doubts raised by some historians were also answered. However the newspapers did not publish our reply, sent in by our historian Dr. J. R. Narchison, probably the news papers did not wish to continue the controversy, because the circles close to the Hindu Nationalist Political outfits had raised the objections.
Diocesan Office Opened:
From the formal inception in 1993, all the matters relating to the Cause were carried out in the office of the Vicar General of the diocese. On 25th May 2004, a separate office was opened within the premises of the Bishop's House. Rev. Fr. A. Gabriel, the Postulator in the diocesan phase of the Cause began to function as the Vice-Postulator for the same Cause in its Roman phase.
Visit of the Postulator:
The Postulator for the Cause of Servant of God Devasahayam, Rev. Fr. George Nedungatt S.J., made a visit to the diocese of Kottar during the first week of July 2004, with the intention of visiting places connected with the Servant of God and helping the Canonization Committee in the promotion of the Cause.

Arriving on 2nd July 2004, Fr. George Nedungatt, S.J. started his visit with a concelebrated Eucharist in St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral, where the mortal remains of the Servant of God have been buried. Then he visited various places connected with the life and death of the Servant of God and celebrated Eucharist at the spot at Aralvaimozhy or Devasahayam Mount where Devasashayam was shot dead on 14th Jan. 1752 and preached to the people on the greatness of the martyr's death as witness of Faith.

On Monday, 5th July 2004, the Postulator had a sitting with the canonization committee while appreciating the committee, which he called "an extraordinary thing", he acknowledged that the committee had done some work, but pointed out that the work was not yet complete. He also pointed out that the work so far done, did not meet the conditions placed by the laws.

He underlined the need of appointing a Historical Commission, which should carry out its work after taking oath in a formal way. Its work should follow a historical method, presenting sources from which the evidences were taken, so that any historian could verify the finding. On July 6, 2004, Fr. George Nedungatt, S.J. met the press of the Town, Nagercoil. He gave out a statement to the Press, which came out in various Tamil newspapers on the following day, with the other things that he said, reporting all the visits the Postulator made during his stay here.

Appointment of the Historical Commission:

The visit of the Postulator made one thing very clear: that the "historical commission" appointed by the Bishop of Kottar in 1993, could be considered only as "a preparatory historical commission" in the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam. Now that the work of the preparatory historical commission was accomplished some way, with the production of a documented work on the Servant of God and the drawing up of the 50 articles on his life and martyrdom, it was necessary for the proper procedure of the Process to appoint a historical commission "to complete its work and to give due form to its findings according to the law of the Church.

By a decree dated 5th July 2004, the Bishop The Most Rev. Leon A. Tharmaraj constituted a historical commission consisting of Rev.Dr.J.Rosario Narchison (Convenor), Rev. Dr. E. John Kulandai (Secretary) and Mr. Varghese Antony (member). All the three members took Juramentum immediately and started working in a formal way.

Visiting of Some Important Archives and Libraries by the Historical Commission
The historical commission made a journey to Mannuthy, on 12th September 2004 with the intention of seeing for themselves the work of the historical commission for the Cause of the Servant of God, Fr.Joseph Vithayathil (1865-1964). Since Fr.George Nedungatt, S.J. who was also the Postulator for the Cause of the Servant of God, Fr.Joseph Vithayathil, was there; the historical commission members had a first-hand information on how to go about its work.
VII. DIOCESAN PHASE 5

Solemn Inauguration of the Diocesan Enquiry Commission (June 28, 2006)

His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Leon Tharmaraj, Bishop of Kottar, inaugurated the newly instituted Diocesan Enquiry Commission in the presence the Postulator Rev. Fr. George Nedungatt, S.J., on the 28th of June 2006. The Commission consisted of:

Episcopal Delegate: Rev. Fr. S. Solomon, M.C.L.
Promoter of Justice: Rev. Fr. I. Kulandaiswamy, D.C.L.
Notary : Rev. Fr. M. Soosai

The newly formed Diocesan Enquiry Commission interviewed 103 persons and recorded their testimonies over a period of a year. The witnesses hailed from various dioceses of Tamil Nadu and from the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The Solemn Conclusion of the Diocesan Enquiry regarding the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai (September 7, 2008)

The Solemn Conclusion of the Diocesan Enquiry regarding the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai was celebrated in the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, Kottar, at 5.30 P.M. on the 7th day of September 2008, in the fourth year of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Dignitaries present at the function included:
His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Peter Fernando, Archbishop of Madurai, President of Tamil Nadu Bishops¡¯ Council.
His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Stanley Roman, Bishop of Quilon, Kerala.
His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. S. Singaroyan, Bishop of Salem, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Bishop¡¯s Council.
His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. George Alanchery, Bishop of Thuckalay, Syro-Malabar Rite.
Rt. Rev. Msgr. S. Antonysamy, Vicar General, Diocese of Palayamkottai.
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Mariadasan, Vicar General, Diocese of Marthandam, Syro-Malankara rite.
Rev. Fr. Sahayadas, Financial Administrator, Diocese of Kumbakonam.
Rev. Fr. George Nedungatt, S.J., Postulator for the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai.
Representatives from other dioceses.

His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Peter Remigius, Bishop of Kottar, presided over the function of the Solemn Conclusion of the Diocesan Enquiry. His Grace Archbishop Peter Fernando of Madurai was the principal celebrant at the Concelebrated Holy Mass on the occasion. The above mentioned dignitaries and several priests, religious and thousands of faithful took part in the solemn function.

For the ceremonial conclusion of the Diocesan Enquiry, Rev. Fr. M. Soosai, Notary of the Diocesan Enquiry Commission, presented the Acts of the diocesan enquiry on the life and virtues of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai, together with two authentic Tamil copies of the Acts as well as two copies translated in English. The Promoter of Justice, Rev. Fr. I. Kulandaiswamy, declared that he had no objections to either the original Acts or the translated copies of the diocesan enquiry. Then the, Rev. Fr. S. Solomon (Episcopal Delegate), Rev. Fr. I Kulandaiswamy (Promoter of Justice) and Rev. Fr. M. Soosai (Notary), three copyists, and two translators swore by oath that they carried out their task conscientiously. The Episcopal Delegate confirmed the integrity and authenticity of the documents.

Bishop Remigius then ordered the Chancellor Rev. Fr. Tharcius Raj that the original Acts together with a translation into English be carefully preserved in the archives of the Diocese of Kottar. He further instructed the Chancellor that the metal container preserved in the diocesan archives should not be opened without the express permission of the bishop of Kottar.

Bishop Remigius also ordered that a copy of the original Acts and the two copies of the English translation be put in a metal box, closed, sealed, and signed by the Bishop on the external cover of the metal container. He further directed that the metal container with its contents and the envelope addressed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints be handed over to Fr. A. Gabriel, the Vice Postulator and Courier, who in his turn should forward them to the Congregation through the Nunciature in New Delhi. Then, upon the invitation of the Rev. Fr. S. Solomon (Episcopal Delegate), Rev. Fr. A. Gabriel (Vice Postulator and Courier) swore under oath that he would faithfully fulfill his task as Courier. The Presiding Bishop, Most Rev. Peter Remigius observed that all the formalities given by law for the closing session were carefully followed.

Whereupon Rev. Fr. S. Solomon (Episcopal Delegate), Rev.Fr. I. Kulandaiswamy, (Promoter of Justice) and Fr. A. Gabriel (Vice Postulator and designated Courier) signed and affixed their seals as follows:
Signed
(Seal affixed) Rev. Fr. S. Solomon
Episcopal Delegate

Signed
(Seal affixed) Fr. I. Kulandaiswamy
Promoter of Justice

Signed
(Seal affixed) Fr. A. Gabriel
Vice Postulator and Courier.

3. Diocesan Enquiry Report Sent to Rome (September 24, 2008)
and Acknowledgement Received (November 12, 2008)

On the 24th of September 2008 the sealed metal box containing the documents pertaining to the Diocesan Enquiry regarding the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai was forwarded to Rome by the Apostolic Nuncio, His Grace Most Rev. Pedro Lopez Quintana.

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, His Excellency the Most Rev. Angelo Amato, SDB acknowledged receipt of the metal box with its contents on the 12th of November 2008.

VII. ROMAN PHASE:

1. Decree on Commencement of Apostolic Process issued (November 12, 2008); Metal Box containing Documents of Diocesan Enquiry Opened (September 9, 2009)
On receiving the metal box containing the documents pertaining to the Diocesan Enquiry regarding the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a Decree on the 12th of November 2008. This Decree announced that the Congregation would start the Apostolic Process in Rome. Accordingly, the Congregation informed that the box with the Documents of Diocesan Enquiry was opened for the process on the 9th of September 2009.

2. Acts Bound in Volumes and Examined

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints then proceeded to bind the Acts of Diocesan Enquiry regarding the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai into two sets, each comprising eight volumes. One set was handed over to the Postulator. The Congregation informed that it was examining the contents of the other set of volumes for ascertaining whether the Diocesan Enquiry was conducted according to norms set forth by the same Congregation.

3.The Congregation for the Causes of Saints declares that the Diocesan Enquiry on the life and martyrdom of Devasahayam Pillai was conducted validly (March 18, 2010) At its Ordinary Meeting held on March 18, 2010, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints discussed the following question:

¡°Whether the Diocesan Enquiry conducted at the Ecclesiastical Curia of Kottar on the life and martyrdom as well as the fame surrounding the martyrdom and miracles of the Servant of God Lazarus, popularly known as Devasahayam Pillai, a Lay faithful of Christ, killed in hatred of Faith, as it is reported, is valid: whether the witnesses were examined properly and rightly, and whether the norms were applied correctly to the case and its findings¡±

¡°The Congregation, after carefully considering the official submission attentively weighing the matter answers in writing: Affirmatively that is, the Diocesan Enquiry regarding the case and its findings was conducted validly.¡±

The above Declaration was signed and communicated by the Prefect of the Congregation His Grace Archbishop Most Rev. Angelus Amato, S.D.B. to the Most Rev. Dr. Peter Remigius, Bishop of Kottar.

4. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints appoints Fr. Zdzislaw Kijas, OFM. Conv. as ¡°Relator¡± for the Cause of Devasahayam Pillai (July 9, 2010)

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints communicated that at the request made by Rev. Fr. George Nudungaat, S.J., Postulator for the Cause of Devasahayam Pillai, on May 3, 2010, ¡°the Ordinary Meeting of the Congregation of Saints has assigned on the 9th of July 2010, the Cause of the Servant of God Devasahayam Pillai (Diocese of Kottar) to the Most Rev. ¡°Relator¡± Fr. Zdzislaw Kijas, OFM Conv..¡±

5. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints appoints Fr. John Kulandai as ¡°External Collaborator¡± for the Cause of Devasahayam Pillai (July 9, 2010)

Also, on the same day, as proposed by the Postulator Rev. Fr. Nedungatt, S.J., ¡°the Congregation appointed Rev. Fr. John Kulandai as the ¡°External Collaborator for the Cause¡±. His task, as prescribed by the norms of the Congregation, consists of collaborating with the Relator in the preparation of the text of the ¡®Positio¡¯.¡±

6. The two appointments mentioned above were effected on July 17, 2010 by Relator General for the Cause of Devasahayam Pillai by Fr. Vincenzo Criscuolo, OFM Cap.