To All Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious, Catechists and
Lay Faithful of the Latin Catholic Church in India
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,
1. The Church in India is eagerly looking forward to have a new saint in Martyr Devasahayam. As we all know, our beloved Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Devasahayam on 15th May 2022, at the Vatican, together with six others. In Martyr Devasahayam we have the first Indian who is acknowledged to have won the crown of martyrdom on Indian soil. He is also the first lay person and the first married person from India to be conferred sainthood. This Canonization, therefore, has a special significance for the Church in India.
2. During its 21st Plenary Assembly held in 2009 at Mysore, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) resolved to request the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to speed up the process of the Beatification, which fittingly came during the Year of Faith in 2012. The Bishops of the 25th Plenary Assembly of the CCBI held at Vailankanni in 2013 voted to include the Martyr’s commemoration as a Memorial in the Liturgical Calendar for India.
3. The canonization of Martyr Devasahayam comes as a significant blessing for the Church in India, as it is engaged in a Synodal Journey, seeking to make a genuine discernment of the pastoral challenges of today. We have here a wonderful opportunity to tell the heroic story of our Martyr especially to our young people, who will be helped by it to face courageously the exigencies of Christian life and witness today.
4. The events connected with the Canonization of Martyr Devasahayam have been scheduled as follows: (1) Vespers on 14 May 2022 in St. Peter’s Basilica, at 5 p.m. (Italian time), followed by a public meeting with a cultural programme at the Paul VI Hall. (2) The Mass of the Canonization celebrated by Pope Francis on Sunday 15 May at 10 a.m. (Italian time).
5. To celebrate this unique ecclesial event, the Church in India will be holding the following programmes at the national level:
(a) National Quiz Competition: The CCBI will organize a seven-step national quiz competition on the life and message of the martyr, in collaboration with the Canonization Committee of the Diocese of Kottar.
(b) National Essay Competition: conducted by the Canonization Committee of the Diocese of Kottar, under the auspices of the CCBI. This will be held separately for High School/Higher Secondary School students, College/University students, youth in general and married laity.
(c) A National Hour of Prayer: Akin to the nationwide one-hour prayer service organized during the pandemic period, an Hour of Prayer will be held on Friday, the 24 June 2022, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, during which we shall consecrate all our families to the Sacred Heart. It is our earnest desire that all our faithful, whether residing in India or living abroad, may join in to pray as one family during that Hour and plead for the intercession of Martyr Devasahayam for our country.
(d) National Thanksgiving Celebration: The Church in India will join in the celebrations taking place in the very place of the martyrdom of Devasahayam, organized by the Dioceses of Kottar and Kuzhithurai on Pentecost Sunday, 5 June 2022 at 4 p.m.
6. As the Church in India prepares itself to celebrate this great event, we thank God for the gift of a new saint for our country and express our deep gratitude to all who worked tirelessly, along the years, for the fulfilment of the long process of Canonization.
May the Blessed Martyr Devasahayam intercede for us.
CCBI General Secretariat, February, 16, 2022.