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About St. Devasahayam Pillai
April 23, 1712 – January 14, 1752 · Feast January 14 · Layman / Martyr
First lay Catholic from India to be canonized. Born into a high-caste Hindu family, he was baptized Lazarus in 1745 after conversations with a Dutch Catholic naval captain held captive at the court of the King of Travancore. His public refusal to honor caste distinctions, embracing Christians of all backgrounds as brothers, scandalized the Hindu nobility and led to his arrest, torture, and eventual shooting in the Kanyakumari hills. He is the first Indian layman to receive the honors of the altar.
St. Devasahayam Pillai is the patron saint of India, Converts and Lay Catechists.
