1745
St Devasahayam baptised here
On 14 May 1745, after nine months of instruction, Fr Buttari baptised Neelakanta Pillai, a Nair officer from the court of Travancore, in the Holy Family Church, giving him the name Devasahayam ("God is my help"); his godfather was the catechist Gnanaprakasam Pillai. The Holy See itself confirms Vadakkankulam as the place of this baptism, the single best-documented fact in the parish's whole history.
DocumentedThis moment rests on 5 sources.
What this source establishes
The DATE — 14 May 1745 — and the nine months of instruction. Written by the Vice-Postulator of the cause. The canonisation rite itself recites only the name, so the date comes from here, not from the ceremony.