Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

Thomas of Kurialacherry (14 January 1873 – 2 June 1925) was a Catholic bishop from Kerala. Kurialacherry was a member of the

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...

, had his ordination in May 1899 from Cardinal Cassantha, and was bishop of what would become the Archdiocese of Changanacherry."A Glimpse into the Past", Archeparchy of Changanacherry
/ref> He is also known for establishing the prestigious SB College Changanasserry, one of the oldest Institutions of Higher Education in Kerala, in 1922.

Life

Kurialacherry was born on 14 January 1873 as the sixth child of Chackochen and Accamma in

Champakulam Champakulam is a village in Kerala, India. It is in Alappuzha district. Champakulam is part of Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, and is resplendent in green paddy fields, coconut groves and water fowl. Champakulam is an important tourist spo ...

, Kerala. He was baptized on the eighth day and was christened Thomas. After his primary education, Thomas joined St.Ephrem school in Mannanam.It was during this time that he felt a strong desire to become a priest."Venerable Mar Thomas Kurialacherry", Sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (SABS)
/ref> In 1891, the vicariate of Kottayam was renamed Changanacherry and its headquarters moved to

Changanassery Changanassery, () formerly Changanacherry, is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 ...

. Kurialacherry's seminary education was at the

Propaganda Fide The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregati ...

in Rome. During the nine years he spent in Rome he excelled and became prefect of the seminarians. He was ordained on 27 March 1899 by Cardinal Cassantha at the Basilica of St. John in Lateran. After his ordination, he remained some time in Italy visiting various shrines. It was then that he was a guest for some days of Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Patriarch of Venice. While in Rome he was inspired by the piety of perpetual adoration sisters who spent day and night in adoration of the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

; so he decided to spread eucharistic devotion in his homeland. As an ardent devotee of the Blessed Sacrament, he zealously promoted the 40 and 13 hour devotions. In 1908, he founded the Sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (SABS). Thomas Kurialacherry was appointed as the apostolic vicar of the Changanassery vicariate. He was consecrated on 3 December 1911 in

Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...

, Ceylon. Bishop Kurialacherry was a social reformer and was enthusiastic about raising the marginalized sectors of society. He showed great care towards

dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

Catholics. Mar Kurialacherry was an apostle of ecumenism; as a man with a wider perspective he worked for the unity of various Christian communities. He was confident that progress of the society could be achieved through education; this led him to establish many educational institutions including, in 1922, the prestigious St. Berchmans College in Changanassery. In 1923,

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

established the Diocese of Changanacherry, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam. In the silver jubilee year of his ordination bishop Thomas Kurialacherry went to Rome for his ad limina visit. He also had a desire to participate in the beatification of St. Therese of Lisieux. He had experienced episodes of rheumatism and was afflicted with uremia. While in Rome his illness worsened. He celebrated his last mass in the Propaganda College chapel on the 26th anniversary of his ordination. He died on 2 June 1925 in Rome. His mortal remains were brought back to his homeland in 1935 and interred in St. Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral, Changanassery and in 2014 they were transferred to the newly built Marthmariam kabaridappalli. Bishop Kurialacherry was a strong advocate for the education of women: "When we educate a woman we are educating a generation." Bishop Kurialacherry College for Women in Amalagiri and Bishop Kurialacherry Public School in

are named after him.

Cause of canonization

In 1935, ten years after his death, his cause of canonization was initiated giving him the title "

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

". On 2 April 2011

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

, in an audience with Cardinal

Angelo Amato Angelo Amato, Salesians of Don Bosco, S.D.B. (8 June 1938 – 31 December 2024) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints between 2008 and 20 ...

, Prefect of the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...

, approved a statement saying that Bishop Kurialachery had lived a life of heroic virtue. This gave him the additional title of "

"."Venerable Mar Thomas Kurialacherry", Syro-Malabar Church
/ref>

References

External links

Archdiocese of Changanacherry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurialassery, Thomas 1873 births 1925 deaths 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops Archbishops of Changanassery 20th-century venerated Christians Christian clergy from Alappuzha district Christian clergy from Kerala Venerated Catholics by Pope Benedict XVI Syro-Malabar bishops