Chavara had been a visionary priest and social reformer whose contributions spread across education, media and social justice.
Born-February 10, 1805
Kainakary, Kuttanad, Kingdom of Travancore
Died-January 3, 1871 (aged 65)
Koonammavu, Kingdom of Cochin
Honored in-Catholic Church
Beatified by Pope John Paul II - 8 February 1986, Kottayam
Canonized-23 November 2014, Rome by Pope Francis
Major shrine-St. Joseph’s Syro-Malabar Dayra Church, Mannanam, Kottayam[1]
Feast-3 January (Syro-Malabar)
Attributes-Syrian Catholic saint and social reformer
He had started the first school for weaker sections and ensured every church erected a school nearby. The priest, who fought for appointing priests to Kerala as bishops rather than foreign missionaries, had established the country's first Catholic religious congregation for men and women. Chavara had been appointed as the first vicar general of the Syro-Malabar Church toward the fag end of his career, taking it from the Latin Catholic Church in Kerala's shadow.
Born-October 17, 1877
Kattoor, Thrissur District, Kerala, India Flag of India.svg
Died-August 29, 1952
Ollur, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Honored in-Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Beatified - by Mar Varkey Vithayathil, 3 December 2006, Ollur Thrissur.
Canonized-23 November 2014, Rome by Pope Francis
Major shrine-St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar Church, Ollur
Feast-August 29 (Syro-Malabar)
Attributes-Syrian Catholic saint
Kuriakose Chavara, popularly known as Chavara Achan, and Euphrasia, known as Evuprasiamma. They were both born in the 19th century and became the refuge for hundreds of thousands of believers. Chavara Achan was born about 70 years before Evuprasiamma and died at the age of 65 in 1871. In the year 1952 Evuprasiamma died.The state's first saint was Sister Alphonsa, affectionately called Alphonsamma, who was also the first saint of Indian descent.