Thomas Kurialacherry

Venerable Thomas Kurialacherry (14 January 1873 – 2 June 1925) was a Catholic bishop from Kerala. Kurialacherry was a member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, had his ordination in May 1899 from Cardinal Cassantha, and was bishop of what would become the Archdiocese of Changanacherry. He is also known for establishing the prestigious SB College Changanasserry, one of the oldest Institutions of Higher Education in Kerala, in 1922.

Life Thomas was born on 14 January 1873 as the sixth child of Accamma and Chackochen of the Kurialacherry family in Champakulam, Kerala. After his primary education, he joined St. Ephrem school in Mannanam.

In 1891, the vicariate of Kottayam was renamed Changanassery where its headquarters was moved to.

Kurialacherry's seminary education was at the Propaganda Fide 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 and was a guest for some days of Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto, Patriarch of Venice, who later became Pope Pius X.

In 1908, he founded the Sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (SABS). Kurialacherry was appointed as the apostolic vicar of the Changanassery vicariate. Bishop Kurialacherry College for Women in Amalagiri is named after him.

Canonization In 1935, ten years after his death, his cause of canonization was initiated giving him the title "Servant of God". On 2 April 2011 Pope Benedict XVI, in an audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, approved a statement saying that Bishop Kurialachery had lived a life of heroic virtue. This gave him the additional title of "Venerable".