St. Sebastian is one of the most venerated saints, especially in various parts of Kerala. He is revered as a powerful intercessor for all prayers, in particular the fight against communicable diseases. During the week of January 20^th ,many churches in Kerala celebrate the feast of St. Sebastian. Besides Catholics, people from other religions also participate in the celebration. To understand the Saint’s formidable presence in our community, it is necessary to gain insights into his life.

During this time, twin Christian deacons, Marcus and Marcellian were imprisoned for refusing to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. Their parents visited them and persuaded them to renounce Christianity. However, through St.Sebastian’s influence and a miracle curing an official’s wife who had been deaf mute, both parents were converted to Christianity. This miracle saw the conversion of around 78 people which included several prominent people. This news spread so quickly and the Emperor became aware of St.Sebastian’s association to Christianity. The Emperor, who was persecuting Christians, felt betrayed. He gave the order to execute St.Sebastian by having him tied to a stake and shooting arrows at him. The archers shot arrows at him until his body was covered with arrows, like an urchin. The archers believed he was dead and left his body. Miraculously, he was still alive. Irene of Rome, whose Christian husband was also martyred under Diocletian, found St. Sebastian. She hid him in her house and nursed him back to health.

The feast of St.Sebastian is celebrated in various parts of Kerala. It is prominent in churches at Arthunkal, Kanjoor, Neendakara, Athirampuzha, Chittattukara, Muringoor and Thazhekad. The devotion to St.Sebastian dates back to 1001 A.D., with the construction of St. Mary's Forane Church in Kanjoor. With many miracles observed through the intercession of St. Sebastian, the church soon became an important pilgrim center and grew in fame among the people from other faiths as well. There are numerous incidents that have testified to the power of St. Sebastian. Some of the major incidents are listed below.

This incident took place in Kanjoor. It was believed that the ruler of the local kingdom Sakthan Thampuran visited the St. Marys Forane Church in Puthiyedam Kovilakam at the same time as the annual feast of St. Sebastian was celebrated. Traditionally, the feast is celebrated with fireworks. Apparently, the incessant fireworks irritated the ruler. He ordered the mortars to be thrown into the river. To everyone’s surprise including the ruler, the mortars immersed in the water started firing during the procession. Startled by this episode, the ruler started believing in the power of St.Sebastian and paid homage by visiting the church. He also donated an elephant lamp. In another incident, the ruler ordered the gate house (Padippura) of the church to be demolished. As soon as the demolition started, the elephant at the ruler’s palace started demolishing the palace’s gate house. The ruler realized his mistake and stopped the demolition. He offered a perpetual lamp to the church as an act of repentance. It was believed that he offered several gifts in various forms.

In Thazhekad however, Tipu Sultan destroyed St. Mary’s church, which was believed to be built in 800 A.D. The church had been renamed to St.Sebastian’s Church by the Portuguese and later emerged as another devotion site to St.Sebastian. After destroying the church, he threw St.Sebastian’s statue into a nearby forest.

Due to the massive effort involved in rebuilding the church, people interceded to St.Sebastian, who heard their cry by helping them rebuild the church, which was completed in 1917.

The most recent major incident was in 1953, when there was a dreadful outbreak of smallpox in Kerala. In a town in central Kerala, the priests brought out St. Sebastian’s statue, and pleaded for his intercession. The astounding power of St. Sebastian abated the outbreak in central Kerala and the miraculous healing spread to other parts of the state. Although smallpox has since been eradicated, devotion to St. Sebastian has only intensified with time and the number of devotees continue to multiply.

In Thrissur, the feast of St. Sebastian is one of the main feasts celebrated in most churches. It is called Ambu Thirunal and can last upto a week in certain areas. Traditionally, it is believed that through the arrows, St. Sebtastian protects the faithful from any disease that they encounter and drives away evil spirits.