Tomás Canavery

Tomás Onésimo Canavery (1839–1913) was an Argentine Catholic priest and military chaplain. He participated in the War of the Triple Alliance, being promoted to lieutenant colonel in the same battlefield by General Juan Andrés Gelly y Obes.

Biography
Born in Buenos Aires, at the age of 13 years, Canavery participated in the Battle of Caseros, as Sub-lieutenant. Later he was ordained as priest in the seminary of San Lorenzo. He served as a military chaplain during the Paraguayan War, and for his heroic behavior was promoted to Lieutenant colonel. Canavery was present at the battles of Yatay, Battle of Tuyutí, Battle of Curupayty and Battle of Lomas Valentinas, occurred on December 27, 1868. Finished the war he was added to troops who occupied the city of Asunción. He was the first Chaplain who served in Villa Occidental, being replaced in the position by José Pablo Lynch y Cabrera.

Canavery was awarded the following medals: commemorative for the taking of Uruguaiana; cordon of Tuyutí; shield of Curupayty; star of Guardia Nacional of Buenos Aires Province. And the crosses granted by the Brazilian and Uruguayan government.

In 1880, Tomás Canavery served as chaplain in the Penitenciaría Nacional. That same year, Canavery served as parish Priest in the village of Juárez, and in 1881, he was holder in the municipalidad of Ramallo, city where he also served as priest in the parish San Francisco Javier. He was also dedicated to teaching, was preceptor of school in the town of Burzaco, and served as director of primary school in the city of Ramallo. Some time later, Canavery was appointed as first chaplain of the government of Chaco Province.

At the moment a street of the district of Nuñez, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires takes its name in its honor. In the city of Ramallo is located the primary education establishment known as ''Escuela Nº5 Capellan Cnel. Tomás O. Canavery''.

Family
Tomás Onésimo was baptized on September 2, 1839, in the parish San Miguel Arcángel, son of Tomás José Canaverys and Macedonia Castillo, a Creole woman related to Juan Bautista Rondeau. His father Tomás, was baptized with that name for being born on December 29 (St Thomas's Day). He was brother of Justino Canavery, who was counted with his uncles in the census of 1855. And was also brother of Ángel Canavery (1850-1916), a military man who participated in the Conquest of the Desert, and of María Juana Canavery, married to Enrico Mosconi, an engineer born in Milán, who had been hired by the government for the construction of Central Argentine Railway. Enrico and María Juana were the parents of Enrique Mosconi, a prestigious military and engineer, first director of the oil company YPF.

His grandparents Mariano Canaverys and Tiburcia Sosa Ravelo, were dedicated to public education. Mariano Canaverys was tutor in Escuela de la Piedad, a primary school located in the neighborhood of San Nicolás. He and his wife had opened a private school for boys and girls in the towns of Olivos. Like all schoolmasters of the time, Mariano was instructed by James Diego Thompson, who had arrived in Buenos Aires to apply modern techniques of education created by Joseph Lancaster.

Tomás Onésimo Canavery was cousin of Carlos Canaveris, a pianist and guitarist, disciple of Juan Alais, who had participated in musical ensembles with Ernesto Ponzio. And Isabel Cecilia Canavery (1881-1945), the author of the poem El cardo azul, recorded by Carlos Gardel and José Razzano for the label Odeon Records.

Tomás Canavery was linked to the family of Rafael Macedo Ferreyra, who attended as a sponsor at the wedding of his parents, and at the baptism of Rafael Canavery. Ferreyra was an Argentine lawyer and politician, who was murdered by the Mazorca in 1842. His uncles, Rafael Canavery and Antonia Canavery, had died during the yellow fever epidemic.

Although his father's last name is not of Irish origin, some sources indicated that he was of Irish descent. Tomás Canavery was the priest who conducted the wedding of Juan Emiliano O'Leary (father of Juan O'Leary) and Dolores Urdapilleta, event celebrated on February 3, 1870 in Villa Hayes. He also served as parish priest for the Irish community established in Ramallo. Through his paternal grandmother (Tiburcia Ravelo Sosa), Tomás Canavery was descended of Antonio Ravelo, born in Caparica (Portugal) and María Sosa, born in San Juan. He was personal friend of Bartolomé Mitre, and Ricardo Gutiérrez, a distinguished medical doctor, who was his comrade during the Paraguayan War. Canavery was also related to Cornelio Casablanca, his relative in-law and neighbor of the town of Ramallo.

Tomás Canavery died on September 13, 1913 and his remains were deposited in the pantheon of the warriors of Paraguay in the Cementerio de la Recoleta. He was a direct descendant of Juan Canaverys (1748-1822), employed in the Court of Auditors of Buenos Aires during the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, and one of the neighbors that attended the Cabildo abierto of 22 of May 1810.