Participating
in an event that takes place for the first time in five centuries is
not just a historic moment, but it has also become a matter of great
devotion and huge pride to a large number of Goans. Goa’s first
canonisation of one of its most illustrious sons, Fr Joseph Vaz, by Pope
Francis in Sri Lanka on January 14 has prompted hundreds of
enthusiastic Goan devotees to go to Sri Lanka, to attend this unique
event in the 500-year history of Goa’s Catholic faith.
‘Miracle Child’ Fr Cosme, entourage of priests and laity Colombo-bound
MELVYN MISQUITA
11 JAN 2015
PANJIM
Goa’s first saint has begun moving thousands of devotees to Sri Lanka. Led by the Archbishop and consisting of senior members of the clergy and accompanied by the most significant pilgrim, the miracle child Father Cosme, they will cross the Palk Straits to the land where Blessed Joseph Vaz, a Goan, spent a large part of his life in the service of the faith. Over a thousand devotees and fifty priests, many of them as spiritual advisors to pilgrims will be in Sri Lanka for the event. HERALD reports on this journey and the forthcoming events which will unfold
An estimated 1,000 devotees consisting of priests and laity have already begun leaving for Sri Lanka to attend the canonisation ceremony of Blessed Joseph Vaz. While some will participate in the Mass others will extended their stay to visit religious and tourist sites.
Archbishop-Patriarch Filipe Neri Ferrao, Bishop of Sindhudurg Allwyn Barreto, Vicar General Fr Jose Remedios Fernandes and Archbishop Ferrao’s secretary Fr Loiola Pereira left for Sri Lanka on Saturday, while others attending the ceremony include Goan Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas (Ranchi Archdiocese) and the “miracle child” Fr Cosme J Costa.
According to priests and tour operators, Goans visiting Sri Lanka for the canonisation ceremony have been broadly classified into two groups.
The first group of visitors, classified as tourists, will stay in hotels and their itinerary will include the canonisation ceremony and a tour across places of tourist importance in Sri Lanka. Many tour operators have worked out different packages to suit various groups of Goan visitors during their stay in Sri Lanka.
The other group of visitors insists that they are pilgrims, not tourists.
“Ninety of my parishioners, devotees who accompanied me in parishes during the raising of funds for the Sanctuary and some actors of our drama ‘Goychem Noketr Padre Zuze Vaz’ (Goa’s Star, Fr Joseph Vaz) are also in our pilgrimage group to Sri Lanka,” said Candolim Parish Priest Fr Romualdo Robin Rodrigues, former vice-postulator for the canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz.
“This is a pilgrimage, not a tour. My friends in Sri Lanka will organize our visit to the various sites related to Fr Joseph Vaz. I have instructed my pilgrims that we stay in convents, retreat houses, monasteries and look upon this visit to Sri Lanka as a pilgrimage. We will live the humble life of Fr Joseph Vaz during the days of our pilgrimage,” Fr Rodrigues added.
Given that a Goan priest will be made a saint by the universal Catholic Church, an estimated 50 priests from all over Goa will visit Sri Lanka, either as spiritual advisors of groups or in their individual capacities.
As spiritual advisors, many of these priests accompanying these groups have been offered a complimentary trip by the tour operators.
Among the priests confirming their participation in their individual capacities include four professors from Rachol Seminary, Fr Simon Fernandes (president of the Committee for the Cause of Canonisation), Fr Nelson Sequeira, Fr Noel D’Costa and Fr Simon D’Cunha.
Other priests who are expected to make the trip to Sri Lanka include Fr Alban Fernandes (Holy Cross Shrine, Bambolim), Fr Roque Costa (parish priest, Rachol), Fr Ubaldo Fernandes (parish priest, Ambaulim-Quepem) and Fr Saude Pereira (parish priest, Chandor).
A group of six priests – Fr Mariano D’Costa and Fr Adolf Alvares (St Andrew’s church, Vasco), Fr Noel D’Costa and Fr Simon D’Cunha (Rachol Seminary), Fr Caitan D’Souza (Siolim) and Fr Xavier Estebeiro (Mapusa) – from the batch ordained in 2008 are also going by themselves to Sri Lanka for the canonisation ceremony. All six priests will leave Goa on January 13 and will return on January 16.
Two groups of parishioners from Porvorim will be led by Parish Priest Fr Tomas Lobo and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Boniface Furtado. Besides leading a group of parishioners, Fr Tomas Lobo will also have a special role to play in the canonisation ceremony.
“On the one hand, I’m elated to be part of the celebration in Sri Lanka where I will be part of our Goan choral group, led by Fr Loiola Pereira, which will sing an anthem to St Joseph Vaz in Konkani at the end of the canonisation Mass. I am also glad that I will have the opportunity to be concelebrating with the pope and with my brother priests at the solemn Eucharist,” said Fr Lobo.
“The pilgrimage to Sri Lanka will also give us an opportunity to visit places where Joseph Vaz worked with greatest missionary zeal and witness the faith of the Sri Lankan people, with whom we are connected due to the shining fruit of our Goan church - St Joseph Vaz,” he added.
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What Goa’s first Saint means to priests visiting Sri Lanka
“To me, it is a matter of great pride and joy that we are getting our first Goan Saint and that too, from our Beloved Pope Francis. When the news of his canonisation was announced, I rejoiced that the long wait of 304 years by Goans, Mangloreans and Sri Lankans, who already revered Joseph Vaz as a saint, has finally ended and the prayers of millions around the world had been answered.
What has drawn me closer to the saint is his phenomenal love for Our Lady to whom he dedicated his entire life and ministry. His missionary dynamism is truly exceptional and inspirational. God bless our church in the present times with such courageous, dynamic and joyful missionaries. The pilgrimage to Sri Lanka will also give us an opportunity to visit places where Joseph Vaz worked with greatest missionary zeal and witness the faith of the Sri Lankan people, with whom we are connected due to the shining fruit of our Goan church - St Joseph Vaz.”
Fr Tomas Lobo
Parish Priest,
Porvorim
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“The first time I learnt of Joseph Vaz's wonderful work was in school. My Konkani text book of Std VI had a chapter of Padri Jose Vaz. I was quite fascinated by the disguises he used to find the houses of Christians and thereafter, help them with their spiritual needs.
When studying in the Seminary, I came to know of the Second Vatican Council and its teachings on inculturation. This council gave a new vision, but it gives me pride that Fr Joseph Vaz, a man from our land, who lived more than two hundred years before the Second Vatican Council, had already implemented what the council thought. Canonisation adds nothing to Joseph Vaz’s greatness. He is great because of what he did in life, but it encourages us to strive to commit ourselves to the mission of Christ.”
Fr Nelson Sequeira,
Professor at Rachol Seminary
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I owe St Joseph Vaz everything, every bit that happened during my tenure and after my tenure at the Sanctuary of Fr Joseph Vaz in Sancoale. He has been my constant companion and even continues to be to this very day. And I have given his love to others whom I met during my tenure in parishes I was posted.
Actually, in August last year, I knew that Pope Francis would declare Fr Joseph Vaz as Saint during his visit to Sri Lanka. Something was telling me that it is going to happen. The Canonization is going happen during Pope Francis’s visit in January. I had even spoken to some friends that this would happen soon. And it came true. The multitude of devotees like me thanked God Almighty for the happiest news in my life. I go to Sri Lanka as a devotee, to pay respects to the person who entered my life in Sancoale and changed me spiritually. Fr Joseph Vaz for me is my constant companion.
My 90 parishioners who are devotees of Fr Joseph Vaz, devotees who accompanied me in parishes during the raising of funds for the Sanctuary and some of my actors and manager of our drama ‘Goychem Noketr Padre Zuze Vaz’ are also in the group of Pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. Back here in Candolim on January 14, nine Chapels will also install nine statues of St Joseph Vaz in Candolim.
This Pilgrimage to Sri lanka for the Canonization of Fr Jospeh Vaz is a Pilgrimage not a Tour. My friends in Sri Lanka will organize our visit to the various sites related to Fr Joseph Vaz. I have instructed my pilgrims that we stay in convents, retreat houses, monasteries and look upon this visit to Sri Lanka as a Pilgrimage! We will live the humble life of Fr Joseph Vaz during the days of the Pilgrimage. We will visit the places, including the place where he landed in Mannar on the Beach -tired and exhausted - where he began his ministry after leaving Goa as a coolie. And through this Pilgrimage we grow strong in our faith.
We come back home with the conviction that we walked the Holy land of Sri Lanka, in the footsteps of our own first Goan Saint, our son of the soil. My thanks to Pope Francis for giving us our first Goan Saint.
Fr Romualdo Robin Rodrigues
Parish Priest,
Candolim
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I recall with gratitude the prayerful atmosphere we had in our family. One of the many prayers those days was for the beatification of Blessed Joseph Vaz. Of course, I had not known much of him in my childhood days. When at Rachol Seminary, a wonderful and thought-provoking experience shared by late Fr Edwin, who was known as Swami, gave some insights into the life of this holy man.
Some years back, I was requested by the Archbishop to head the Committee for the Cause of the Canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz. I took it up willingly and in the spirit of selfless service to God and his people and for the love of the saint of our soil. This responsibility motivated me to read a lot on Joseph Vaz, especially during the Pastoral Year (2010-2011) dedicated to Joseph Vaz, when we had to organise and coordinate a lot of programmes at the Diocesan level. His life inspired me to be a better priest and energized me in my priestly ministry at various levels.
I also had the opportunities to make Joseph Vaz known by writing on the periodical ‘Goychem Noketr’ and other publications, through missions and otherwise. With wholehearted collaboration of the members of the two committees that I had during my tenure, we spared no efforts along with the Vice-Postulator Fr Eremito Rebelo to make Joseph Vaz known far and wide and at the same to reinforce the prayer campaign for the Cause of Canonisation.
While reading about the life and mission of Joseph Vaz, I always desired to visit the places where he preached the Gospel and safeguarded the Catholic Faith.
There were avenues opened in the past to visit these places but time-factor and commitment to other activities did not materialize my desire to go to Sri Lanka.
Today, I go to Sri Lanka with sentiments of gratitude to God for gifting the land of Goa with such a holy and zealous priest, a man with foresight, far-sight and insight. A powerful intercessor for all of us, indeed!
Fr Simon Fernandes
Professor, Rachol Seminary
and President,
Committee for Cause of Canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz
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The Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz is an event for which thousands of Goans as well as Mangaloreans and Sri Lankans have been praying for, and looking forward to, in the last three hundred years. Thousands of favours have been reported through his intercession even during his lifetime and much more after his death till today. But none of them was submitted to a canonical process scrutinized by teams of doctors, theologians, Bishops and Cardinals and finally accepted by the Pope as a miracle, except the one that God worked in my life in answer to prayers. I have not done anything. It is Joseph Vaz's powerful intercession before God that has saved my life.
The Process of this miracle was started in January 1990 and it took three years to complete. As this process would take a long time to study and complete, Pope Francis has waved the requirement of an approved miracle for the Canonization.
I attended the Beatification ceremony in Sri Lanka on January 21, 1995. I look forward with deep gratitude for this great event of the Canonization. I thank God for my mother's deep faith in hum. Canonization will entitle Joseph Vaz for honours of the altar all over the world, as a saint to be emulated by missionaries, especially in difficult situations of present day persecutions of Christians all over the world. Joseph Vaz stands as a beacon of light, strategy and strength in such difficult situations.
Fr Cosme J Costa
Pilar Theological College
Pilar
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