[First appeared in the Herald - 12 January 2015]
The exuberance to be part of the historic event in Sri Lanka, where Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Joseph Vaz as Goa’s first Saint, is not restricted to Goan pilgrims in the State.
MELVYN MISQUITA
12 JAN 2015
PANJIM
The Goan diaspora in different parts of the country and across the world have either arrived in Colombo, or are reaching the city within the next two days, to be part of the Canonization ceremony at the Galle Face Green grounds on January 14.
On Friday evening, Filomena Saraswati Giese and George Pinto, representatives of the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute of Berkeley-California in the USA, met Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and other Sri Lankan bishops, and thanked them for their efforts in this cause.
In Delhi, Goan origin Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto, Fr Cyril Rodrigues and other Goan pilgrims will be flying to Colombo on Monday for the Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz. They are expected to return on January 15. Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, is already in Sri Lanka.
Many Goan pilgrims hailing from various parts of Karnataka, including Belgaum, Karwar, Mangalore and Bangalore, are also headed for Sri Lanka for the canonization ceremony. Given that Joseph Vaz played a key role in promoting the Catholic faith in Mangalore and across the Canara region, a sizeable number of pilgrims from there are also expected to visit Sri Lanka.
Goan Bishop Allwyn Barreto of Sindhudurg, who represents the Catholic community in the southernmost district of Maharashtra, is already in Sri Lanka for the event. It is also learnt that Goan priests from Mumbai and Pune are also attending the canonization of Bl Joseph Vaz.
Fr Denzil Fernandes, Goan Jesuit priest based in Delhi, welcomed the political changes in Sri Lanka, barely days before Pope Francis’ visit to the country.
“I am glad that the new President Sirisena assumed office in a peaceful transition of power in Sri Lanka less than a week before the Pope's visit,” remarked Fr Denzil Fernandes. “I have developed a great devotion to Bl Joseph Vaz and though I am unable to go for the canonization ceremony in Sri Lanka, I will celebrate the canonization of this great son of Goa,” he said.
Fr Fernandes highlighted the Jesuit influence in the life and veneration of Bl Joseph Vaz. “He was born in a Jesuit parish, his faith was nurtured by Jesuits and he was educated by Jesuits in Goa. On January 14, he will be canonized by Pope Francis, a Jesuit himself,” remarked Fr Fernandes, who incidentally had stayed in Sri Lanka for six months during his priestly studies.
“I realized the greatness of Bl Joseph Vaz when I went to Sri Lanka for my Tertianship programme at Arrupe House, Kandy, in 2005. Soon I realized that the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka owes its existence to this great Apostle of Ceylon. Sri Lankan Catholics already revered him as a saint and several institutions were named after him.”
“The faith of the Catholics in Sri Lanka resembled that of Goan Catholics as Bl Joseph Vaz brought several Goan priests of the Oratory of Felipe Neri that he had founded in order to resurrect the Church in Sri Lanka. For me, my 6-month Tertianship programme in Sri Lanka was a pilgrimage,” said Fr Fernandes.
+++
The exuberance to be part of the historic event in Sri Lanka, where Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Joseph Vaz as Goa’s first Saint, is not restricted to Goan pilgrims in the State.
MELVYN MISQUITA
12 JAN 2015
PANJIM
The Goan diaspora in different parts of the country and across the world have either arrived in Colombo, or are reaching the city within the next two days, to be part of the Canonization ceremony at the Galle Face Green grounds on January 14.
On Friday evening, Filomena Saraswati Giese and George Pinto, representatives of the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute of Berkeley-California in the USA, met Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and other Sri Lankan bishops, and thanked them for their efforts in this cause.
In Delhi, Goan origin Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto, Fr Cyril Rodrigues and other Goan pilgrims will be flying to Colombo on Monday for the Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz. They are expected to return on January 15. Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, is already in Sri Lanka.
Many Goan pilgrims hailing from various parts of Karnataka, including Belgaum, Karwar, Mangalore and Bangalore, are also headed for Sri Lanka for the canonization ceremony. Given that Joseph Vaz played a key role in promoting the Catholic faith in Mangalore and across the Canara region, a sizeable number of pilgrims from there are also expected to visit Sri Lanka.
Goan Bishop Allwyn Barreto of Sindhudurg, who represents the Catholic community in the southernmost district of Maharashtra, is already in Sri Lanka for the event. It is also learnt that Goan priests from Mumbai and Pune are also attending the canonization of Bl Joseph Vaz.
Fr Denzil Fernandes, Goan Jesuit priest based in Delhi, welcomed the political changes in Sri Lanka, barely days before Pope Francis’ visit to the country.
“I am glad that the new President Sirisena assumed office in a peaceful transition of power in Sri Lanka less than a week before the Pope's visit,” remarked Fr Denzil Fernandes. “I have developed a great devotion to Bl Joseph Vaz and though I am unable to go for the canonization ceremony in Sri Lanka, I will celebrate the canonization of this great son of Goa,” he said.
Fr Fernandes highlighted the Jesuit influence in the life and veneration of Bl Joseph Vaz. “He was born in a Jesuit parish, his faith was nurtured by Jesuits and he was educated by Jesuits in Goa. On January 14, he will be canonized by Pope Francis, a Jesuit himself,” remarked Fr Fernandes, who incidentally had stayed in Sri Lanka for six months during his priestly studies.
“I realized the greatness of Bl Joseph Vaz when I went to Sri Lanka for my Tertianship programme at Arrupe House, Kandy, in 2005. Soon I realized that the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka owes its existence to this great Apostle of Ceylon. Sri Lankan Catholics already revered him as a saint and several institutions were named after him.”
“The faith of the Catholics in Sri Lanka resembled that of Goan Catholics as Bl Joseph Vaz brought several Goan priests of the Oratory of Felipe Neri that he had founded in order to resurrect the Church in Sri Lanka. For me, my 6-month Tertianship programme in Sri Lanka was a pilgrimage,” said Fr Fernandes.
+++
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to post in your comments to this blog. The post may, however, be edited in case the message is defamatory, vulgar or insensitive. Thanks.