Goans residing in mumbai are a happy bunch as Pope Francis declared goan born priest Joseph Vaz a saint on jan 14 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Bells in all the churches of Goa were rung at 9 a.m according to the messages circulated on social media groups to celebrate the canonisation of the catholic padre.
Goans residing in mumbai are a happy bunch as Pope Francis declared goan born priest Joseph Vaz a saint on jan 14 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Bells in all the churches of Goa were rung at 9 a.m according to the messages circulated on social media groups to celebrate the canonisation of the catholic padre.
Judith Monteiro, a resident of Dadar with roots from Goa, cooked a goan meal for lunch to celebrate the day. "We have prayed for so many years for this day to come and its a moment of absolute pride and happiness for goans all over the world as Saint Joseph vaz was born and brought up in Goa. there is going to be a very big celebration in the coming days at Goa," she said.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, from the archdiocese of Bombay who is also from Goa, is currently in Colombo, Sri Lanka and witnessed the canonisation.
"Saint Joseph Vaz was beatified by Pope John Paul II on January 21, 1995 in colombo where the saint took the faith and ministered there. He learned Sinhalese and Tamil there and is the first priest from Goa to become a saint," said Father Nigel Barett, spokesperson on the archdiocese of Bombay
He was born on 21 April 1651, Benaulim Goa and died on 16 January 1711, in Kandy, Srilanka, he belonged to The Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip and served as a missionary in Sri Lanka.
He travelled throughout the island bringing the Eucharist and the sacraments to clandestine groups of Catholics. Later in his mission, he found shelter in the Kingdom of Kandy where he was able to work freely. By the time of his death, Vaz had managed to rebuild the Catholic Church on the island.
As a result of his labors, Vaz is known as the Apostle of Sri lanka. He was canonized on 14 January 2015 by Pope Francis in an open Mass ceremony at the Galle Face Green park in Colombo.
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