Gilbert:
I don't seem to receive all Goanet posts. I never saw the thread about saving
Charles Correia's work and Kala Academy or about the basilica. Just now, I
did't receive the Goanet edition with my post on it which you must have read.
I still would like to have you enlighten us about how this basilica project
originated, how big it is, what are the costs and so on. Is the Archdiocese of
Goa involved and does it have the land to build a basilica? My post was to
show that there are mega church building projects that go over cost and it's
hard to pay for them.
The Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka show that the world is experiencing
violent religious and political upheavals. Since April, we have been involved
with memorials and a joint Mass with the Sri Lankan community here for the
victims. People are in pain. We feel the pain. Father Joseph Vaz was not an
armchair theologian like Cardinal, soon to be canonized, Newman. He was totally
involved with the people in their pain and suffering, night and day, as well as
his mission to save the Sri Lankan church from persecution and extinction.
A basilica is yet another mega church building. It is a symbol of church
ritual and formal religion. Father Joseph Vaz did much more than spend his
time on formal religion. The Archdiocese of Goa has already spent a lot of
money (a mini-fortune) to restore his monastery at the Church of the Holy Cross
of Miracles in Old Goa.
Your email is enthusiastic about making St. Joseph Vaz better known and
remembered. and that is also Dom's intention. You prefer a church structure
for worship and ritual to memorialize St. Joseph Vaz. We prefer to have a
memorial to him that reflects St. Joseph Vaz' mission to help the people in
their suffering. Perhaps we can combine our two perspectives and come up with a
compromise. I hope we can work together to fulfill these goals. We can do
more if we join forces. I look forward to your visit to the San Francisco area
so we can discuss further.
FilomenaJoseph Naik Vaz Institutewww.josephnaikvaz.org
On Saturday, August 10, 2019, 4:57:29 AM PDT, Gilbert Lawrence
<gilbert2...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi Filomena,
I read several of your recent posts on the topic with interest. I must
compliment you that despite Dom's superb command of the English language and
often referred to as the foremost Goan writer, Dom folded like a wet-noodle in
response to your inquiry. I do have a sense of humor. Since I am already a
wet-noodle (supurlo Goenkar) it is unlikely that your magic spell on me will
bend me out of shape, so let me come to Dom's aid and respond.
My post is in response to a simple question you and others ask: Why a Basilica
for St. Vaz? This is a very valid question. Every Goan will have his / her
own answer(s) to that question; and every Goan will reply to that question
based on their own conscience and personal experience. Here are some answers:
To begin with the Goan community owes a tremendous THANK YOU to you and George
Pinto and the Joseph Vaz Institute in San Francisco for your yeomen work
towards the canonization of Joseph Vaz. Yet truth be told, from the contents
and tone of your posts, you likely have gotten a burn-out in the process. Yet
we have to move forward, now that we have a Goan saint.
We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons you worked hard to
see him canonized.We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons
you established a Joseph Vaz Institute.We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz
for the same reasons we all celebrate his feast in all its solemnity in Goa,
Sri Lanka, Mangalore and elsewhere on January 14-16.We need a Basilica for St.
Joseph Vaz for the same reasons that Sri Lanka has a Basilica for him. We need
a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons that we have a Basilica for
Our Lady of Velankani.
For all the nay-sayers about the "White Church", now is the time to show what
we-Goan Catholics can do. St. Vaz should be the focal point that connects all
Goan Catholics throughout the world and through posterity; just like SFX has
done it for the last 500 years. So let us-all leave our cynicism, punditry,
parody, egos, smarts, old grudges and prove to our children and grandchildren
that we are worthy of our Goan ancestry and heritage.
I think you and the Joseph Vaz Institute should be glad that some different
names and faces from different parts of the world are stepping forward to help
carry the goal-post forward. The aim of the basilica is to advance something
that has been started and not to replace it. We hope that with your experience,
you can be a guiding light having walked down the path of interacting with
various players. I hope I can meet you and George Pinto on my next trip to San
Francisco around the Thanksgiving holiday and feast of SFX.
Kind regards and Best wishes, GL
