[Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz
>From the JOSEPH NAIK VAZ INSTITUTE Berkeley, California Please share this message with your children and grandchildren as they honor their Goan roots and take pride in Goan achievements. Please also forward this message to your family and friends. Jan 16th is the 294th death anniversary of Goa's greatest native saint, BLESSED JOSEPH VAZ. He was made Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman on Jan 16, 2000. Little is known about our own Indian-born saints with the emphasis typically on European saints. Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the Beatification I came to Sri Lanka above all to honor Blessed Joseph Vaz. Like a star shining in the Asian sky, this great spiritual guide teaches us many lessons about the goodness of the human person and the nobility of our destiny as human beings. January 21, 1995 Life of Blessed Joseph Vaz Apostle of Kanara and Sri Lanka (1651-1711) 1651 Born in Benaulim, Goa, India, on April 21. 1676 Is ordained a priest. Shortly after, volunteers to go to Sri Lanka where the Dutch were persecuting Catholics and had banned all priests from entering the island. The Chapter of Goa refuses his offer because the mission would have meant certain death for him. 1681 Is sent to rescue the almost extinct mission in Kanara, present-day Karnataka in India. Rebuilds the Church in Mangalore and Kanara, establishes missions, tends to the sick, ransoms prisoners. 1684 Returns to Goa and joins a band of native Indian priests who formed a community. 1685 Founds the Indian branch of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, on September 25. 1686 Leaves Goa secretly and sets out for Sri Lanka. 1687 Arrives in Jaffna in the Tamil region of Sri Lanka, with a servant, John Vaz, both disguised as coolies. He works with a price on his head.1691 Is almost captured by the Dutch and is advised to go to Kandy. Is brought into Kandy in chains and imprisoned as a Portuguese spy by the Buddhist King, Vimaladharma Surya II. 1693 Works a miracle of rain during a severe drought. The King releases him and gives him protection and freedom to preach in his kingdom. As in Goa and in Mangalore, is often seen in ecstasy in prayer. The people call him Sammana Swami or Angelic Father. 1697 Is joined by three of his Indian Oratorians from Goa. During a small-pox epidemic in Kandy, the King and the people flee the capital. Fr. Vaz and Fr. Carvalho, tend to the dying and abandoned victims for almost two years. 1705 Dedicates the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu. 1711 Dies in Kandy on January 16, after 23 years of arduous missionary work in Sri Lanka. The Work of Blessed Joseph Vaz His missionary work was not colonial, not helped, authorized, associated with conquest by a colonial power. He gained the protection of a non-Christian King, Vimaladharma Surya II of Kandy, a devout Buddhist. He used inculturation as a missionary method. He founded a Catholic para-liturgy and literature using the two languages and cultures of Sri Lanka, Tamil and Sinhalese; he practiced and taught Meditation. He educated his servant John Vaz, a member of the Indigenous tribe of Kunbis, and sent him back to Goa with a letter of recommendation to the priesthood. At that time, the Portuguese Church Councils reserved the priesthood only for the two higher castes in Goa. He founded the miraculous Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, one of the five officially crowned Marian Shrines of the Church, crowned in 1924, before Fatima. He is the first non-European native in modern times to found a Mission and Church in a Third World country; to found a fully native Catholic Religious Congregation; and to be given the official title of Apostle (of Kanara and Sri Lanka) by the Church, for his work in rescuing the Church there. His Indian Oratorian Mission is the only fully native, non-European Catholic Mission of our colonial era. The Church he re-founded in Sri Lanka was persecuted and survived isolation from Rome for 140 years: Here is a country in which the faith was first preached, and a Church founded with great success to flourish for over a century, by missionaries who, being afterwards forced by the political failure of their nation to abandon the field, left this island for good and their converts... without churches or priests and under the heel of a persecutor; and a single priest (Joseph Vaz) from another country, came here of his own accord..and laboring heroically with a price upon his head, revived the faith and made many conversions in the teeth of persecution, imprisonment and hostility..(no) subsequent political, social, and ecclesiastical changes in the country were ever able to undo his work;it must be stated with caution and subject to correction, but no other instance of such an achievement is known in Christendom. Sri Lankan historian, Fr. S.G. Perera, S.J., from his book, The Life of the Venerable Father Joseph Vaz Novena Prayer for the Canonization of
[Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz
Response: Thanks for the response and the information. As you write, it appears there are "few who are genuinely interested". Let's keep hoping and praying that Goan religious and cultural icons are maintained by the Goan Diaspora. The saints certainly should help - unless if they are upset that we are disparaging them. :=)) As cyberGoans we are tuned to the web. But it would appear most Goans are not web junkies! I hope your efforts are successful. I am still waiting for a posting on the celebration in Goa or Sancoale / Benaulim. Gilbert. Filomena Giese wrote: Depends on what you mean by "religious" and "social." George Pinto has made a Joseph Vaz website and he keeps it up - I would say that's both religious and social and more effective these days than social gatherings. After the year 2000, I have concentrated on giving out Novena prayers and other material and keeping in touch with those few who are genuinely interested in Joseph Vaz. In my estimation, I have done enough on the religious/social side with both Goans and Sri Lankans, let others do it now if they wish. Gilbert Lawrence wrote: This is not an insinuating question. But do I presume that in the west coast of USA with two staunch supporters of Blessed Joseph Vaz, nothing much has been done (religiously or socially to report) on the celebration on Jan 16, 2004 or that weekend? Was there any working with the Sri Lanka community to celebrate the event? ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
Re: [Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz
--- Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > This is not an insinuating question. But do I > presume that in the west > coast of USA with two staunch supporters of Blessed > Joseph Vaz, nothing > much has been done (religiously or socially to > report) on the > celebration on Jan 16, 2004 or that weekend? Was > there any working with > the Sri Lanka community to celebrate the event? > > Depends on what you mean by "religious" and "social." George Pinto has made a Joseph Vaz website and he keeps it up - I would say that's both religious and social and more effective these days than social gatherings. After the year 2000, I have concentrated on giving out Novena prayers and other material and keeping in touch with those few who are genuinely interested in Joseph Vaz. In my estimation, I have done enough on the religious/social side with both Goans and Sri Lankans, let others do it now if they wish. Filomena __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
[Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz
Subject: Re: [Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: Instead of long stories on how bad and discriminatory the church is against Blessed Joseph Vaz, could those who participated in this discussion place in cyber space- GoaNet and TGF and other sites an account of how they (family) and their Goan community (?with their urgings) celebrate the feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz. Regards, Gilbert Filomena Giese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: There is no need to worry that those who have complained about the discriminatory actions of the Church with regard to the canonization of Bl. Joseph Vaz lack either integrity or devotion, and that they may not have taken an active interest in promoting his Cause. Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: Thank you very much Filomena for reading and taking the trouble to respond to my post. As you would expect, I reciprocated and read your answer carefully. You and others have done much. However I do not see in your long report on any activity after 2000. My post was inquiring (rather than blaming the church) what are the Goans currently doing in their family and in their own community to generate the publicity and the enthusiasm for the canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz. This is not an insinuating question. But do I presume that in the west coast of USA with two staunch supporters of Blessed Joseph Vaz, nothing much has been done (religiously or socially to report) on the celebration on Jan 16, 2004 or that weekend? Was there any working with the Sri Lanka community to celebrate the event? Perhaps if this was done in all the cities where the Goan Diaspora live, like the Irish and Italians celebrating their cultural and religious personalities, we may not have to write, "But it doesn't seem to translate into action and publicity as it does with other candidates who are in the news...". By the way I am eagerly waiting to hear how the feast was celebrated in Goa itself. Gilbert ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
Re: [Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz
--- Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Response: > Instead of long stories on how bad and > discriminatory the church is > against Blessed Joseph Vaz, could those who > participated in this > discussion place in cyber space- GoaNet and TGF and > other sites an > account of how they (family) and their Goan > community (?with their > urgings) celebrate the feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz. > Regards, Gilbert > There is no need to worry that those who have complained about the discriminatory actions of the Church with regard to the canonization of Bl. Joseph Vaz lack either integrity or devotion, and that they may not have taken an active interest in promoting his Cause with prayers, Masses, Novenas etc. The bishops of India and Sri Lanka have done their share of pleading and praying from the time of Independence onward, but they could always do more. Dedicated writers of his life such as S.G. Perera, S.J. and Fr. Charles Gasbarri have at one time or another pointed out the injustice to his memory. Many generations of Goans and Sri Lankans have prayed and kept his memory alive despite great odds. In case there is any doubt that either George Pinto, Fr. Lesser, and myself haven't done any praying and only complaining, would this list do? 1978-1999 : Masses here in the S.F. Bay area for the Beatification/Canonization of Bl. Joseph Vaz and Fr. Agnelo sponsored by me and my family through the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute 1985 - Mass in Old Goa, presided by Arch Patriarch Raul Gonsalves, for the third centenary of the founding of his Oratory Seminars in Mumbai (presided by Cardinal Simon Pimenta), Goa, Bangalore and Mangalore on Bl. Joseph Vaz 1987 - Special Mass for the third centenary of Bl. Joseph Vaz' journey to Sri Lanka 1995 - Mass for the Beatification of Bl. Joseph Vaz, St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, presided by a Bishop of the S.F. Diocese 2000 - Petitions for his Canonization for the Jubilee taken to the Papal Nuncio in Washington D.C. and to the Pope by Cardinal Simon Pimenta, signatures collected by George Pinto, Fr. Lesser, and many priests, nuns, lay people in India and Sri Lanka, the U.S., U.K., the Gulf, and other places. Instrumental in getting the Indian Bishops to collectively petition the Pope for Indian saints for the Grand Jubilee. April 2000 - Mass in Rome at the Domincan University, presided by an Assistant Postulator for the Cause of Bl. Joseph Vaz, and attended by Association of Indian Catholic Priests and Nuns. George Pinto, Jorge Noronha, Filomena, and others met with the Prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints and asked for his canonization as a Martyr without the final miracle. Also met with Cardinal Etcheverry, the Cardinal presiding over the Grand Jubilee. June 2000 - Mass in Rome at the Oratorian Church, presided by Cardinal Pimenta and two other Indian Bishops, attended by the Sri Lankan Chaplains and Indian and Sri Lankan Catholics, priests, and nuns. Cardinal Pimenta met with the Pope, gave his own personal letter and our Petition to him. Fr. Lesser, who was in England to be with his dying sister, did fly to Rome for this occasion and speak. October 2000 - Instrumental in getting Archbishop Henry D'Souza of Calcutta to meet with the Prefect of the Congregation of the Saints and ask for Joseph Vaz' canonization as a step toward making amends for the past injustice to his memory. He also gave an address to the Oratorian General Congress in Rome, in which he pointed out that Joseph Vaz was a victim of the colonial policies of the Church on making native saints and that he should be canonized for the Grand Jubilee. If anyone feels that it is 2 or 3 disgruntled Goans complaining, he or she couldn't be more wrong. There is a profound appreciation of Vaz' life and missionary methods (no forced conversions) among scholars and churchmen, and awareness that his cause has been unjustly held up - but it doesn't seem to translate into action and publicity as it does with "other" candidates who are in the news... Filomena __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
[Goanet]Blessed Joseph Vaz
Response: Instead of long stories on how bad and discriminatory the church is against Blessed Joseph Vaz, could those who participated in this discussion place in cyber space- GoaNet and TGF and other sites an account of how they (family) and their Goan community (?with their urgings) celebrate the feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz. Regards, Gilbert RESPONSE: It is because we have been brain washed for almost 500 years. It is also possible, that Blessed Vaz was paid lip service and not much else. There was no push by the Portuguese authorities (Church) to have him made a saint. This could be because it would have empowered the Goan people and created unrest for the Portuguese - it might have meant that we were equal to the Colonisers and of course that could not be palatable. Gabe Menezes. ## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##
