Joseph Vaz: Difference between revisions

| image          = Joze-Vaz.jpg

| beatified_place = [[Galle Face Green]], [[Colombo]], [[Sri Lanka]]

| canonized_place = [[Galle Face Green]], [[Colombo]], [[Sri Lanka]]

| Patronage       = [[Sri Lanka]], [[Goa & Daman Archdiocese]]

Vaz arrived in Ceylon during the [[Dutch colonial empire|Dutch occupation]], when the Dutch were imposing [[Calvinism]] as the official religion after taking over from the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]]. He travelled throughout the island bringing the [[Eucharist]] and the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|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.

Towards the middle of 1697 when Vaz returned to Kandy from a visit to Colombo he found a violent outbreak of smallpox in the city. This is a highly infectious disease and looked up in Sri Lanka as a dreaded disease. The first sufferers, mostly slaves and beggars, had been removed and left to die in deserted spots and jungles. Dead bodies were thus found in forests and even on the road sides, thereby, spreading the disease. St.Joseph Vaz and his nephew sought out those abandoned in the woods, accommodated them in huts erected for the purpose, and tended them twice a day carrying food, medicine and clothing collected by them. Each time they washed the patient, cleansed his pustules, administered medicines, fed and clothed him and cleaned up the place, rendering the most menial services for which no persons could be found anywhere either for money or for love. Later, as the work increased, some devout Catholics assisted them. When the number of cases multiplied greatly the King and his Court left the city. The Chiefs and the well-to-do also did the same. Even the common people left as soon as a family member or a neighbour fell a victim to the disease. Before long the city was almost deserted. St.Joseph Vaz then went from house to house attending to the abandoned patients in their own homes, and he accommodated the others in vacant houses close to the church which he rented out one by one until there were altogether four such houses full of patients. When this became known every patient sought the aid of the two priests who treated all patients alike irrespective of their race or creed and brought to the hospital the homeless, the abandoned and the helpless. Very often the patients were moved to tears and could scarcely believe what they saw with their own eyes. Eventually the patients overcame the fear of public opinion which has been the greatest obstacle to the spread of the Catholic faith in Sri Lanka and many of them begged St.Joseph Vaz to receive them into the religion of the God who taught such manner of charity and gave him the strength and courage to practice it in such circumstances. Thus there were many conversions both among those who died and those who survived. When at the height of the pestilence there were as many as 10 to 12 deaths a day and sufficient men were not available for the work, the two priests had often to dress the corpses, carry the coffins, dig the graves and bury the dead with their own hands. When the dead happened to be persons baptized during their illness the Catholics followed the funeral procession at St.Joseph Vaz's request. It took 12 months for the smallpox epidemic to abate in Kandy and the King openly declared that were it not for Vaz's charity, the streets would have been full of corpses.

The beatification process was resumed later and completed in 1953 by the [[Archdiocese of Goa and Daman]]. On 21 January 1995, he was beatified by [[Pope John Paul II]] in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

In October 2013, a Diocesan Inquiry of a miracle attributed to Vaz took place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/features/road-sainthood|title="On the road to Sainthood", ''Daily News'', October 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303173313/http://www.dailynews.lk/features/road-sainthood|archive-date=3 March 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In November 2013, Patriarch [[Filipe Neri Ferrao]] stated that the cause for Vaz's canonisation had reached a 'crucial stage'.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Archbishop-Blessed-Joseph-Vaz-canonization-at-crucial-stage/articleshow/26005801.cms "Archbishop: Blessed Joseph Vaz canonization at crucial stage", ''The Times of India'', 19 November 2013]</ref> The pope approved the vote by the Ordinary Session of Cardinals and Bishops in favor of canonization of the Indian-born priest and decided to summon a Consistory shortly after.<ref name="timesofindia.indiatimes.com">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goas-Patron-finally-set-to-be-a-Saint/articleshow/42742920.cms</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Pope-approves-canonisation-of-Goa-born-Bl-Joseph-Vaz/78649.html|title=Herald: Pope approves canonisation of Goa born Bl Joseph Vaz|work=oHeraldo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/pope-francis-approved-the-cannonisation-of-blessed-joseph-vaz-as-saint-1411133576-1|title=Pope Francis approved the cannonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz as Saint}}</ref>

Pope Francis waived the requirement for a second miracle, generally a requirement for canonization. The pope used the same process he used to canonize  

[[Pope John XXIII]] without a second miracle attributed to his intercession.<ref>{{cite On 17 September 2014, Pope Francis approved the decision of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to canonise Joseph Vaz and the Vatican announced that "the Apostle of Sri Lanka", would be canonised during Pope Francis' visit to Sri Lanka in January 2015.web|url=http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2014/09/17/pope-oks-canonization-for-sri-lankas-1st-saint/?s_campaign=crux:email:daily|title=Pope approves canonization for Sri Lanka's 1st saint|publisher=}}</ref>

Joseph Vaz was canonized by Pope Francis on 14 January 2015 in Colombo at Galleface, Sri Lanka. Joseph Vaz is the first saint to have been canonised in Sri Lanka, the first saint of Sri Lanka (having died there) and first originally from the area of Goa, India.<ref name="timesofindia.indiatimes.com"/><ref>http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Pope-approves-canonisation-of-Goa-born-Bl-Joseph-Vaz/78649.html</ref>

Vida do Venerble Jose Vaz- Rev. Fr. Sebastian do Rego,1747

Life of Blessed Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Sri Lanka – Rev. Fr. S.G. Perera ( S.J.) 1942

History of the Miracles Cross of Old Goa – Rev. Fr. John Perira(S.F.X) 1982

Life & Achievements of Blessed Joseph Vaz- Rev. Fr. Cosme Jose Costa 1996 (S.F.X) 1982

The Dutch Period volume 1 – Rev. Fr. V. Perniola (S.J.)

The Dutch Period volume 11 – Rev. Fr. V. Perniola (S.J.)

A Glistening wake of the Life of Venerable Fr. Joseph Vaz- Rev. Fr. Jos Claude Lawrence (O.M.I.)1981

The Sanciticity of Father Joseph Vaz –Rev. Fr. W.L.A. Don Peter,1990

Though Storm & Tempest a Biography of Blessed Joseph Vaz-

Rev. Fr. Michael Mascarenhas (S.D.B.) 2001

The Apostle of Ceylon – Most Rev. Dr. Mons. L.M. Zaleski (1897)

Life of Ven. Fr. Joseph Vaz – Rev. Fr. Phip Caspersz ( O.S.B.)

Historical Sketches - Rev. Fr. S.G. Perera ( S.J.)

Oratorian Mission- Rev. Fr. S.G. Perera ( S.J.)

Positio, Sacra Cowgregatuio pro Sanctorum Officium Historiu Beatificationis in Canowizationis Servi Dei IOSEPH VAZ- Fr. Joe

      Quintus Perera, 1985

Ven. Fr. Joseph Vaz – Rev. Fr. Pio Ciampa ( S.J.)

To the Rescue of Sri Lanka – Rev. Fr. Joseph Aloysius (O.M.I.)

Studies in Ceylon Church History –Rev. Fr. W.L.A. Don Peter

Blessed Joseph Vaz, The Man, His Mission , His Message –Rev. Fr. Denis G. Pereira

St. Anne’s of Talavila – Most Rev. Dr. Edmund Peiris (O.M.I.)

The Story of the Rosary in Ceylon – Rev. Fr. S. Thommanupillai (O.M.I.),1958

207 Stories of Blessed Joseph Vaz– Rev. Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues – (2005)

Blessed Joseph Vaz- A Creative Missionary A Head of His Time - Rev. Fr. Manuel Gomes (2010)

Letters of  Blessed Joseph Vaz – Son of Goa, , Apostle of Sri Lanka &             Canara- Rev. Fr. Cosme Jose Costa 1996 (S.F.X)2011

Star in the East -–Rev. Fr. W.L.A. Don Peter,1995

Joseph Vaz – India’s First & Greatest Missionary – R. H. Lesser 1992

Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Sri Lanka – Jean Olwen Maynard ,2001

The Apostle of Ceylon- Tr Ambrose Cator 1913

A Saint for the New India – Charles Gasbarri, 1961

[[Category:17th-century Roman Catholic priests]]

[[Category:18th-century Roman Catholic priests]]