Vasco: A group of pilgrims from Sri Lanka Sunday attended a special Mass at St Joseph Vaz sanctuary at Sancole in Goa.
This is 25th year in succession that pilgrims from Sri Lanka have attended the Mass, reports goacom.com.
Fr Eremito Rebello, rector of the sanctuary offered the Mass for some 35 Sri Lankan pilgrims in the presence of secretary to Archbishop of Goa and Daman Fr Joaquim Loyala Pereira and Fr Jayalath Balagalla, who is affiliated to the National Secretariat of St Joseph Vaz in Sri Lanka.
Giving a brief history about St Joseph Vaz, Fr Rebello told that he was born in Goa on April 21, 1651 and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Goa in 1676. He joined a small community of Indian priests in 1684 and helped to found the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Goa.
On hearing of the plight of the Catholics in Ceylon under the Dutch Calvinist persecution, St Vaz travelled to Sri Lanka disguised as on ordinary laborer in 1687. He labored for 24 years to rebuild the Church in Sri Lanka. Worn out by his missionary efforts and afflicted by illness, he died in Kandy on January 16, 1711 at the age of 59.
“The people of Sri Lanka have faith in St Vaz and for the last 25 years, they are visiting and attending a special Mass at the Shrine of St Vaz in Sancoale,” Fr Rebello added.
Member of National Secretariat of St Joseph Vaz Sri Lanka Angelo Lovendhal said that the pilgrimage tour was started by Shelton Fernandes and Roggy Correia who are still with them and are guiding the Sri Lankan pilgrims in Goa every year.
He disclosed that the Sri Lankan pilgrims have visited Vailankanni, Mysore, miracle hill of Muduppu, St Joseph Vaz Shrine in Sancoale, St Vaz’s maternal and paternal places in Goa.