By Matters India reporter

Sancole, Jan 17, 2022: The feast of Saint Joseph Vaz, the patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, was celebrated January 16 at Sancoale, where the saint wrote a letter of bondage to the Blessed Virgin in the 17th century.

Bishop Anthony Alwyn Fernandes Barreto of Sindhudurg was the main celebrant at the site of the old Church of Our Lady of Health, Rua Escravo de Maria, in Sancoale, some 25 km south of Panaji, the capital of the western Indian state of Goa.

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions only 100 people were allowed at the feast day Mass while nearly 1,500 people participated online.

The theme of the celebration of novena and the feast was “Having experienced you deeply, stay with us Jesus, that we may be joyful witnesses through the example of St. Joseph Vaz.”

“Saint Joseph Vaz, son of our soil, sacrificed his life, experienced Jesus and enthusiastically proclaimed Jesus as a missionary,” said Bishop Barreto in his homily.

He was assisted by Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa-Daman, Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala, and Bishop Emeritus Alex Dias of Port Blair.

The ancient was burnt down years ago and only its facade is now remaining.

Church records show that the saint wrote the letter of bondage to Mother Mary at this church on August 5, 1677.

Father Romualdo Robin Rodrigues, former rector of the Sanctuary of Blessed Joseph Vaz, says it was the first letter written by a newly ordained priest, dedicating his life to the Mother of Jesus,

Father Manuel Dias, the current rector of the sanctuary, said the saint had written, ‘If I were to sign with the blood of my heart I would have done it.”

St Joseph Vaz
Bishop Barreto urged the faithful “to contribute to the spiritual growth of the Church.” He said, “Lay people from all walks of life need to contribute their ideas and concerns ahead of the Synod of Bishops in 2023 so that the Catholic Church can learn from the experiences of the Catholic community.”

“During the Synod we will decide what to do to do improve in the Church, to make it more holy. Will we all contribute towards this endeavor or will we leave it only to the priests and the Bishop? The Pope wants all the lay people to participate?” he asked.

St Joseph Vaz entered Sri Lanka in 1687 during the Dutch occupation, when Calvinism was the official religion there. He traveled through the island nation bringing the Eucharist and sacraments to Catholics. Before his death at Kandy, Sri Lanka, on January 16, 1711, the missionary from India managed to save the Catholic faith from extinction in the island nation.

Pope Francis canonized Joseph Vaz on January 14, 2015, in Sri Lanka.