Apostle of Sri Lanka

APOSTLE OF SRILANKA

DREAM OF SRI LANKA:

On reaching Telicherry Fr. Joseph Vaz, sensing the danger of numbers and colors--for his two companions were of white complexion, advised the two to return to the Mangalore Mission. He with John went ahead on foot, until they reached Topo, where the Jesuits had a college. Here they received warm treatment and sound advice. The fathers advised them to learn the Tamil language first and then to switch over to disguise. And the two of them did it and proceeded on to Tuticorin wherefrom they sought entry into Sri Lanka as "coolies". The trick bore its desired result, but they had to undergo hardships on board the ship which their burning love made it easy to bear. The journey which in normal times takes four days, took them full twenty days owing to rough seas, as a result of which they fell sick on landing ashore in April, 1687.

Thus rooted on the soil of his dreams, he now plunged into further strategy. No one thought for a moment that this tiny David from Goa would finally defeat the giant Dutch Goliath who vowed to wipe off Christianity from the island of Sri Lanka. Little did he realize that the prophet of God was coming to him in the name of the same God with the message: "Mane, Tecel, Phares".

THE LANKAN ADVENTURE:

After three months these two strangers went to Jaffna like beggars, from door to door, earning their livelihood. The real motive however was to find some trace of Catholicism to make of it their springboard.

Approximately 40 years had passed since the Portuguese forts had fallen into the hands of the Dutch Calvinists whose chief aim was to wipe off Catholicism from the island and to impose their credo. With this in view they passed tough laws, demolished churches and chapels, abolished the cult of images, which on many occasions, they desecrated before the eyes of old Catholics, ordered them to attend their schools and churches under pain of confiscation of property and even death.

Many gave their lives for faith in Manar. Jaffna and Colombo etc. but many more deserted their true religion and gave in to Dutch pressure as few went into hiding.

Fr. Joseph Vaz records that of the 200,000 Catholics of the Portuguese days, only 10,000 could be found practicing. One has therefore to locate his venture in this background. During his begging errands somehow people suspected they had a priest in their midst, hence they reported to Mr. Barros who finally traced the identity of Fr. J. Vaz and passed on the message to others. From this day on the life of the Church made its appearance as in the early catacombs.

People would be advised to gather at a place at midnight where feeding with doctrine and Sacraments would take place, culminating with Mass. By this time December dawned and the First Christmas celebration was planned in several places. Somehow a traitor betrayed them and when the celebration was on, a raid was conducted by Captain Van Rhede. Men and women, stripped naked and also children, were caught and locked in the jail. Eight leaders headed by Dom Pedro were put to death, but the blood of these martyrs gave Christianity a new impetus.

Fr. Joseph Vaz escaped miraculously. He was led to Silalai and from there he reached the kingdom of Kandy through forests, mountains, wading swift rivers, exposing himself to dangers of robbers, heretics and wild animals. Fr. Andre Freire, S. J. sent a detailed account of this first persecution to the Governor in Goa and to his Jesuit confreres in Lisbon, where he describes Fr. J. Vaz as a protheus in many disguises and a saintly missioner. Lisbon and Rome were stirred by this piece of news. The native order reshaped by Fr. J. Vaz was given immediate approval by the Pope after over 15 years of solid struggle.

After many interesting adventures, which cannot fit within this short account, the man of God finally reached Kandy dreaming of freedom and easy fuel to his cherished apostolate. However, all his dreams were shattered all of a sudden. The Calvinists succeeded in convincing the King that this priest was a Portuguese spy, hence he with the boy were soon cast into prison. Here they lingered for over two years always looking for the hand of the Mother to release them from the bonds of this slavery, in order to lead the real slaves held in bondage by sin to the real kingdom of grace.

With the discovery of the maritime route to India by the Intrepid Vasco da Gama in the XVth century the evangelisation of the East began in a big way. The Catholic faith was introduced in Asia in a scale not seen or heard before.

The Portuguese reached its shores of the Emerald Island in 1505 and the first batch of the European Catholic missionaries was sent to the kingdom of Kotle by King John III of Portugal in 1543. They were all Franciscans.

In the beginning of the following century arrived members of three other religious orders namely, the Jesuits in 1602, the Dominicans in 1605 and the Augustinians in 1606. They were all Europeans.

It goes without saying that the Christianity born in Asia was spread faster and sooner in Europe, especially due to Sts. Peter and Paul, than in Asia. And it is a quirk of history that Goa and Ceylon, present Sri Lanka, had to wait fifteen centuries to receive the Gospel message, first proclaimed in the continent they belonged to.

This way, during the Portuguese period, the Lankan Catholics were ministered by the above-mentioned four religious orders and a few diocesan priests, landed there as chaplains to Portuguese caravels. By the end of the Portuguese sovereignty in the XVII century, with the fall of Colombo to the Dutch in 1656 and Jaffna in 1658, there were over 120 missionaries in the country (Perniola, Portuguese period, I p.11). Unfortunately all these were Europeans. For no attempt had been made to raise an indigenous clergy whose ministry would be indispensable in the difficult times to come.

When the Dutch occupied the greater part of the island, earlier held by the Portuguese, they began to take steps to root out the Catholic religion from the country. For the Dutch feared the Catholics, given their association with the Portuguese, might be politically dangerous to them. The Catholic faith was forbidden, churches and schools were confiscated and the Catholic priests were banned from the country. Those who sheltered them were subject to the capital punishment. And so there were 120 priests earlier, now there was more.

Rome tried to do its best to save the situation reaching an agreement with the government of Netherland to send a few European missionaries again to Ceylon but to no avail. The Government with Calvinist learnings would not relent. And the Lankan Catholics would not have a priest to serve them.

The possibility of an Asian or, for that matter, an Indian priest going to the rescue of the forlorn Catholics was not thought of. For it was taken for granted, given the mentality of times, that missionaries had to come from Europe. True, there was not also an Indian or Asiatic religious order.

Then something unexpected and unpreseen by human eyes happened, A humble but learned priest of Goa, Joseph Vaz, who came across, by chance, the plight of Ceylon Catholics went there (1687). He was not seen by the Church authorities in Goa or Rome. He went on his own in secret and in disguise, accompanied by his faithful servant, surely prompted by the Holy Spirit to help faithful in distress. As it is well known, he first worked in Jaffna and then in Kandy.

Falsely denounced as a Portuguese spy he was arrested under the orders of Vimaladharmasurya II (1687-1707) but when he realised what type of a man Fr. Vaz was, he, a Buddhist king, gave Fr. Vaz freedom not only to serve the Catholics but even allowed him to build a church in Kandy. Besides he held him in great respect and distinguished him with his friendship. His regard and admiration grew still more when the King saw for himself how our missionary, along with his companion Fr. Carvalho, was tending the smallpox stricken, Catholics or not. On the occasion as such, the sick were abandoned even by their own family members. It was an unseen surprise for the king and others to watch these priests care the sick in spite of the danger of contracting the disease themselves.

The successor of the King, Narendrasinha (1707-1739) continued to shower benefits on our missionaries and was very much distressed to hear the story planted by someone, that the remains of Fr. Vaz, after his death were secretly taken to Goa. To make sure, he ordered that the grave be opened in the presence of his representatives to ascertain the fact. When told that remains were still where Fr. Vaz was buried, the king was quite happy (Perniole, op.cit. pp 505 f.) Most probably, he considered it a blessing to his kingdom to have the remains of such a holy man, loves by one and all.

One cannot but be owed by the fact that two Buddhist kings, one after the other, had such a regard for a priest who was being hunt by the Christian Dutch. After all, a saintly and selfless life gains more souls than all the learning from books!

How the Goan Oratorians saved the Christianity in Sri Lanka from being extinguished in a fact of history that need not be repeated here.

But before concluding this unpretentious writing, one would like to point out that it was from India and by Indian bhikkhu missionaries that the Buddhism was introduced in Sri Lanka Lanka in the third century B.C. And in the XVII century from India went Indian missionaries to maintain and save from extinction the Catholic faith in the Emerald Island. It was due to foresight and missionary methods followed by the Goan Oratorians under the guidance of the Bl. Joseph Vaz that the Church in Ceylon was not only saved but it is still flourishing.

Contact: Rector (Vice Postulator - Goa)

Sanctuary of Blessed Joseph Vaz, 413 Blessed Joseph Vaz Road, P. O. Cortalim, SANCOALE - Goa - 403710-INDIA

Contact Office Tel: 00 91 832 2550263 / 2550517 e-mail: sanjovaz@blessedjosephvaz.org [www.blessedjosephvaz.org]