PATRON OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF GOA & DAMAN

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DIRECTORY OF THE

ARCHDIOCESE OF GOA & DAMAN

DEDICATED TO THIS GREAT SON OF GOA

(We are reproducing some of the important introductory parts of the Directory

for the knowledge of our Devotees…Ed)

Patron Of The Archdiocese Of Goa & Daman

Blessed Joseph Vaz was born in Goa on April 21, 1651, in the house of his maternal grandparents at Benaulim and was raised in his father's house at Sancoale.  From a very young age, Joseph revealed an extraordinary inclination to a life of communion with God, which led him to seek admission in the seminary of what is now Old Goa.

He was ordained priest in 1674.  Very soon he became known as a compelling preacher and retreat master, besides being confessor and spiritual guide to many a prominent Portuguese citizen in the city of Goa, including two Governors.  This was, indeed, a rare honor accorded to a native priest!  Taking into account his rare qualities of mind and heart, the Diocesan Authority of Goa appointed him Vicar Forane of Canara (Karanataka) in 1681.  Here he evolved such a gigantic pastoral and social action, that it earned him, many years after his death, the title of Apostle of Canara and Ceylon.

In the meantime, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka was going through a great struggle for survival.  It had been a flourishing Church, tended by Portuguese missionaries for over a century and a half, till 1658, when Sri Lanka was conquered by Dutch Calvinists.  The new invaders set out to systematically suppress Catholicism in the land.  Catholics in their thousands succumbed to the fierce persecution, while others, left without priest and sacraments, heroically remained faithful to the Church, amidst all the hardships.

Having heard about the plight of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, Joseph Vaz is fired by an apostolic zeal to go to its rescue.  Before that, however, he joins a group of Goan priests who were trying to form a Religious Congregation.  Very soon, recognizing his sanctity and seasoned missionary experience, these priests elect him their Superior.  He becomes thus, in 1685, the Founder of India's first fully native Religious Congregation: the Oratory of St. Philip Neri of Goa.  The Congregation died a natural death when religious orders were suppressed in 1835.

In 1687 Joseph Vaz, disguised as a porter and accompanied by his faithful domestic servant John, landed in Sri Lanka. In nine months' time, he visited the entire island, contacted all the Catholic settlements and strengthened the faithful in their religious practice.  Day after day, month after harrowing month, year after persecution-ridden year, Joseph Vaz re-built the crumbling edifice of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka.  Only nine years later was he joined by two Oratorian priests sent from Goa? Through the next fifteen years, their number rose to ten.  When Joseph Vaz died, after 24 years of indefatigable missionary activity in Sri Lanka, fifteen big churches, two hundred chapels and another two hundred schools and hospitals had been built across the great island.  The Catholic Church became seventy thousand strong, some 40% being converts from other faiths.  It was the story of a Church, which rose from ashes to glory.  The great Apostle of Sri Lanka built a Church deeply rooted in the local culture, made use of vernacular language and music in the liturgy, dressed himself like a true sanyasi that he was steeped in prayer, penance and poverty -- founded small Christian communities and entrusted them to well formed, mature lay leaders.  He was thus a pioneer in the modern methods of evangelization.

Joseph Vaz was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Sri Lanka, on 21st January 1995.  He was proclaimed Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman by Archbishop-Patriarch Raul Gonsalves-Patriarch Raul Gonsalves on 16th January 2000: the 289th anniversary of his death.

ARCHDIOCESE OF GOA & DAMAN

Erected on 4th February 1557

BLESSED JOSEPH VAZ  

(Patron of the Archdiocese)  

Patron of Goa - 2002 

MOST REV. RAUL NICOLAU GONSALVES (Archbishop-Patriarch)

MOST REV.  FILIPE NERI FERRAO  

  (Auxiliary Bishop)  

Rev. Fr. Eremito M. Rebelo Rector (Vice Postulator)

Geographical Position

 

 

Goa:

Between 14 53'57" and 15 47'59" North Latitude

                73 40'54" and 74 20'11" East Longitude

Daman & Dadra & Nagar Haveli:

Between 20 3'30" and 20 28' North Latitude

                72 49'40" and 73 13'10" East Longitude

DIU:

               20 43' North Latitude

               72 2' East Longitude

AREA:

Goa:        3,611.13 Square kilometers                                                                               

Daman:  57.13 Square kilometers                                                                                

Diu:         37.49 Square kilometers

Dadra, Nagar Haveli: 489.58 Square kilometers

Total area of the Archdiocese: 4,194.24 Square kilometers

POPULATION

Total Catholic Population: 4,50,098

Total Population of the Goa Archdiocese: 14,09,856 (1991 Census)

LANGUAGES

Konkani, English, Marathi, Portuguese, Gujarati.

 

History

The glorious chapter of the expansion of the Catholic Church in the East can be said to have begun after the European  'discovery' of the sea route to India in 1498.  This helped the coming of the European missionaries to these lands, one of them being St. Francis Xavier, the great Apostle of the East and Patron of the Missions.  Goa is privileged to have been the starting point of his missionary labors and the place where his sacred remains are preserved. 

Goa was called the "Rome of the East" due to the central role it played in the evangelization of the East. One Goan priest, Fr Joseph Vaz, who distinguished himself in the evangelization of SriLanka and is therefore acclaimed as the "Apostle of Ceylon", was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 21st January 1995. Another Goan Priest, Fr Agnelo de Souza, member of the Missionary Society of Pilar, is hopefully on the way to beatification.

Pope Clement VII erected the See of Goa on the 31st January 1533.  Its jurisdiction extended from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, to China and Japan.  On February 4, 1557, Pope Paul IV detached Goa from the Province of Lisbon and raised it to a Metropolitan Archdiocese, having as suffragans the dioceses of Cochin and Malacca (Malaysia).  In the course of time, the Sees of Macau  (near Hong Kong), Funay (Japan), Cranganore, Mylapore, Nanking and Peking in China, Mozambique in East Africa, Daman and Timor (near Indonesia) were created and made suffragans pf Goa.

In 1572, Pope Gregory XIII, by his brief dated March 15, acknowledged the Archbishop of Goa as the Primate of the East.  By 1857, Goa had gained some more suffragans while; on the other hand, it had lost most of its overseas suffragans, to the exception of Macau, Timor and Mozambique.  On 23rd January 1886, Pope Leo XIII invested the Archbishop of Goa with the title of Patriarch of East Indies.  In the same year, the Archdiocese of Cranganore was suppressed and its title was annexed to the newly created Diocese of Daman, and after suppression of the latter, to the Archdiocese of Goa.  

The Diocese of Daman had only two Bishops: Antonio da Costa (1886-1900) and Sebastiao Jose Pereira (1900-1928).  It extended from Daman to the northern limit of the island of Bombay.  On its suppression in 1928, the territories which continued to be under the Portuguese regime (v.g. Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli) came directly under Goa, while the remaining area was annexed to the Archdiocese of Bombay.  From 1928, then, this Archdiocese is known as "Goa and Daman" and its Archbishop is also the Titular Archbishop of Cranganore.

Further delinkings were effected when Mozambique was detached from Goa in 1940, followed by the Dioceses of Cochin and Mylapore in 1950 and the Vicariates General of the Ghats  (Districts of Belgaum, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Sangli) and of Canara (north Canara Dt.) in 1953.

By the end of 1961, Indian troops marched on Goa, Daman and Diu and the Portuguese sovereignty over these territories came to an end.  The following year, the last Portuguese Patriarch-Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Most Rev. Jose Vieira Alvernaz, left India.  In 1965, the overland territories of the Archdiocese  (except Diu) were formed into what is known as the "Mission" of Daman and entrusted to the pastoral care of the members of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, commonly known as the Society of Pilar.  When, on 30th May, 1987, Goa became the 25th State of the Indian Union, the districts of Daman and Diu were politically detached from Goa - as Dadra and Nagar Haveli had been some 35 years earlier.  These four territories continue, however, to be under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.  

By the time the resignation of Patriarch Alvernaz was accepted by the Holy See in 1975, the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman had been governed by Goan Apostolic Administrators (Bishop Francisco Rebello till 1972, and Bishop Raul N. Gonsalves till 1978).  Meanwhile, as late as 1976, the Dioceses of Macau  (China) and Timor (Indonesia) were delinked and the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman was placed directly under the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples.

By his Bull "Quoniam Archidioecesi", dated January 30, 1978, Pope Paul VI appointed Bishop Raul N. Gonsalves to the Archiepiscopal See of Goa and Daman, with the title of Patriarch "ad honorem" of the East Indies.  Having taken canonical possession of the Archdiocese in the  'Se Cathedral' at Old Goa, on the 5th of March of 1978, Most Rev. Raul Nicolau Gonsalves became the 33rd Archbishop of Goa and Daman and the 6th Patriarch of the East Indies - the first Indian incumbent of that office.

In the centennial year of the Patriarchate of the East Indies (1886-1986), the Primatial Archdiocese of Goa and Daman was visited by His Holiness Pope John Paul II who, during his Pastoral Visit to India, stayed in Goa from 5th to 7th February, 1986.

 

 

Petitions To Declare Blessed Joseph Vaz As Patron

Date:

Most Rev. Raul Gonsalves,

Archbishop-Patriarch,

"Paco Patriarcal "

Panjim  - 403 001,

G o a.

 

SUB: PETITION  TO  PROCLAIM  BLESSED  JOSEPH  VAZ  THE

PATRON  OF   THE  ARCHDIOCESE   OF  GOA  AND   DAMAN

Your Excellency,

We the Parish Priest/s, Chaplains and Parishioners of ___________ parish, beg to submit to Your Excellency our great desire and petition to proclaim Blessed Joseph Vaz  the Patron of our Archdiocese of Goa and Daman  as the whole Archdiocese  doesn't have a Patron.  We do express our keen desire to see 'Our Blessed' proclaimed Our Patron and Our Advocate before God in all kinds of needs of the Church of Goa.  And surely this burning desire exists in every heart.

We would like to enunciate the reason why we place this petition before Your Excellency:

The Church recommends in the case of Patron, preference for Holy men who were born, worked and died in the Diocese.  In our case Blessed Joseph Vaz  is a native son of our soil, blood, culture and Star in the Asian Sky.  He was born, brought up and ordained in Goa, where he worked for sometime, having founded the only Non-European fully local Religious Congregation - Mission of our Colonial Goa.  A Mission in the Third World.  He was an Asian missionary.  He was not from a foreign Church or Country, who came to indigenous people.  He was local -a man of  the Region missioning to that Region.  He was a leader of a dedicated band  of Missionaries, who revived the Catholic faith in Sri Lanka working for a short time and organized a Church which was local in every way.

Blessed Joseph Vaz is the Greatest Christian Missionary from the Third World. And his greatness is that he shines in the East showing the way to the Universal Church.  The Missionary methods used by Fr. Joseph Vaz, three centuries ago are valid even today.  He anticipated the decrees of Vatican II,  He is God's instrument to bring to the Church the realization of the need and worth of the indigenous Clergy of the Mission lands in the great task of Evangelization.  What he did stands unique in Mission History.

He is a MODEL for all priests, religious.  He had an ardent zeal for souls, humble, a spirit of detachment, and self sacrifice, discerned the real pastoral needs of the flock and showed concern for human suffering.  He displayed independence from Political power and possessed inner Freedom.  The Goan Clergy - the Back-Bone of the Archdiocese - by emulating his exemplary life will surely make themselves a "SPECTACULAR" to the world filled with love for sin and comfort.  Blessed Joseph Vaz has been invoked for Vocations and many priests testify that they received their call through their parents prayers to Blessed Joseph Vaz . Our families have strongly prayed to "OUR BLESSED" for native Vocations to priesthood.

For 3 centuries, since his death in 1711, generations of devotees in Goa, South Kanara and other  parts of India, not forgetting, Goans and Sri Lankans who have migrated to different parts of the World, have kept the living tradition of this Great Blessed and Apostle of Kanara and Sri Lanka.  He has been become a guiding Star to those who have found recourse to him.  During unrelenting persecution, hostility, imprisonment, Blessed Joseph Vaz lifted up those who drifted from the Catholic faith in which he firmly believed.  He strengthened the faith of many vacillating Catholics. For the Church in Goa and Sri Lanka he is a powerful protector.  By proclaiming him the Patron of the Archdiocese, we will have a strong Protector to guard our Country, where the land is being torn apart on grounds of Religion and caste.  He is the beacon to overcome the menace which is threatening the very ethos of Communal Unity. As Blessed Joseph Vaz was a powerful link between ethnic groups of Sri Lanka, we possess a powerful guardian in situations troubling our Land i.e. poverty, disease, crime, intolerance, casteism, etc…  Honouring him as the Patron would be a great step towards CANONIZATION, something we ardently desire, where people from all walks of life will know the intercessory power of Blessed Joseph Vaz. Under his protection we Goans firmly believe we are being saved from innumerable  dangers of life.

Blessed Joseph Vaz's Missionary endeavors included Lay Apostolate.  He consolidated every Parish Work by adopting the system of "MUHUPPUS", the elders who became the respected leaders of the Community and the ANNAVIS' or the Catechists - Prayer leaders, which lasted till the recent times in Sri Lanka , The role of the Laity in Evangelization has been greatly stressed in REDEMTORIS MISSIO (Nos. 71-74).  Blessed Joseph Vaz, saw the treasures the laity possessed  and capability of the laity to respond competently, constructively and fruitfully in assisting the pastors in their Pastoral Work.  Hence, he stands as a Spiritual Guide and a great source of inspiration to us, Lay People, Priests and Religious.

As regards Inculturation Fr. Joseph Vaz's work stands unparalleled .  He showed great respect to indigenous cultural traditions expressions and even incorporated them in the tissue of Sri Lanka  Catholicism.  He stands as a Trail-Blazer for us in the spheres of Cultural, Social Service, option for the poor, and Ecumenism.

Considering all the reasons, we earnestly request Your Excellency to accede to our petition and do the needful for the proclamation of our Blessed as the Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, as soon as possible.

With prayers and respectful wishes,

 

Respectfully in Christ,

Brief

 

 

JOHN PAUL II  - SUPREME PONTIFF

 

For Everlasting Memory

 

The clergy and the laity of the illustrious Primatial Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in India have a deep veneration for Blessed Joseph Vaz, priest, who through his ministry and example of a holy life, stands as an extraordinary messenger and witness of the Gospel, which he propagated with great solicitude to the ends of Asia.  Motivated by this fact, our Venerable Brother Raul Nicolau Gonsalves.  Archbishop of the said See and Patriarch of East Indies, complying with the common desire, willingly approved the election of Blessed Joseph Vaz, priest, as Patron before God of his Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and, in a letter dated 16th June of this year, requested that such an election and approval be confirmed according to the norms established regarding the appointment of Patrons and in conformity with the Instruction No. 30 on the approval of the particular Calendars as well as Proper Masses and Divine Offices.

Wishing to heed to the request of such a zealous Pastor, knowing that whatever is determined in connection with the election and approval by the law has been fulfilled upon the completion of all the formalities which the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments prescribes, in virtue of the faculties given to it by Us, using the supreme power We possess, We confirm once for all through this Letter, the election and approval of Blessed Joseph Vaz, priest, as Patron before God of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, granting all the rights and liturgical privileges proper to such Patrons according to the rubrics.

May this bring happiness and fruitfulness to all the beloved sons and daughters of the Church who justifiably pride themselves in such an illustrious fellow citizen.

Finally it is Our wish that his Letter be religiously preserved and produce its effects now and in the future, not withstanding anything to the contrary.

Given in Rome, at St. Peter's under the ring of the Fisherman, on the 26th day of the month of June of the year 1999, the twenty first of Our Pontificate.

 

On Commission of the Supreme Pontiff,

                                                                            Sd/. + Angelo Card. Sodano

Acta

 

 

Solemn Proclamation of Blessed Joseph Vaz

As Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman

 

On the 16th day of January of the year 2000, Feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman (Clergy, Religious and Laity) gathered in great numbers in the Cathedral Church at Old Goa for a liturgical celebration on the occasion of the Solemn Proclamation of Blessed Joseph Vaz as Patron before God of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.

At 10.00 a.m., Most Rev. Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop of Goa and Daman and Patriarch of the East Indies, along with Most Rev. Blasco Collaco, Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria, Most Rev Ignatius Lobo, Bishop Emeritus of Belgaum, Most Rev. Joseph Coutts, Bishop of Faisalabad in Pakistan, and many priests entered the Cathedral in procession for the celebration, while the congregation sang the Anthem of the Great Jubilee Year 2000. 

After everyone was seated, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr. Jose Remedios Fernandes, read the English version of the Apostolic Brief of the Holy See confirming the Archbishop-Patriarch's approval of the election of Blessed Joseph Vaz as Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.  He  was followed by the Rector of the Shrine of Blessed Joseph Vaz, Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues who read the Decree of the Archbishop-Patriarch designating the date of the Solemn Proclamation, namely 16th January 2000.  Both the Apostolic Brief and the Decree of the Archbishop-Patriarch were read out in konkani.  

The Archbishop-Patriarch, thereafter, solemnly proclaimed Blessed Joseph Vaz as Patron before God of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman while the large congregation present for the celebration broke into jubilant applause.  His Grace, then, uncovered the statue of Blessed Joseph Vaz, while the faithful sang the hymn of the Blessed and the bells of the Cathedral echoed the joy and happiness of the Church in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.  

In witness thereof, this "Acta" is hereby recorded, and, after being read to the Congregation gathered on this occasion, is being signed by Most Rev. Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop of Goa and Daman and Patriarch of the East Indies, Most Rev. Blasco Collaço, Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria, Most Rev. Ignatius Lobo, Bishop Emeritus of Belgaum, Most Rev. Joseph Coutts, Bishop of Faisalabad and some of the priests and members of the congregation present for the event.  

Sd/    + Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop-Patriarch

          + Blasco Collaco

          + Ignatius Lobo

          + Joseph Coutts

           Fr. Santana Faleiro

           Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues

           Fr. Artur Rodrigues

           Fr. Olavo  Pereira

           Sr. Lyda de Sa sfn

           Effie Viegas

           Fr. Jose Remedios Fernandes

 

 

Circular

ON BLESSED JOSEPH VAZ, PATRON OF OUR ARCHDIOCESE

On the night of Christmas, we had the privilege of inaugurating the Great Jubilee Year 2000 of the Birth of Our Lord.  We did it in Goa, as in other parts of the world, by opening the door of our Cathedral Church, with an appeal to open the doors of our hearts to the Redeemer.  It was with our hearts filled with joy that we went through those moments, trying to capture the emotions Mary went through, foreseeing the greatest event of human history.  It was the year of "God's favor", it was the year of the "fullness of times", when God became man, two thousand years ago.  This is a "favor' which is unique, with no parallel on earth.  It is a favor, which cannot be appreciated enough and, therefore, cannot be thanked for enough.  Our life needs to be a great thanksgiving for this event, a thanksgiving which needs to be enhanced and deepened in this Great Jubilee Year.

By His eternal design, God showered upon us one more "favor", as if an overflow of the other favor.  On the 16th of January, 2000, in the very same Cathedral Church, we shall be proclaiming this favor, solemnly: the favor of giving our Archdiocese a Patron in the person of Blessed Joseph Vaz, an intercessor on our behalf, a son of our race, a product of our culture and of our ethos and a model of our way of being Church.

Blessed Joseph Vaz overcame great barriers to become everything to everyone in a distant and at that time unfriendly island, the island of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka.  His biographers tell us his missionary zeal, his methods and the difficulties he encountered whilst traversing the breath and the length of that land, proclaiming the "greatest favor of God". He is not just a hero of the past; he is a man who has a message for the future.  He is one who fits well into the definition of "heralds of Christ" the Holy Father mentioned in an Allocution for the VI Symposium of European Bishops, in 1985.  Although made in the context of re-christianisation of Europe, the reflection can well be applied everywhere, as the latest document from the Congregation for the Clergy.   "The Priest and the Third Christian Millennium: Teacher of the Word; Minister of the Sacraments and Leader of the Community", which quotes it, rightly asserts.  The much needed " heralds of the Gospel", he says, "are experts in humanity, profoundly knowing the heart of contemporary man, who share his joys and hopes, his fears and sorrows, and, at the same time, who are contemplatives in love with God."  

These words, so modern, find a perfect echo in the ministry and life of our Blessed, three centuries ago.  His whole missionary style and approach in proclaiming the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments betrayed his concern and eagerness to acquire this expertise in humanity, and the knowledge of the heart of his own contemporaries.  This concern energized him to make his services available to all in the most harrowing circumstances, not withstanding his erratic health.  His energy was basically drawn from his close contact with his Master, whom he had taken as the source of inspiration and of his Christian vitality, the source from where he nurtured his faith from his childhood.

It is against this background that we express our wish that his patronage may not be emptied of content.  Let us make it a guiding patronage, a patronage which will be for us an inspiration to be "heralds of Christ" to the contemporary men and women.  May the Church, which is committed to the task of making this world more Christian, find her longings realized, first and foremost, within ourselves, our families and our communities.

Fired by the example of Blessed Joseph Vaz, more and more youth ought to be encouraged to join the great host of missionaries who went in the past and are still going to mission lands, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.  As the devotion to the Blessed is fostered in our homes, may his life inspire us all to place the ideal of JESUS above other ideals and ideologies, however mind boggling they may be.  May the memory of him who urged the thousands he evangelized  (and re-evangelized) to  "open the doors to the Redeemer", continue to beckon us to renew our Christian faith and life, so that we may emerge, in the new millennium, as a vibrant Church, joyfully witnessing to the salvation brought to us by JESUS and fully engaged in His work of regenerating the world.

"Paco Patriaercal"

 Panjim, Goa, 

1st January 2000

 

(+ Raul Nicolau Gonsalves)

Archbishop-Patriarch

CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COMMITTEE OF THE CAUSE

To,

The Most Rev. Archbishop-Patriarch,

Archdiocese of Goa and Daman

"Paco Patriarcal "

Panjim, Goa-India.  

 

Date  28th April 1999

Most Rev. Archbishop-Patriarch,

We, the present members of the Committee of the cause of Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz, appointed by Your Excellency by "Portaria"  CP-P/191/98, express our joy for your keen desire to see our "Blessed" proclaimed "Patron" of our ancient Archdiocese of Goa and Daman  timely conveyed through a letter addressed to the Secretary of our Committee, and commit ourselves enthusiastically to this task of making this your desire come true, as soon as possible.  This case is also of special urgency in the context, as You mentioned in the same letter, of Your trip to Rome, which would enable Your Excellency to personally approach the concerned authorities.

1.As the election of the Patron is to be done by the cleargy and the faithful and be approved by Your Excellency (the Bishop of the Archdiocese) we request you:

To convene, at the earliest, both the Priests' Council and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (extraordinary meetings) to express their keen desire to see Bl. Joseph Vaz proclaimed Patron or advocate before God in all kind of needs of the Church of Goa and Daman and of the members of this Church.  We know such a desire does exist among our faithful;

If time permits to recommend a campaign of signatures at the level of the Deaneries, under the leadership of Fr. R. Robin Rodrigues, the Vice-Postulator of the Cause, before the end of May.

To get  the indult of the respective Congregation of the Holy See for the purpose, as soon as possible, as it is said in the Enchiridion Documentorum Instaurationis Liturgicae (3018): "Beati nequeunt  eligi Patroni absque peculiari  Apostolicae Sedis indulto".   It could perhaps be asked by Fax or by E-mail, In case it is needed before you proceed to Rome.

 

II     We are particularly encouraged to come with this petition to You for the following:

The  Church recommends, in the case of Patrons, preference for holy men who were born, or worked or died in the Diocese.  In our case Fr. Joseph is a native Goan, born, brought up and ordained in Goa where he worked for some time, having founded the Missionary Congregation of the Oratory of Goa, the only Oratory  that so far has existed in Asia.

He is the very first Goan Christian, priest and missionary to be proclaimed "Blessed": by Mother Church; a son of Goa, he is known as the Apostle of Sri Lanka  and Father of the Church of the whole island of Sri Lanka .

The local Church or Archdiocese of Goa and Daman has so far no Patron.  She has only a titular of the Cathedral Church and also a Patroness of the Old City of Goa, namely St. Catherine of Alexandria (Cfr. Officia propria  Archdioceseos Goan, Et. Damanensis - Goa 1967)

So we desire to have a Patron for the whole Church of Goa or Archdiocese of Goa and Daman .  And Blessed Joseph Vaz is the most venerated Goan from the time of his death in 1711 and invoked in all needs in the whole Archdiocese.

He is the only Goan saintly man venerated both in the whole of Goa and Sri Lanka   for nearly three centuries, besides in many places of India and a part of Canara (India) where he worked and is already known as a saint, particularly in a place called Mudipu, Diocese of Mangalore, and various parts of the world where Goans have migrated, namely Portugal, Brazil, California  (U.S.A.) etc.

From the time the veneration for Fr. Joseph Vaz started in Goa, it has never ceased but it went on spreading, mainly today that he is a Blessed.  The same happened in Sri Lanka where he brought praises to the Church of Goa.

Blessed Joseph Vaz is not only the great son and missionary produced by the Archdiocese of Goa but also by the Far East Asia and, we can add, by the Third World.  No country in the Third World has ever produced so far a native missionary so great.

Fr. Joseph Vaz was the promoter of a moderate enculturation in Sri Lanka and of lay apostolate in the 17th century, which, according to the Bishops of Sri Lanka, saved their Church giving it local roots.

Considering  all these reasons, we earnestly request Your Excellency to do the needful for the proclamation of our "Blessed" as the Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman  as soon as possible.

With prayers and respectful wishes,

 

Sd/  Fr.Santana Faleiro (President)

 

Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues (Treasurer) (Vice Postulator)      

Sr. Lydia D'Sa sfn (Member)       

Mrs. Effie Viegas (Member)       

Fr. Santana Carvalho (Member)       

Fr. Tony Lopes (Member)       

Fr. Olavo Velho (Member)       

Fr. Artur Rodrigues (Secratary)

 

 

 

Proclamation Ceremony Of Blessed Joseph Vaz As 

The Patron Of The Archdioceses Of Goa & Daman 

16th JANUARY 2000 - A DAY TO REMEMBER AND TREASURE

- Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues

The much-awaited day had arrived, the solemn day after hectic preparations throughout the Archdiocese of Goa. The 16th January 2000 the 'RED LETTER DAY' in the history of the Church of Goa. The day when BLESSED JOSEPH VAZ would be proclaimed the PATRON OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF GOA AND DAMAN. A son of this soil would be raised to the honor of being the Patron of the Faithful.

Old GOA wore a festive look that day it witnessed thousands of feet and the heart -throbbing of every faithful that stepped on its soil from the farthest parishes as Canacona and Pernem to the closest being Corlim and Divar. An unexpected Congregation swelled up to 10,000.The Majestic Se Cathedral stood witness to this sea of humanity and continued to embrace every human being until it was time to time to say enough! Yet, the crowds spilled into the lush- green gardens surrounding this huge church. Seminarians, priests, nuns, brothers of every religious order, children, the youth, the old and not -so old, wended their way to praise God for giving them a "PATRON". Inside the left wing of the Cathedral the bass, tenors, sopranos, and altos with the accompaniment of stringed instruments under the baton of Fr. Bernard Cotta, professor of Sacred Music (Rachol Seminary) welcomed the faithful for this Great occasion. 

The Rachol Seminarians blended their powerful yet golden- angelic voices and rendered their best in honor of this great Missionary, these future priests did justice by encouraging, sustaining, and assisting the congregation in praising God by their singing. Common hymns were chosen to encourage participation. Thoughts immediately sped away to the Seminary recalling the Missionary endeavors of Fr. Joseph Vaz who also had his Oratorian priests run the Rachol Seminary and impart training at one stage in the history of the Seminary, the Alma Mater of every Goan diocesan priest in the World. In fact the Rachol Seminary possesses a Painting of Fr. Joseph Vaz that too with a Beard! The occasion was thoroughly planned and organized to the dot, under the able guidance of Fr. Santana Faleiro, the president of the Committee of the Cause of Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz. The parish priest Fr. Adolfo Viegas lent his entire support and showed concern in observing that everything was provided to make this celebration a worthy and meaningful one.

The entire Archdiocese was involved in this Celebration. Fr. Almir D'Souza, Director of the Pastoral Institute was the commentator for the Liturgy; he animated the liturgy by introducing every liturgical act that would take place that day. The18 Deaneries were allotted the different parts of the Mass. The Rector of the Sanctuary of Blessed Joseph Vaz Sancaole was entrusted with the preparation, and organization of the liturgy of the Mass. Every effort was channeled, that it would be a participation of the whole Archdiocese.18 representatives were chosen from the deaneries, including representatives from 2 women religious orders and one men religious order in the Archdiocese. What a beautiful occasion to come together and praise God as a Unified and pilgrim Church. The Solemn procession commenced from the Sacristy and found its ways through the main entrance with the jubilant singing of the specially composed Jubilee Hymn. The procession included over 100 priests religious and diocesan, the canons of the Cathedral, seminarians, and four Goan bishops: Our Archbishop - Patriarch Raul Gonsalves (bambolim), the main Celebrant; Mons. Ignatius Lobo, (Siolim) retired Bishop of Belgaum; Mons.Blasco Francis Colaco (Raia), Apostolic Nuncio of Bulgaria; and Mons. Joseph Couto, (Aldona), Archbishop of Faidaslabad, Pakistan. Was it Gods own designs to have four sons of the own soil give witness to this proclamation? How great are "HIS DESIGNS AND WONDERS- WORTHY TO BE PRAISED AND GLORIFIED"!   As the procession wound up in the Sanctuary.

The Chancellor Fr. Jose Remedios Fernandes read the brevis in Latin signed by the Pope, sent by Cardinal Sodan the Popes representative. The brief declared Blessed Joseph Vaz as the Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa Daman. The Konkani version was read by Fr. Santana Faleiro. Later the Archbishops Decree was read out in English by the Rector of the Sanctuary. Fr. Tony Salema, Secretary (Diocesan Education) read out the Konkani translation. , Fr. Cristovam Caldeira, Rector of Rachol Seminary, the Master of Ceremonies introduced the proceedings of the Celebration and read out the minutes which were to be signed by the four Bishops. The four Bishops signed the Acta. Proclaiming Blessed Joseph Vaz as the Patron. A one- meter- Statue was earlier brought from the Sanctuary for the occasion. This Statue was sculptured by Mr. Fermino Fernandes and his son Prakash from Raia. As this temporary statue had already been blessed hence there was no need of another blessing .A Life size statue would be installed in the future. It was decided to install the statue in a prominent and visible place. The present one is presently installed in the golden pulpit on the right side of the main altar.

There were doubts among the faithful about whether St. Catherine would be plucked out or removed from the Main altar and Fr. Joseph Vaz would be installed in her place. These doubts had already been clarified in the petition, which was sent to all the Parishes during the signature campaign. One cannot change the Titular Saint of the Cathedral Church. She remains where she is. As the Majestic statue was unveiled by the Archbishop, the unveiling was solemnized by thunderous applause by the entire congregation and voluminous singing of the hymn 'OGONNIT KAKUTICHEA DEVA", the age -old hymn not with the words "kiteak ravtai azun porian " but triumphant lyrics declaring Blessed Joseph Vaz as the Patron of the Archdiocese. "BHOKTIVONTA ZUZE VAZA MANKULLEA GOYCHEA ASKAREA" (One day We pray that Goans and Indians will be able to sing the hymn with 'BHAGEVONTA ZUZE VAZA' May that day not be too far .let us pray that it may soon be dawned!)  The Rector of the Sanctuary of Blessed Joseph Vaz, Sancoale, composed the lyrics of the hymn.

As the entire congregation belted out the revived tune one could see tears of joy well down the eyes of the devotees who had gathered there for this jubilant day. With bated breath and joy -many missed a heartbeat too! The unveiling of the Statue and the entire liturgy was projected on giant screens specially provided for the celebration where the congregation could view every minute detail and happening. The Godinho Brothers from Bambolim were the ones who operated the system. Xavier Sound Panjim provided the sound. Mr.Anthony Fernandes from Cortalim was the official photographer .He was given before hand a written list of the events that were to be photographed. He fulfilled his job without disturbing the congregation. The Archbishop in his Homily drove home that it was the faithful of Goa had made Blessed Joseph Vaz the Patron of the Archdiocese.

The Faithful were reminded about the signature campaign held some months back requesting Him to present their petition to the Pope, which he had done on 16th June 1999.A similar petition was also presented to the Archbishop by the members of the committee for the Cause of Canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz. He exhorted the gathering to follow the example set by this great son of Goa and Apostle of Kanara and Sri Lanka. He also made it clear that St.Francis Xavier stands out as the Patron of Missions in East Indies. St.Catherine of Alexandria is the Patroness of the Se Cathedral. And Blessed Joseph Vaz is now being declared as the Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. (We (Archdiocese) did not have a Patron all these years!)  Keeping in mind the Missionary spirit of Blessed Joseph Vaz the Archbishop spoke of an endeavour that was processed to send a team of Diocesan priests to Agartala in this Jubilee Year.

A Mission of the East missioning to the East. (History also points out that our Blessed received his clarion call in this same Cathedral. when a Canon who had visited Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) preached about the plight of the Catholics in Sri Lanka  .It was in this Cathedral that Blessed Joseph opened his heart and vocation to Sri Lanka and fulfilled it after much struggle) The Archbishops seeds of wisdom must have surely fallen on good fertile ground this day, thus arousing missionary spirit in the priests, seminarians, nuns and even lay people who had gathered for this Solemnity.  A special offertory procession was organised depicting the Centuries old Picture of Blessed Joseph Vaz. The termacol Logo was prepared by a young talented artist Mr. Raymond Fernandes from Navelim.It consisted of a Goan Map focussed from the background, the sun and the moon (the letter of Blessed Joseph Vaz to his Nephew), the Crucifix, the Mitre and Sceptre, the Insignia which the refused, when offered to become the Bishop of Sri Lanka, and finally the cut -out picture of the Blessed always depicted with bare feet, and finally the offerings of bread and wine. Sr.Milena (s.f.n) helped in arranging the  offerotory procession.

The Altar servers, the other necessaries around the Sacristy and the Sanctorum were looked after Fr. Eremito Rebelo, professor of Rachol  Seminary who had a thorough practise prior to the Celebration.Sr.Dorris(H.C) was in charge of decorating the Altar and the Statue which she did with dedication and finesse! Fr.Olavo Velho Pereira secretary(D,C.C.)and member of the Committee of the Cause of Canonisation  thanked every one for making the celebration a fruitful and worthy one. SUN AND MOON, RIVERS AND SEAS. BLESS THE LORD! The Directory of the Archdiocese was later released by the Archbishop.The splendid and colourful Directory portraying Blessed Joseph Vaz on the front cover page was dedicated to his honour. How great and mighty are your Plans oh Lord!

Blessed Joseph Vaz is a son of Sancoale.  Catholic   Parishioners  from the parishes around Sancoale were seen footing out their way to the Cathedral.They  had come all the way walking for the celebration. They had come to ask people to join and pray for their cause ,for their endless struggle against the Factory (meta Strips) set up in Sancaole  that would be polluting and endangering the air ,water, and natural habitat. The  flora and fauna of the paternal village of Joseph Vaz that would be destroyed and that too in densely populated catholic villages.

The Solemn Proclamation cannot be called a coincidence, or just simple happening! It was his plan that Blessed Joseph Vaz be declared the Patron of the Archdiocese - that too on the 16th of January of the year 2000. The Jubliee year of the Lord! All the credit and honor goes to the Lord Almighty. It is surely a major step towards the much awaited canonization.

As the celebration got over…parishoners took home the reminisces of the great celebration that they had just taken part in. To cherished through all generations. "Many had already installed him in their lives. They had accepted him as their own…the proctector and Patron of their lives, their home, and their children.. their village ,their Convent, their Seminary, their Institutions and and whatever belonged to them………He was their own…….He was their 'GOAN SAINT' in Heaven ready to intercede to the Heavenly father."

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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]

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