Team Herald
VASCO: The feast of St Joseph Vaz, the patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, was celebrated with traditional pomp and religious fervour at Sancoale on Thursday.
The solemn feast of St Joseph Vaz, a luminous son of Goa and Apostle of Sri Lanka, who was canonised by Pope Francis on January 14, 2015, was celebrated in the premises of old Sancoale Church in the presence of Goa and Daman Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao.
Cardinal Ferrao said that though the feast of St Joseph Vas is celebrated every year, it is more significant because this year marks 10 years of canonisation of Fr Joseph Vaz as first Saint in Sri Lanka. This year is also important as the Church is celebrating the Jubilee Year 2025 at the Diocesan and Parish levels, he said.
The masses were held at 5 am, 6.15 am, 7.30 am and 8.45 am, while the solemn high mass was celebrated at 10 am.
Sancoale parish priest Fr Kenneth Telles informed that more than 1.40 lakh devotees attended the novenas and the
feast mass.
He said that this year the feast was celebrated on a grand scale and a large number of devotees attended it. The preparations during the novenas and feast day were also good.