In a world gripped by desire to have more and outdo another, a simple and humble soul invites one to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. St Joseph Vaz, the third of six children, was born in 1651 at Benaulim, his mother’s village in Goa. His parents, Cristovao Vaz and Maria de Miranda, were devout Catholics. Cristovao belonged to a prominent Naik family of Sancoale. Joseph was baptised on the eighth day at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Benaulim by its pastor, Jacinto Pereira.
Joseph Vaz attended the elementary in Benaulim School in Sancoale. He learned Portuguese in Sancoale and Latin. He was a bright pupil and respected by his teachers and fellow students. He made such rapid progress in his studies that his father decided to send him to the city of Velha Goa for further studies; where he did a course in rhetoric and humanities at the Jesuit college of St Paul. He further studied philosophy and theology at the St Thomas Aquinas’ Academy of the Dominicans.
In 1675, Joseph Vaz was ordained a deacon for the Archdiocese of Goa by Custódio de Pinho, the Vicar Apostolic of Bijapur and Golconda. In 1676, he was ordained a priest by the Archbishop of Goa, Antonio Brandao. Soon after his ordination, he started going barefoot to live like the poor and acquired a reputation as a popular preacher and confessor. He opened a Latin school in Sancoale for prospective seminarians. In 1677, he consecrated himself as a “slave of Mary”, sealing it with a document known as the “Deed of Bondage”.
Fr Joseph Vaz wanted to serve as a missionary in Ceylon, and therefore presented his request to go there to the cathedral chapter, which was administering the diocese following the vacancy created by the death of Brandão on July 6, 1678. However, the cathedral chapter proposed to him to go to Canara instead, where the Padroado authorities in Goa were in conflict with the local authorities belonging to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, the Vatican agency for missionary efforts worldwide. Fr Joseph Vaz was appointed the Vicar Forane of Canara by the Padroado in 1681, and sent with the purpose of asserting their jurisdiction against the Propaganda Fide. The chapter also gave him the esteemed title of ‘Frame of Canara’. Upon his arrival, he found the situation of the Roman Catholic Church there to be highly explosive.
After his Ministry in Canara (1681–1684), when Fr Joseph Vaz returned to Goa, he spent his time preaching in the surrounding villages. He also joined a group of priests of the archdiocese who had decided to live together in a religious community. The group was formally erected as a community of the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri on September 25, 1685, the first native religious community in the diocese. They took charge of the Church of the Holy Cross of Miracles, where they established their residence. Fr Joseph Vaz was elected first provost of the community.
Having heard of the sad plight of Sri Lanka, and his zeal for missionary endeavour, Fr Joseph Vaz who was contemplating of a missionary journey, took a heroic step, to come to the rescue of Sri Lanka who were like sheep without the shepherd. Fr Joseph Vaz has shown the way. What he did for Sri Lanka is more than enough to know and understand. His missionary career cannot be compared to any of the missionaries of the Church.
Fr Joseph Vaz proved his mantle to the extent that the Holy See recognized what he did which they were not able and failed to do. They sought inquiry about the methods, the missionary methods he used which they termed controversial and were impressed of his heroic works and encouraged him to carry on spreading the Gospel message to the other parts of the country.
Joseph Vaz was an exemplary priest. He teaches one how to go out to the peripheries, to make Jesus Christ everywhere known and loved. He is also an example of patient suffering in the cause of the Gospel, of obedience to one’s superiors, of loving care for the Church of God. St Joseph lived in a period of rapid and profound transformation; Catholics were a minority, and often divided within; there was occasional hostility, even persecution, from without. And yet, because he was constantly united with the crucified Lord in prayer, he could become for all people a living icon of God’s mercy and reconciling love.
St Joseph shows one the importance of transcending religious divisions in the service of peace. His undivided love for God opened him to love for his neighbour; he ministered to those in need, whoever and wherever they were. His example continues to inspire the Church. Each individual must be free, alone or in association with others, to seek the truth, and to openly express his or her religious convictions, free from intimidation and external compulsion. As the life of St Joseph Vaz teaches one, genuine worship of God bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred and violence, but in respect for the sacredness of life, respect for the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all.
Fr Joseph gives us an example of missionary zeal. Though he came to Ceylon to minister to the Catholic community, in his evangelical charity he reached out to everyone. Leaving behind the comfort of his familiar surroundings, he responded to the call to go forth, to speak of Christ wherever he was led. St Joseph knew how to offer the truth and the beauty of the Gospel in a multi-religious context, with respect, dedication, perseverance and humility.
On January 21, 1995, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Colombo as Blessed Joseph Vaz. He was canonized on January 14, 2015 by Pope Francis in an open-air Mass ceremony at the Galle Face Green in Colombo.