TEAM HERALD
SANCOALE: With the papal approval to the sainthood of Blessed Joseph Vaz, an exercise which commenced in Goa three centuries ago will now come to a close.
The cause for the canonization of Blessed Vaz, which first began shortly after his death in 1711, will now come to an end, as the three-century-long cause has finally met its desired purpose.
The process for sainthood of Blessed Joseph was started in 1713 by the Colonial Archbishop of Cochin (who was also the administrator for Goa, due to the death of the bishop) Dom Pedro Pacheco.
The second investigation of his beatification was initiated in about 1737 by Francisco de Vasconcellos, S.J., Bishop of Cochin, who also claimed jurisdiction over Ceylon, while a third cause for his beatification was initiated in the 20th century, with the necessary documentation being submitted to the Vatican in 1953.
When contacted, Rector of Sancoale Sanctuary Fr Eremito Rebelo, who is also vice-postulator for the Cause of Canonsiation of Blessed Joseph Vaz, confirmed that the offices of the vice-postulator for the Cause of Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz in Goa and the Commission for the Cause will now be closed down.
“The process has now been completed and it has served its purpose. However, the title of rector of the shrine will continue,” said Fr Rebelo.
The Sancoale shrine, which traces its humble beginning to 1908, is however expected to continue to attract thousands of pilgrims and devotees.
Fr Isidoro Francisco Da Cunha from Cansaulim, a former professor of Rachol Seminary, put forward the idea of building a shrine at Sancoale to provide a seat for the devotion and other activities related to the cause.
In 1908, a plot was purchased in vicinity of the ancestral house of the Vaz family. A grandiose plan was drawn up with an imposing facade in neo-gothic style. The foundation stone was blessed on April 21, 1909 and the shrine was to be thrown open on January 16, 1911, as a lasting memorial of the bicentenary celebrations. However, due to paucity of funds, only the foundation was laid by the said deadline.
During the period, Fr Isidore died and a priest living in the ward, Fr Euclides Rogaciano Dias, together with his brother Durante Antonio renewed the donation drive and managed to complete a modest version of the original plan which was a small chapel by laying a new foundation on the same plot. The chapel was blessed on July 10, 1922, and the first solemn Mass was celebrated on January 16, 1923.
The chapel was officially dedicated to St Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratorian family. But the common people soon named it ‘Padri Zuze Vazachem Kopel’ (Chapel of Fr Joseph Vaz as it is generally known even today).
The sanctuary as it stands today was rebuilt by laying the foundation stone on December 15, 2000, and was inaugurated by the then Archbishop Raul Gonsalves on January 5, 2003, during the tenure of Rector and Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Canonization in Goa Fr Romualdo Robin Rodrigues.
