FR.JOSEPH VAZ, A MAN AND A SAINT:

Fr.Ivo da Conceição Souza

My acquaintance with the life of Fr.Joseph Vaz began in the Minor Seminary of Our Lady, Saligão-Pilerne, where “Academies of Fr.Joseph Vaz” were being organized, once a month: a speech, a kit, a song, a poem. Every Wednesday a hymn would be sung at the end of the Eucharistic service, reminding God of this great man and saint. It runs thus: “Ogonnit kakulltichea Deva, kiteak ravtai ozun pore¬ant, diinastona Bhogtak altaracho man, bhagoinastona hi amchi vhodd axa…?” This hymn would bring to our mind that Father Joseph Vaz is yet to be beatified/canonized. Now that Fr.Vaz has been already beatified by John Paul II, we should remind the Church authorities–as a matter of fact, John Paul II showed a lot of interest for the Cause–again and again that Fr.Vaz is to be canonized as soon as possible. Fifty years ago, the great Belgian missiologist, Fr.Pierre CHARLES, wrote of Joseph Vaz: He was “more than a hero”, “a symbol and a lesson”, “the perfect model of an apostle”. Born on April 21, 1651, Joseph Vaas (as he would artistically sign) was the third child of Christopher Vaz and Maria de Miranda. His father’s house was at Sancoale. His mother’s house was at Benaulim. He was born in Benaulim, where he was baptized on the eight day at the Parish Church of St.John the Baptist by its Jesuit Parish-priest, Fr.Jacinto Pereira. He was first enrolled in the elementary school at Sancoale, his paternal village. He was a model student: bright, attentive, diligent, obedient and loved by his classmates. When he grew up, his father sent him to the High School at Benaulim, where he could learn Latin in preparation for his priestly studies. Of all the children of the family (six in number), Joseph was the most lovable and the brightest. He was intelligent and practical, gentle and kind-hearted, patient, trustworthy, care¬ful, tolerant. He is the builder, the producer, an artist. His inner urge was to “produce”, and that too “on a larger scale”. Artistic bent of mind. Friendly and helpful. A remarkable memory. Man of principles, he would stick always to them, but he was also flexible. Whenever he would discover God’s Will for the good of the people, he would go forward, in spite of risks and sacrific¬es. Man of energy, more even full of inner strength, capable of hard physical labour. Quiet by nature and keen observer. Cau¬tious and conservative, but also adaptable and with bright ideas–inculturation. Very good in reconciling the people. He gave his time, energy and advice to the people. Emotionally mature, deep and lasting friendship. Faith in God, in his power. Prayerful. Liberal in giving alms to the needy; stable nervous system; cool and calm nature; illness was rare, though he was of frail health. Indefatigable and hard-working. Passion, ardour and tremendous will-power. Courageous and calm. With this type of make-up, he would be successful in life. He chose as a vocation to serve God as a priest, once he discovered that this was God’s call. Pious, endowed with a singu¬lar love for the poor. Desire to be unseen and unobserved in his piety and alms-giving. He had inherited the gravity of manners and earnestness from his father. His discernment was superior to his age. His love for study and inclination to virtue were re¬markable. Love for prayer. In his family, there was prayer and fixed time for spiritual reading. His greatest longing was to pray and work for the “conver¬sion of sinners”. Tender loving devotion to Mary to whom he of¬fered himself perpetually as a slave with his “Deed of Bondage”, written in 1677 (cf.Sebastião do Rego, Life of Ven.Fr.Joseph Vaz, book 2, ch.4, 3rd.ed., 1962, p.172). He would read spiritual books and lives of Saints. He manifested love for all, but in a particular way for the sick, the poor and the enemies. At a very young age he used to teach other children whatever he had learnt in the school. He would give a portion of his food to a poor beggar asking alms at his house. He was mortified and austere in his food habits. Seeing his rapid progress in studies, his father decided to send him to the city of Goa (Old Goa), to follow a course of Rhetoric and Humanities in the Jesuit College of St.Paul. He showed his singleness of purpose in becoming a priest. His source of strength was the Eucharist. He set his goal quite high, and never swerved from the path that leads to the attain¬ment of this goal. He was a man of good nature, of good charac¬ter, strongly cemented by God’s Grace through existential faith and prayer. In his life, we can see how Grace subsumes and radically transforms the human make-up through human and spiritual forma¬tion. His dreams were fulfilled through his tremendous faith in God’s Providence. “Digitus Dei est hic!” (‘God’s finger/power is here!’) could well be said at every step of his existence. After completing his humanistic studies at the College of St.Paul, Joseph joined the Academy of St.Thomas Aquinas, direct¬ed by the Dominicans, for his philosophical and theological studies. During this time, he stayed in the collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. After six years of studies, Joseph was ordained in 1676, at the age of 25, by the then newly appointed Archbishop of Goa, Dom António Brandão. After his ordination, he went to his home at Sancoale where he gave himself to prayer, preaching and assisting the parochial clergy. As a preacher, spiritual counselor and confessor he was often summoned to the capital city of Goa. He also opened a Latin school at Sancoale to help the aspirants for the priesthood, as well as to give good education to the youth. It was at this stage that the young priest discovered God’s call to work in the island of Ceylon through a Canon of the Cathedral of Old Goa (perhaps F. de Sardinha by name), who told him of the utter misery of the Catholics of Ceylon. Father Joseph dreamed of Ceylon and its transformation. With his servant John, he went to Jaffna, where he arrived half-dead with all the vagaries of time and place. In need of food and rest, they knocked at the doors of some people. At last, a lady allowed them to spend the night in a outside hut, near her house. Father Joseph was attacked with acute dysentery as a result of tiredness. People would shun this type of sick, so the neighbours took him in a litter and abandoned him in the forest without hope. John would beg, cook and feed his master. But he was also afflicted with dysentery. Father Vaz had deep, existential faith in God. God rewarded his trust: a lady, who had gone to collect wood for fire in the forest, gave them daily a bowl of canjee out of pity. After a few days, they were restored to health. Father Vaz was begging for food from door to door. With his Rosary on the neck, he came into contact with Catholics. Having been received well into one Catholic family, he asked them wheth¬er they would like to receive sacraments from a priest. Thus, he revealed gradually his priestly identity to them. An organizer, he founded the Congregation of St.Philip Neri in Goa. A conciliator, he was very prudent in his attitude to the conflict of jurisdiction between Propaganda and Padroado. An artist and actor, he disguised himself as a coolie-beggar. As a builder, he built 15 churches and 400 chapels, with schools and dispensaries or hospitals. As a Christian Yogi, he adapted him¬self to the people whom he served with remarkable detachment and humility. He was self-taught in Tamail and Singalese languages. As a man of God, he overcame politics with enlightened zeal. He refused bishopric, offered by Cardinal Tournon. A man for others, he served the sick people during epidemics. He lived heroically his option for the poor (soon after his priestly ordination, he has started going barefoot). Joseph Vaz was truly a man for others, a saint, a heroic missionary. May he be canonized as soon as possible!