Joseph Vaz

When Joseph Vaz reached Ceylon, the Dutch Calvinist authorities had banned Catholic priests and forbidden Roman worship. To escape repression, he disguised himself as a beggar or a servant and celebrated the sacraments during secret meetings of the faithful, often at night, as Pope Francis recalled during his canonization. He traveled across the island to bring the Eucharist to groups of clandestine Catholics, instructed catechists, and gradually restored an organized ecclesial life. Taking refuge in the Kingdom of Kandy, which was independent of the Dutch, he was initially detained before gaining the sovereign's trust. During a smallpox epidemic in 1697, he cared for the sick without distinction of religion or caste, which, according to sources, earned him greater freedom of ministry granted by the King of Kandy. Joined by other priests from Goa, he founded and structured the Oratorian mission of Ceylon. The community he had established in Goa received pontifical recognition through a bull of Pope Clement XI in 1706. His work earned him the title of "Apostle of Ceylon."

The reputation for holiness of Joseph Vaz rests on the profound union between his life of prayer and his service to his neighbor. Hagiographic sources highlight his voluntary destitution, his humility, and his endurance in an apostolate exercised at the peril of his life. His charity was exercised without confessional boundaries: having come first to serve the Catholic community, he extended his aid to all those in need, whoever they were and wherever they were found. Pope Francis summarized this dimension by stating that 'constantly united to the crucified Lord in prayer, he could become for all a living icon of God's mercy and his reconciling love.' His refusal, around 1705, to accept an episcopal office that was offered to him was interpreted as a sign of humility and fidelity to his missionary vocation. His death, which occurred after days of spiritual exercises in accordance with the Oratorian spirit, completed an offered existence. This reputation for holiness, vivid in Goa as well as in Ceylon, paved the way for the process that led to his beatification and then to his canonization.

The canonization process for Joseph Vaz was conducted over a long period. A miracle attributed to his intercession was recognized for the beatification, which took place in Colombo on January 21, 1995, during the pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to Sri Lanka. On January 14, 2015, Pope Francis canonized him during an open-air mass celebrated on the Galle Face Green esplanade in Colombo, during his apostolic journey to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. As he had done for John XXIII, Pope Francis dispensed with the requirement of a second miracle, following the favorable vote of the consistory on October 20, 2014. Joseph Vaz thus became the first canonized saint of Sri Lanka. In his homily, the Pope hailed a priest who "came to this country driven by missionary zeal and a great love for his people," recalling that he "had a particular desire to serve the sick and the suffering." His liturgical feast is celebrated on January 16, the day of his death.

Joseph Vaz is considered the restorer of the Catholic Church in Ceylon after the prohibition of worship by the Dutch, and his legacy remains central to the Catholic community of Sri Lanka, of which he is held as the patron. In Goa, his native land, he is honored as one of the great spiritual figures of the region and the founder of the first religious congregation of indigenous priests in India, the Oratory of Goa, placed under the rule of Saint Philip Neri. The Oratorian tradition counts him among its saints, and many oratories throughout the world honor him. His memory is closely linked to the city of Kandy, where he died, and to Colombo, where his beatification and canonization took place. His figure as an itinerant apostle, evangelizing in poverty and in defiance of danger, has made him a model for missions in Asia. Pope Francis presented him as an example for anyone who wishes to "go to the peripheries" in order to make Jesus Christ known and loved everywhere.