This month marks the 10th anniversary of the canonisation of St Joseph Vaz (1651–1711), a Catholic Oratorian priest in Sri Lanka.
The life of St Joseph Vaz
St Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), was born on 21 April 1651 in Benaulim, Goa, to Christopher Vaz and Maria de Miranda, Christian parents from the Konkani Brahmin caste.
The third of six children, Joseph received his early education in Sancoale and Benaulim, where he learned Portuguese and Latin. He later studied humanities, philosophy, and theology at the Jesuit Goa University and Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy, eventually being ordained in 1676.
A dedicated preacher and confessor, Joseph founded a Latin school in Sancoale for seminarians and consecrated himself to Our Lady in 1677, becoming a “slave of Mary” through a document known as his “Letter of Enslavement.”
His devotion led him to learn of the plight of Catholics in Ceylon, where they had been without priests for 50 years under Dutch persecution. Despite being sent to Kanara instead, Joseph’s heart remained with Ceylon.
In 1686, he joined a congregation of priests in Goa and became its superior, strengthening the community and preparing for his mission.
In 1687, disguised as an itinerant worker, he arrived in Ceylon, enduring harsh travel conditions and contracting dysentery. He ministered secretly to Catholics, evading Dutch authorities, and eventually settled in the Kingdom of Kandy, where he faced further challenges.
Joseph’s faith and work were tested, but in 1696, his prayers for rain during a drought in Kandy led the king to grant him freedom to preach. By 1705, his efforts had organised the mission into eight districts, and with the support of new missionaries, he continued his work, overcoming challenges and persecution.
Joseph Vaz died on 17 January 1711 in Kandy.
His body was exposed for three days due to the large crowds of mourners. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 and canonised by Pope Francis in 2015.
Tenth anniversary celebrations
St Joseph Vaz remains an inspiration to many, and particularly to the 25,530 Sri Lankan Catholics in Australia*, due to his life of faith, sacrifice and service.
Sri Lankans celebrated the saintly anniversary in the Diocese, across Australia and overseas, including in St Joseph Vaz’s town of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Many Sri Lankan Australians have travelled to their home country or place of heritage on this anniversary occasion, including the Diocese’s Sri Lankan Chaplain Fr Augustine Treesen Silva, Assistant Priest at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Guildford.
Statue of St Joseph Vaz in Velim, Goa, India. Image: Joegoauk Goa via Wikimedia Commons
*Source: ‘Social Profile of the Catholic Community in Australia’, prepared by the ACBC National Centre for Pastoral Research from ABS data, dated April 2023.
