14 January 2017 12:00 am Views - 5013
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The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told a media conference “We know that he came to Sri Lanka in 1687 and died in January 1711. However, our intention is to reveal more information about his courageous work towards Sri Lanka’s Catholics and the world.”
The Cardinal added that St Joseph Vaz’s burial place was yet to be discovered.
It was revealed that the saint had gifted a cross to a family at Sillale in Jaffna and that the family’s descendants still had this cross. Another such cross has been found at the Mahagalgamuwa Church in Kurunegala.
The St Joseph Vaz year will be inaugurated today at a special service to be held at 6 p.m. at St. Lucia’s Cathedral in Kotahena and will be presided over by the Cardinal. St Joseph Vaz’s cloak will be taken to St Anthony’s Church, Kochikade for public veneration this morning. From there, it will be taken to St Lucia’s cathedral at 4.30 p.m. today. Tomorrow (15), every parish will conduct special observances to mark the year of St Joseph Vaz. Catholic schools will mark the event on January 16.
In Jaffna, the celebrations will be held on Monday at the Kondadi Shrine of St. Joseph Vaz. The ceremony will be presided over by the Bishop of Jaffna Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin Bernard Gnanapragasam.
The ceremony in Mannar will be held at the Church of St. Joseph Vaz at Madhukarai on January 16.
In Chilaw, the ceremony will be held at the St. Joseph Vaz Shrine, Wattakkalliya on January 22. It will be presided over by Chilaw’s Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis.
According to the cardinal, another feature of the St Joseph Vaz year will be the focus on restoring the dignity of impoverished and marginalised people. Accordingly, a free morning meal is to be distributed to children in schools located near parish churches.
Pilgrimages will also be arranged to Goa, the birthplace of St Joseph Vaz.
Another highlight will be a new vision by the church to promote reconciliation. “St. Joseph Vaz set a tremendous example for reconciliation by learning both Tamil and Sinhala, the local languages in Sri Lanka. He not only spoke both languages but lived peacefully with people belonging to both ethnic groups,” Cardinal Ranjith said.
“Following in the footsteps of St Joseph Vaz, we should live peacefully with people belonging to other ethnic groups. We hope that those who belong to other religious and ethnic groups will also cooperate with us in bringing about reconciliation,” he added.