St. Joseph Vaz was the reflection of Jesus: Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo

Kundapur: Canonization celebration of Saint Vaz was held at Holy Rosary church here on Sunday January 18.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, the bishop of Udupi diocese said, “St Joseph Vaz was the reflection of Jesus Christ. Saint Vaz was not only a priest but a man with godly gifts. He travelled throughout the coastal region of Karnataka three hundred years ago and made it a holy land. There are so many testimonies throughout the world for the miracles that happened due to the intercession of St Joseph Vaz,”

 “St Joseph was born on April 21, 1651 as son of devout couple Christopher Vaz and Maria Miranda. Joseph became a priest at the age of 25. It is said that he came barefoot to this region in 1681. It is recorded in history that he was seen floating in air while he was in deep meditation” he added.

“When he served at Ullal Panir parish, the incident of the creation of the three water springs in Mudipu hill through a miracle, by the aid of lightening is a special testimony to the holiness of the saint. Then he went to Sri Lanka with his assistant John as a labourer and was detained there on the charges of being a spy. He created rain during a drought when he lived in the jail. He was proclaimed as a holy man then itself. Now when he is canonized as a saint, it is a great honour and a matter of pride for all Christians espcially in this land," Dr Gerald said.

A short documentary on the miracle of rain by the saint was shown during the function. The documentary was directed by Vinod Gangolli.

Fr Anil D’Souza, the parish priest of Holy Rosary Church Kundapur, Fr Alphonse D’Lima from Gangolli church, Fr Xavier Pinto, Fr Vishal, Fr Valerian, Fr Anand, Fr Joseph, Fr Sunil, Fr Anil, Fr Denis , Fr Walder, Fr Vincent, Fr Ronald, Fr Rayan, Fr Praveen, Fr Prakash, Fr Stany, Fr Prathap, Fr Baptist Menezes and others were present.