Goan Siblings' Tireless Mission—from Canonisation to Patron Sainthood for St. Joseph Vaz in 2025

The canonisation of St. Joseph Vaz in 2015 was a landmark moment for Catholics in Goa, as he became the first canonised saint from the region. This achievement, however, was not merely a result of ecclesiastical processes but due to the persistent efforts of two Goan sisters, Filomena Saraswati Giese and Maria Ligia Britto, based in Berkeley, California. Their efforts not only helped revive a centuries-old cause but also laid the groundwork for St. Joseph Vaz’s potential designation as a South Asian Patron Saint during the Jubilee Year.

Rekindling the Cause for Canonisation

In 1978, Filomena and Maria Ligia began advocating for the canonisation of Fr. Joseph Vaz, who was born in Goa in 1651. A prominent missionary, Fr. Joseph Vaz evangelised in Mangalore, Kanara, and Sri Lanka during periods of severe persecution. Despite Goa’s rich Catholic heritage, the region had no canonised saints at the time. The sisters founded the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute in 1980 to promote his cause, organising annual feast masses and gathering support from devotees in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the UK, the U.S., Canada, and the Middle East. They also collected signatures for petitions to the Pope, reaching out to the Bishops and Bishops' Conferences of India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

The Final Push to Sainthood

In 2014, Pope Francis requested evidence of global devotion to Blessed Joseph Vaz, and in the same year, the sisters’ petition for his canonisation was submitted by Rev. Fr. Dr. Klosterkamp, O.M.I., Postulator for the Cause. The petition demonstrated that devotion to Fr. Joseph Vaz extended beyond Goa and Sri Lanka. These efforts culminated in the Vatican recognising Fr. Joseph Vaz as a saint of the universal Catholic Church, and in January 2015, during his visit to Sri Lanka, Pope Francis canonised him.

Advocating for Patron Sainthood

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute shifted its focus to advocating for St. Joseph Vaz to be named "Patron Saint of Medical First Responders." His selfless service during the 1696 smallpox epidemic in Kandy, Sri Lanka, where he risked his life to care for abandoned victims, was recognised by two popes during his beatification and canonisation. Like medical responders during the pandemic, St. Joseph Vaz washed the sores of the abandoned smallpox victims and provided them with shelter and food.

In 2022, the Institute presented a case highlighting his other contributions to persecuted Catholics and his role in rebuilding the Church in Sri Lanka, which had suffered significant suppression under Dutch colonial rule. The Vatican requires signatures from laypeople or organisations for a saint being petitioned for to be declared "Patron Saint" along with episcopal approval at the final stage.

The Jubilee Year provides a historic opportunity to honour the contributions of St. Joseph Vaz to the Church in South Asia by having him also declared "Patron Saint” of important contributions such as Native Clergy, Native Religious and Native Congregations, Tribal Education, Native Para-Liturgy, and Catholic Literature. Filomena and Maria Ligia continue to advocate for this recognition, hoping that the bishops and laity of South Asia will join in supporting this significant title for a canonised Saint of South Asian descent.

They also hope that the laity, the bishops, and the religious will, in addition, also have St. Joseph Vaz declared Patron Saint of South Asia if they so wish. He is the first native missionary born in one part of South Asia (Goa, India) who took the faith to two other parts of South Asia (Mangalore, Kanara, and Sri Lanka). They believe that his contributions to the region, particularly his service during the smallpox epidemic and his role in strengthening the faith in the region, make him a fitting candidate for this title too.

For more information and to sign the petition, visit https://chng.it/9dngXnkBS9.

By Steve Antao

Source References:

1. Article by Filomena Saraswati Giese in Oakland's The Catholic Voice, January 2024. pg. 16-17

2. Article by Filomena Giese published in Indian Catholic Matters on December 13, 2024: "Uniting for a Cause: The Push for St. Joseph Vaz as Patron Saint in 2025."

https://www.indiancatholicmatters.org/uniting-for-a-cause-the-push-for-st-joseph-vaz-as-patron-saint-in-2025