On June 23rd, 1687, Blessed Joseph Vaz (1651-1711) said the first Mass in the Jaffna area during the Dutch persecution of Catholics in Sri Lanka. Blessed Joseph Vaz was born in Goa and died in Sri Lanka. He worked for 23 years in Sri Lanka under persecution and threat of arrest and death by the Dutch. The Joseph Naik Vaz Institute invites all Goans and Sri Lankans to honor this significant date in their history and in the history of the Catholic Church by participating in a Novena for his canonization starting today.

On June 23, 2000, the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute celebrated a Mass at the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome for this anniversary and petitioned the Pope to canonize him as a Martyr without further miracles along with thousands of Martyrs canonized for the Grand Jubilee of the year 2000. Cardinal Simon Pimenta of Mumbai who personally gave the Pope this Petition was the chief celebrant and guest of honor at this Mass.

It is important that Goans and Sri Lankans continue to pray for the required miracle for his canonization. The Novena Prayer for the Canonization for Bl. Joseph Vaz is as follows: "Heavenly Father, Your Son proved through wonders, how sensitive Your heart is towards those who are burdened with sorrow, sickness, and difficulties. Through the wonders Blessed Joseph Vaz worked both in his life and death, he trailed the same path to show forth that divine kindness and thus drew thousands to Christ. Therefore, we humbly beg of You to put your seal on his heroic life and move the Church to declare him as a model and saint. We plead, if it is Your will, to grant us a cure to ........ or this favor........through his intercession." (Imprimatur. Vicar-General, Goa, India. 1987)