Pope Francis Canonizes Sri Lanka's First Saint - Perspectives Daily. saltandlight on Jan 14, 2015 Today on Perspectives, Pope Francis Canonizes Sri Lanka's first saint and visits Sri Lanka's holiest …More
Pope Francis Canonizes Sri Lanka's First Saint - Perspectives Daily.
saltandlight on Jan 14, 2015 Today on Perspectives, Pope Francis Canonizes Sri Lanka's first saint and visits Sri Lanka's holiest Marian Shrine.
saltandlight on Jan 14, 2015 Today on Perspectives, Pope Francis Canonizes Sri Lanka's first saint and visits Sri Lanka's holiest Marian Shrine.
Pope Francis canonized the Indian-born Joseph Vaz as Sri Lanka's first saint during a Wednesday morning Mass in Colombo that was attended by more than a half-million people.
— Vaz, a 17th century missionary to Sri Lanka from what was then the Portuguese colony of Goa, sometimes worked in secret, dressing up as a laborer or beggar so he wouldn't be arrested by the island's hard-line Calvinist colonial …More
Pope Francis canonized the Indian-born Joseph Vaz as Sri Lanka's first saint during a Wednesday morning Mass in Colombo that was attended by more than a half-million people.
— Vaz, a 17th century missionary to Sri Lanka from what was then the Portuguese colony of Goa, sometimes worked in secret, dressing up as a laborer or beggar so he wouldn't be arrested by the island's hard-line Calvinist colonial rulers.
— Catholic tradition says Vaz miraculously brought rain to the independent kingdom of Kandy, in central and eastern Sri Lanka, during a major drought. As a result, Kandy's king gave Vaz protection and allowed him to work there openly.
— The first calls to have Vaz made a saint came soon after he died, in 1711, in Kandy.
Mothers carried babies and young people helped elderly relatives as the last of thousands of people streamed onto Galle Face Green, the seaside park where Pope Francis was celebrating Mass on Wednesday morning. The crowds poured off buses and from the nearby railway station. Security was tight, and everyone had to walk the last few hundred meters (yards), but the feel was festive, and taxi drivers were handing out free cups of tea.
Sure you could stay home and watch it all in comfort. But that, they said, could not capture the feel of being there in person.
"With today's advanced technology, you can see him on television and on the Internet," said Kolitha Fernando, a retired clerk from the hill town of Kandy. "But to see him with your naked eyes, that's a great feeling and a privilege for a Catholic."
— By Bharatha Mallawarachi, AP writer, Colombo
— Vaz, a 17th century missionary to Sri Lanka from what was then the Portuguese colony of Goa, sometimes worked in secret, dressing up as a laborer or beggar so he wouldn't be arrested by the island's hard-line Calvinist colonial rulers.
— Catholic tradition says Vaz miraculously brought rain to the independent kingdom of Kandy, in central and eastern Sri Lanka, during a major drought. As a result, Kandy's king gave Vaz protection and allowed him to work there openly.
— The first calls to have Vaz made a saint came soon after he died, in 1711, in Kandy.
Mothers carried babies and young people helped elderly relatives as the last of thousands of people streamed onto Galle Face Green, the seaside park where Pope Francis was celebrating Mass on Wednesday morning. The crowds poured off buses and from the nearby railway station. Security was tight, and everyone had to walk the last few hundred meters (yards), but the feel was festive, and taxi drivers were handing out free cups of tea.
Sure you could stay home and watch it all in comfort. But that, they said, could not capture the feel of being there in person.
"With today's advanced technology, you can see him on television and on the Internet," said Kolitha Fernando, a retired clerk from the hill town of Kandy. "But to see him with your naked eyes, that's a great feeling and a privilege for a Catholic."
— By Bharatha Mallawarachi, AP writer, Colombo