MONTH OF JANUARY 2025
Crusaders at the St. Joseph Vaz Novena Mass at Sancoale
St. Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was a priest of Goan origin born in the village of Benaulim in 1651. He is now also known as the ‘Friday Boy’ since most of the important miracles and events in his life had also taken place on Fridays. He was born on a Friday, baptised on a Friday and eventually died on a Friday. He was always devoted to Our Lady. In 1677 he consecrated himself as a “slave of Mary,” sealing it with a document known as his “Letter of Enslavement”.
Joseph Vaz served as a priest in the parishes of Goa, Kanara, and Mangalore, building chapels and churches, establishing confraternities and opening small schools. He even rose to the position of superior in his congregation. But all along, he would feel the constant calling of God to reach out to the Catholics in the Dutch territory of Ceylon, where they were being persecuted by the colonial rulers. In 1686 he was given approval to resign from his position as Superior and travel to Ceylon as the first non-European missionary. Once in Ceylon, he strengthened the Catholic community there. He remained firm in his faith even amid all trials and hardships. When he passed away on 16th January 1711 at the age of 59, he left behind a legacy of 70,000 Catholics, 15 churches, and 400 chapels. He was canonized on January 14, 2015, in Galle Face Green, Colombo, Sri Lanka, by Pope Francis.
Crusaders from all over Goa participated in large numbers in the St. Joseph Vaz Novena Mass at Sancoale on 12th Jan 2025 to seek the intercession of their Patron, St. Joseph Vaz, and invoke his prayers and blessings upon their families and the ACJM.
Joint Core Conclave of the Leadership of the ACJM
The leadership of the ACJM had their joint core conlcave from 16th January 2025 to 19th January 2025 at a place in North Goa. This conclave at the beginning of the year is a very crucial one to set the ball rolling for the ACJM not only in terms of activities but more importantly the formation of its members. Br. Edmund Antao, the Spiritual Guide of the ACJM, led everyone into a deep and meditative study of the Bible on various topics dealing with spiritual leadership. A self-introspection was done by many of the senior leaders based on the Word of God and this was of great help to everyone to learn practical ways of becoming effective leaders. Br. Edmund also dealt with the very important topic of personal contemplation of the inner self through the Spirit. Besides spending time in prayer and fellowship, the leadership also planned various activities for the year including the launching of new projects.
