The third of six children, Vaz was born in 1651 at Benaulim, his mother’s village in Goa, then known as Portuguese India, part of the Portuguese Empire. His parents, Cristóvão Vaz and Maria de Miranda, were devout Catholics. Cristóvão belonged to a prominent Naik family of Sancoale. He was baptized on the eighth day at the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Benaulim by its pastor, Jacinto Pereira.
Joseph Vaz completed his studies in time and became a priest in 1676 at the age of 25. In 1690 he came to Kandy. He went from village to village preaching the gospel and founding many churches.
The prayers offered by the priests in the Buddhist temples did not bear fruit when a drought hit the country. But when Josephine made an altar in the public square and painted the cross and prayed, it rained profusely. The king gave permission for the priest’s action. Fr. Joseph Vaz died on 16 January 1711.
On January 21, 1995, Pope John Paul II ordained Joseph Vaz, the greatest missionary gifted by India. He is the Apostle of Sri Lanka and the heavenly patron of the Archdiocese of Goa. He was canonized on January 14, 2015, by Pope Francis.