Goa Church to restore Joseph Vaz monument

(March 16, 2011) The interior of the abandoned “Church of the Miraculous Cross” at Old Goa, where the Apostle of Sri Lanka, Joseph Vaz, prayed some 300 years ago, will have a new look when the Goan Church renovates it, to mark the third centenary of the saintly priest’s death. Goa and Daman archdiocese plan to restore the church and convent of the Oratorians, where Blessed Joseph Vaz lived. The Goan priest was instrumental in developing the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka before he died in 1711. “We want to restore it because the history of Joseph Vaz should live on,” said Fr. Eremito Rebello, vice postulator for the Cause of Blessed Joseph Vaz. The priest said renovation work on the Church of Miraculous Cross, which covers 17,000 square meters on a hillock in Old Goa, will start in April.
The initial project will cost around 80 million rupees (US$ 1.7 million), he said. The church and its parochial wing will be restored during the first phase. Fr. Rebello said the restoration committee is looking to adopt a baroque style for the façade in keeping with the original format of the church building. The church was built following a supposed miracle in 1619, but was abandoned in 1835 due to suppression of religious orders in Goa.