Verghese V Joseph –
The Indian Catholic community in the U.S., Canada and other countries received historic news this September: St. Devasahayam Pillai, revered for his courage and martyrdom, has been named the Patron Saint of the Laity in India. The recognition, celebrated by Catholics across India and the diaspora, marks a significant moment for lay participation in the country’s faith journey and has also sparked renewed calls for the canonization of other native saints who championed the empowerment of ordinary believers.
A Landmark for Indian Laity
The Joseph Naik Vaz Institute, a Berkeley-based organization representing the Indian and Sri Lankan Catholic diaspora in North America and beyond, extended heartfelt congratulations to India’s Church for this momentous honour. “Our warmest congratulations on having St. Devasahayam made Patron Saint of the Laity in India,” reads their message. The institute described St. Devasahayam as an “inspiring model of courage under persecution,” a figure whose legacy goes beyond faith boundaries to embody resilience, hope, and steadfast loyalty to conscience.
For India’s lay Catholics, many of whom live in states where Christians are a minority, this recognition is deeply personal. “We salute him and pray for his intercession,” said Filomena Saraswati Giese, President and Founder of the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute. St. Devasahayam’s devotion and willingness to suffer unto death underscore the quiet heroism within India’s lay Church, offering millions a saintly guide for faith-filled action in the world.
Diaspora Voices: Celebrating and Calling for Recognition
The individuals behind the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute have deep roots in the cause for native saints. For decades, they have advocated for the acknowledgment of local missionaries and martyrs, especially St. Joseph Vaz, a Goan-born priest who journeyed through persecution and helped sustain the Catholic Church across South India and Sri Lanka in the 17th and 18th centuries.
“We are members of the Indian and Sri Lankan diaspora in the U.S., Canada, and other countries, who have been working internationally for the Cause of St. Joseph Vaz since 1978,” their statement reads. Despite being cut off from the mainline Indian and Sri Lankan bishops and lay associations—owing to geography, migration, and sometimes indifference from overseas hierarchies—the diaspora continues to preserve his spiritual legacy.
St. Joseph Vaz’s remarkable ministry began in Goa, where he was born in 1651. In 1681, dressed in the simple garb of a labourer and carrying the tools of his priesthood hidden in a cinnamon box, he set out for Sri Lanka. The Dutch had expelled all foreign missionaries, leaving Indian Catholics abandoned and vulnerable. For the next 27 years, Vaz lived as a missionary under persecution, walking vast distances to bring the sacraments to scattered faithful, and training laity to support and, when necessary, lead the Church’s mission in secret.
St. Joseph Vaz: Apostle of Empowerment
Although St. Devasahayam’s elevation stirs well-deserved celebration, the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute sees the moment as an opportunity to highlight another native hero whose vision shaped the course of Catholic life in South Asia: “We have had a petition to Pope Francis, and now to Pope Leo, to have St. Joseph Vaz made Patron Saint of the Laity for his contributions to the Church under persecution, such as training the laity, native clergy, and native congregations,” explains Giese.
During crises of faith—including eras when religious expression was suppressed and Catholic communities had to operate underground—Joseph Vaz developed innovative methods to ensure survival. He established the first Indian religious congregation at a time when none existed and mentored tribal and laypeople to serve the Church in bold and practical ways. The 140-year sustainability of his underground network in Sri Lanka is testament to his vision: an empowered laity, collaborating with clergy, and organizing chapels, schools, and health clinics across generations.
The Institute notes that Vaz’s style of grassroots pastoral leadership, focused on inculturation and the education of local people, set a precedent for self-reliant Christian communities. While expressing “warm support that an Indian lay martyr, St. Devasahayam, be declared Patron Saint of the Laity in India,” they urge Indian bishops and lay leaders to also petition for St. Joseph Vaz to be named “Patron Saint of the Laity as Synodal Church Collaborators and of Freedom of Religion in India.”
A Shared Legacy Across Borders
The legacy of St. Joseph Vaz crosses national and religious boundaries. In a poignant reflection, the institute recounts how Vaz, centuries ago, not only revitalized Kanara’s devastated Catholic community but later created a thriving network in Sri Lanka—lay-led, clergy-trained, and independent of colonial oversight—for nearly a century and a half.
The Institute’s board members—Olvin Veigas, S.J., George Pinto, Ligia Britto, and Carol Fields—further underline the shared heritage: “Patron Saint” status for Vaz, they argue, would not dilute existing spiritual claims made by Sri Lanka. Rather, it would affirm the saint’s unique ability to unite people of different races and religions, as seen in his influence over Buddhist kings, Muslim physicians, and ordinary Hindus and Christians alike. “He had the spiritual power to move hearts and minds toward peace and reconciliation,” the Institute affirms.
Indian Laity’s Road Ahead
This milestone for St. Devasahayam comes at a critical time when the Indian Church, under pressure and challenge, looks to its own history for inspiration. Both St. Devasahayam and St. Joseph Vaz remind the faithful of the resilience and creativity of laypeople in keeping the flame of faith alive, especially when institutional support and external freedoms falter.
The Joseph Naik Vaz Institute’s message serves as both congratulations and a call to further action. Now, with one lay martyr officially enthroned in India’s Catholic consciousness, the door is open for wider recognition of the laity’s pivotal role—past, present, and future. “He was simply a visionary Saint of multiple apostolates, full of the spirit of compassion and service to humanity and the Church,” the Institute underscores, reminding all of the enduring importance of native saints who inspire action and solidarity in faith communities.
As Christians in India and their diaspora celebrate the Patron of the Laity, their voices also unite around a second, enduring hope: that the legacy of St. Joseph Vaz too will gain the recognition and devotion that his life’s work so amply merits.
For more on the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute’s ongoing work and advocacy, visit: www.josephnaikvaz.org.