Hi Filomena, I read several of your recent posts on the topic with interest. I must compliment you that despite Dom's superb command of the English language and often referred to as the foremost Goan writer, Dom folded like a wet-noodle in response to your inquiry. I do have a sense of humor. Since I am already a wet-noodle (supurlo Goenkar) it is unlikely that your magic spell on me will bend me out of shape, so let me come to Dom's aid and respond. My post is in response to a simple question you and others ask: Why a Basilica for St. Vaz? This is a very valid question. Every Goan will have his / her own answer(s) to that question; and every Goan will reply to that question based on their own conscience and personal experience. Here are some answers: To begin with the Goan community owes a tremendous THANK YOU to you and George Pinto and the Joseph Vaz Institute in San Francisco for your yeomen work towards the canonization of Joseph Vaz. Yet truth be told, from the contents and tone of your posts, you likely have gotten a burn-out in the process. Yet we have to move forward, now that we have a Goan saint. We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons you worked hard to see him canonized.We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons you established a Joseph Vaz Institute.We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons we all celebrate his feast in all its solemnity in Goa, Sri Lanka, Mangalore and elsewhere on January 14-16.We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons that Sri Lanka has a Basilica for him. We need a Basilica for St. Joseph Vaz for the same reasons that we have a Basilica for Our Lady of Velankani. For all the nay-sayers about the "White Church", now is the time to show what we-Goan Catholics can do. St. Vaz should be the focal point that connects all Goan Catholics throughout the world and through posterity; just like SFX has done it for the last 500 years. So let us-all leave our cynicism, punditry, parody, egos, smarts, old grudges and prove to our children and grandchildren that we are worthy of our Goan ancestry and heritage. I think you and the Joseph Vaz Institute should be glad that some different names and faces from different parts of the world are stepping forward to help carry the goal-post forward. The aim of the basilica is to advance something that has been started and not to replace it. We hope that with your experience, you can be a guiding light having walked down the path of interacting with various players. I hope I can meet you and George Pinto on my next trip to San Francisco around the Thanksgiving holiday and feast of SFX.
Kind regards and Best wishes, GL
