GL Thank you for responding.
To tell you the truth, unfortunately In Dar es Salaam, I have met only 3 Goan friends who have heard about St Vaz. Frankly, my guesstimate is that less than 10% out of the 500 Goans in Tanzania have heard of him. I learnt of him through Fr Cosmas in Pilar in 2008. Fr. Cosmas even an autographed his book…I was intrigued of his interest in the Persian Cross and the journey of the Two Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew, from Syria through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bombay, past Goa and then South India. I was told by a Mr. Thomas a south Indian that actually St.Thomas was martyred. Recently when an argument arose that Catholicism was a “Whiteman’s Religion” I refuted this popular notion…The fact is that .it took more than 500 years later before Ireland, Britain etc were converted. Indeed the first African Saints were St Augustine and his mother Saint Monica ! Long before St PatricK At the beginning of the year, while I was in Goa, I visited his birthplace and the shrine and more important I bought multiple copies of Books on St. Vaz books from various bookstores in Margao. I was impressed with the stamina of this Goan saint….because of my interest in Famines, disasters and violence. On the 26 of July I was talking to my Tanzanian friend from the southern part of Tanzania bordering Mozambique. I will be giving him a copy of the book on St Vaz, mainly because I wanted him to understand the amount of discrimination practiced by the European Political/Religious clique. German missionaries in what became ot Tanganyika did allow Africans to become priest because they were incapable to think. Ironically the worlds largest Catholic Seminary is in Nigeria …. It is so important to bring understanding between people. At the end of the day St. Vaz is for all people....Goans should feel proud. Adolfo PS The second copy will be given to my friends son who happens to be a Capuchin priest ....