First Death Anniversary of Pope Francis – April 21, 2025

Our Joseph Naik Vaz Institute’s Mass celebrating the 375th Birth anniversary of St. Joseph Naik Vaz was a successful composite East-West Mass of significant ethnic and cultural elements, linking Asian Indians and Californian Americans of different ethnic and spiritual stripes.

An African priest, Fr. Chrisanttus Nakanda from Cameroon, “shepherded ” us through the Mass on this Good Shepherd Sunday. Concelebrants were Vietnamese pastor Fr. Thuong of St. John’s and Tamil Indian Fr. Sebastian Titus from nearby St. Mary Magdalen Church, which has been supporting our celebrations, welcoming ethnic and spiritual diversity.

A Tongan Deacon, Loch Sekona, Member of the Pacific Asian Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Oakland’s Pastoral Centers, preached about the Gospel text of Good Shepherd Sunday. He wove in the description of the young Asian Indian priest, now a saint canonized in 2015 by Pope Francis, who died on this very April 21st date last year and whose memory we gratefully also celebrated. He eloquently gave a touching homily about the “Good Shepherd” St. Joseph Vaz, risking his life for his flock, weaving in the heroic life and service of this young 17th-century Indian priest to abandoned and persecuted Indian and Sri Lankan Catholics and to his relatively large number of converts.

A skillful East-West mix of music and language enhanced the celebration. The Entrance Hymn was a Hindustani hymn celebrating the Divine Light of God – “Divya Jyoti ki Baraat Aayi hai” composed and sung in a garland of 5 Indian Ragas by Rita Sahai, and her students. Vivek Anand, who also specializes in Sufi sacred music and her students, John and Filomena Giese, sang with Ms. Sahai.

Ms. Sahai is the 2026 Winner of the International HIND RATTAN AWARD to an overseas Indian who has contributed to keeping the Spirit of India alive. The church choir ably sang Western hymns for the rest of the Mass.

Many of the mixed ethnic participants in this Mass were blessed by a Message sent by Bishop Earl Fernandes, representing the U.S. bishops as the First U.S Bishop of Asian Indian origin and President of the U.S Bishops ’Committee for Asian and Pacific Asian Catholics.

The pastor Fr. Thuong and the priests and staff and volunteers of St. John the Baptist Church, led by Mr. Ed Bautista, as well as the pastor Fr. Glisson and priests and staff of St. Mary Magdalen Church, led by Ms. Norah Hippoyte, supported us with their encouragement, prayers and resources to make this a truly successful Asian Indian-Sri Lankan pastoral experience in the U.S.

We thank all our committee members, Ligia Britto, George Pinto, Noella Fernandes, Filomena and Newton Fernandes, Mihiri Dias, Jennie Castellino and many other community supporters who made this multi-faceted Celebration possible.

We felt that we had somehow spiritually and culturally cemented the historic link between the very faraway Indian Church of St. John the Baptist Church in Goa, India where the Indian- Sri Lankan Apostle St. Joseph Vaz was baptized 375 years ago, our interfaith friends, and the 100 year-old St. John the Baptist Church in California in the U. S. where his loyal devotees in the diaspora had offered many masses for his Canonization in the 21st century.

OPENING SONG BY SMT. RITA SAHAI 2026 winner of the HIND RATTAN PRIZE

“We Celebrate the Divine Light of God”
(“Divya Jyoti ki Baraat Aayi Hai”)

Raga Hamir
The procession of Divine Light has begun
The procession of Divine Light has begun!
God’s entourage of stars comes bearing dreams as gifts.

Raga Kalavati
The city of heavens is lit up with twinkling stars.
The moonlight waits with a garland of stars
We celebrate the Divine Light of God! (2)

Raga Kedar, Raga Durga
All gathered sing blessed songs.
Blessings, blessings!
We celebrate the Divine Light of God! (2)

Raga Malhar and Raga Bhupali
The moonlight and her stars
How many times have they sat together under the sky!
We celebrate the Divine Light of God (2)

Raga Bhimpalasi
Wise ones and saints in the sky, and We the People of God
Celebrate the auspicious festival of the Divine Light of God.
We celebrate the Divine Light of God! (2)