MP Nalin Kumar Kateel visits Blessed Joseph Vaz church.

Mangalore, October 31: MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on October 29^th Thursday paid a visit to the Blessed Joseph Vaz church in Mudipu.

Blessed Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Sri Lanka, will be proclaimed as saint in January 14, 2015 informed Pope Francis. A three day festive celebration will be held on the miraculous hill of Mudipu on this eve.

Director of the Shrine Fr. Gregory D’souza welcomed the MP. During his visit, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel assured all possible assistance towards the development of the holy shrine.

Known as the Apostle of Sri Lanka for his ingenious apostolic zeal in reviving ‎the Catholic faith in Sri‎Lanka under the harsh persecution of Calvinist Dutch rule in the 17th century, ‎Vaz, an oratorian ‎priest from what is today Goa, India, was declared Blessed by John Paul II in ‎January, 1995 in Sri Lanka.

Pope Francis on September 17^th had said that Blessed Joseph Vaz would be declared as saint and day for the declaration was announced on October 20^th.

On this occasion zilla panchayat member Santhosh Kumar Rai, Chandrahas Uchill, Rajarama Bhat, Praveen Alva, Prashanth Gatti , Michael D’souza, Roshan D’souza parish council vice president, Sesappa tailor,  Alwyn Dsouza (KDP member), Riyaz, Jagadish Alva and others were present.