A film depicting the life of a priest credited with strengthening the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, has had its official premier, amid year-long celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of his death.

“If it wasn’t for Blessed Joseph Vaz there would not have been a Catholic Church here,” said Father Alex Dassanayake, vice-postulator of the National Joseph Vaz Secretariat, which made the film.

He was speaking to 100 guests at the premier of Joseph Vaz held at the Caritas auditorium in Colombo on Aug. 25. Some 14 bishops, priests, nuns, lay Catholics, politicians and the movie’s actors attended the event.

The film will raise public awareness about the life of Father Vaz ahead of his 300 death anniversary on Jan. 16, 2011, Father Dassanayake, told ucanews.com.

It cost 2,700,000 rupees (US$23,600) to make and is in Sinhala, with Tamil and English subtitles, he added. Because many Catholic’s are praying for his canonization,  "we made the film about this great missionary’s life and struggle to introduce him to the people of our country,” he said.

“Blessed Vaz was an amazing and inspirational figure,” said the film’s director Sanjaya Nirmal. “I tried to depict this man’s journey towards his sainthood,” he said.

Blessed Vaz, known as the “Apostle of Sri Lanka,” was born on April 21, 1651, in Goa. He arrived in Sri Lanka as a missioner in April 1687 at a time when Catholics were facing persecution from Dutch colonists, and died there in 1711. He was beatified in Colombo by Pope John Paul II in 1995.

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