REVEREND RICHARD VAZ, SVD

Fr. Richard Vaz, SVD, an expert on social and economic matters in India, is a missionary with the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), a Roman Catholic order founded in 1875. Born in Mangalore, India, Fr. Vaz has devoted his career to caring for the economically disenfranchised.

For 29 years, he worked in Orissa, India, with the tribals (or indigenous people) and the dalits (those once known as the untouchables). Before being assigned to the United States in 2007, Fr. Vaz was regional director of Caritas (Catholic Charities) India, Orissa. He currently serves as superior delegate for the Society of the Divine Word in North America. In this role, he assists Divine Word Missionaries who come to the United States from other countries.

Members of the media wishing to interview Fr. Vaz should contact Theresa Carson at
847-412-1606.