Melvyn Misquita
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| Photo: Suzie Misquita |
When the life-sized statue of Jesus is lowered from the Cross and placed in a coffin during the Good Friday service at the St Thomas Church in Aldona, an exquisite gold and silver brocade cloth to cover the statue of Jesus has been used every year since 1978.
Well, that gold and silver brocade cloth has a fascinating story.
The brocade cloth was donated by my parents, late Valentino and Maria Felicia Misquita of Cottarbhat-Aldona, and it was brought while they were in Qatar.
“The late Fr Hilario de Souza (parish priest) liked my saree and had asked me to purchase a similar pattern brocade cloth in gold and silver to cover the statue of Jesus on Good Friday,” recalled Maria Felicia Misquita.
“The brocade (about 2-and-half metres) was bought from Irani Souq in Doha-Qatar in 1978 for about 30 Riyals a metre. You can use the brocade on both the sides.”
“There are two pieces of brocade: one below the statue and one to cover the statue. The one to cover the statue is slightly smaller as the face of Jesus has to be seen. And the cloth below the statue in the coffin is slightly bigger. The pattern of both the brocades are nearly similar.”
“Fr Hilario had also asked me to stitch a gold border given by him. This gold border belonged to an old cloth. I had to open it and stitched it on the new brocade cloth in 1978.”
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