“My godfather’s sainthood brought tears to my eyes”

[First appeared in the Herald - 19 January 2015]
 
MELVYN MISQUITA
19 JAN 2015
PANJIM

Fr Cosme Costa (extreme right) is seated in the special
Altar enclave close to Pope Francis (in the background)
during the Canonization Mass.
Photo by Fr Eusebio Gomes SFX

When Pope Francis proclaimed Joseph Vaz a saint shortly before 9 am on January 14, an estimated million-odd devotees attending the canonization ceremony broke into jubilation amid thunderous applause. For one person in that multitude of devotees it was a momentous occasion.

Fr Cosme Joseph Vaz Costa of Aldona, professor at the Pilar Theological College, was there and there were tears in his eyes. It was his birth that was the only approved miracle in the path that took Joseph Vaz to sainthood. The saint also happens to be the godfather of Fr Costa.

In an interview, Fr Costa narrates his emotional trip to Sri Lanka to attend the canonization of his godfather.

In Goa, you are fondly known as the ‘Miracle Child’. What was the reception accorded to you in Sri Lanka?

As a special invitee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka, I was treated as a VIP from the moment I stepped out of the plane at Colombo at 11.35 pm on January 11. Everyone addressed or introduced me as ‘the miracle child’.

As I came out of the plane, there was an airhostess with my name placard and a wheel-chair to move me to the VIP room of the airport building. They themselves got me cleared of the immigration and other formalities, collected my luggage and drove me to a St Mary’s Senior Citizens Home, some 25 kms away, in the heart of Colombo.

Because of my ill-health, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had entrusted me to the sisters and they treated me with great affection and love. A university student escorted me and we reached there at 1.30 am. What a contrast between the entry of St Joseph Vaz into Sri Lanka as a coolie in 1687 and my entry into Sri Lanka as a VIP for his canonization ceremony 327 years later!

I was confused. I have done nothing to merit all this. It was my mother, Quiteria C P Noronha e Costa, who deserved it and she is no more. I thank the Lord and St Joseph Vaz for showering me with these blessings, because of her prayers.

The canonization was indeed the culmination of your mission and work as a priest devoted to spread the veneration of St Joseph Vaz. What were your experiences of the canonization ceremony?

On January 14, the inmates and Sisters at the Senior Citizens Home were taken to the venue of the Canonization at 4 am in buses. But I was told to rest till 5 am and a VIP car with a police escort took me to a VIP hotel.

There, I met 3 Indian Cardinals Telesphore Toppo (Ranchi), Oswald Gracias (Mumbai) and Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal (Trivandrum), Goan Archbishops Filipe Neri Ferrao and Raul Gonsalves, Evaristo Pinto (Pakistan) and Anil Couto (Delhi), as well as Goan Bishops Allwyn Barreto (Sindudhurg), Alex Dias sfx (Andamans), Theodore Mascarenhas sfx (Ranchi) and Derek Fernandes (Karwar), four more bishops from Bangladesh and elsewhere.

At 7 am, these cardinals, bishops and I were escorted with security guards in a convoy of cars to the venue of the Canonization, where a sea of humanity had already assembled. We dressed for the Mass and went in procession. The Pope arrived and drove through the crowds till 8 am. Then, he came with the cardinals and 15 Sri Lankan bishops, walking in procession and started the Mass.

Among the 120 clergymen, including the above-mentioned four cardinals, 25 archbishops and bishops, as well as representatives of diocesan and religious priests from Sri Lanka, I was the only priest from Goa (India) to be included inside the special Altar enclave with the Pope. Over 6000 priests were in the Congregation outside the Altar enclave, who concelebrated with us. They later came to distribute Holy Communion to the multitude of devotees.

According to police and security estimates, there were 10.5 lakh people in the congregation at the Papal Mass, which is nearly three times Goa’s entire Catholic population.

What was your reaction at the very moment Pope Francis canonized Joseph Vaz?

I have no words to express my feelings of the moment. I was simply overwhelmed. Tears came to my eyes. I thanked God for Joseph Vaz’s tremendous courage and dedication and prayed that Goa and my Society of Pilar may, in the present and future, produce missionaries of such calibre to spread Christ’s message. The huge wooden statue of Joseph Vaz was in front of me.
I looked at the statue with intense emotion as he is my godfather. I thanked him for hearing the prayers of my mother and interceding before God to save my life. I felt fulfilled and surrendered myself to God's will.
 
Was there any interesting moment during the Pontifical Mass?

What many Goans may not know is that an extraordinary favour had been obtained through the intercession of Saint Joseph Vaz in a very difficult delivery of twins, to a Sri Lankan couple at Connecticut (USA).

According to medical advice, one of the twins was supposed to be very abnormal and doctors advised and insisted on performing an abortion, in order to save the other who was normal. The parents prayed to Saint Joseph Vaz and refused to undergo any abortion. The twins were delivered normal in due time. Bishop Vianney Fernando of Kandy went to Connecticut and formulated the process of this extraordinary favour obtained through the intercession of Saint Joseph Vaz in the difficult delivery of the twins.

This process was then submitted to the Sacred Congregation of Saints in Rome. But because its study for the approval would take a long time, the requirement of a second approved miracle was waved off by the Pope. These twins were present for the Canonization Mass and were even included in the offertory procession, but no announcement was made of this fact.

Did you get an opportunity to meet the Pope during his visit to Sri Lanka?

On January 13, the 78-yr-old Pope Francis had overexerted himself while greeting the people in an open pope-mobile, as they had lined up on both sides, all over the 25-km route, from the airport to Colombo. While the vehicle was being driven, the Pope was moving from left to right, all the time.

Following advice from his medical team, he had to cancel a number of audiences and a meeting with the Bishops of Sri Lanka. So, I had no chance of a personal meeting with Pope Francis.

But since my miracle had been accepted for beatification, I had been presented to Pope St John Paul II in 1995. I was given a personal blessing by this saint.

+++

Goans across India, world in Lanka for canonization

[First appeared in the Herald - 12 January 2015]

The exuberance to be part of the historic event in Sri Lanka, where Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Joseph Vaz as Goa’s first Saint, is not restricted to Goan pilgrims in the State.
 
MELVYN MISQUITA
12 JAN 2015
PANJIM

The Goan diaspora in different parts of the country and across the world have either arrived in Colombo, or are reaching the city within the next two days, to be part of the Canonization ceremony at the Galle Face Green grounds on January 14.

On Friday evening, Filomena Saraswati Giese and George Pinto, representatives of the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute of Berkeley-California in the USA, met Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and other Sri Lankan bishops, and thanked them for their efforts in this cause.

In Delhi, Goan origin Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto, Fr Cyril Rodrigues and other Goan pilgrims will be flying to Colombo on Monday for the Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz. They are expected to return on January 15. Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, is already in Sri Lanka.
 
Many Goan pilgrims hailing from various parts of Karnataka, including Belgaum, Karwar, Mangalore and Bangalore, are also headed for Sri Lanka for the canonization ceremony. Given that Joseph Vaz played a key role in promoting the Catholic faith in Mangalore and across the Canara region, a sizeable number of pilgrims from there are also expected to visit Sri Lanka.
 
Goan Bishop Allwyn Barreto of Sindhudurg, who represents the Catholic community in the southernmost district of Maharashtra, is already in Sri Lanka for the event. It is also learnt that Goan priests from Mumbai and Pune are also attending the canonization of Bl Joseph Vaz.
 
Fr Denzil Fernandes, Goan Jesuit priest based in Delhi, welcomed the political changes in Sri Lanka, barely days before Pope Francis’ visit to the country.
 
“I am glad that the new President Sirisena assumed office in a peaceful transition of power in Sri Lanka less than a week before the Pope's visit,” remarked Fr Denzil Fernandes. “I have developed a great devotion to Bl Joseph Vaz and though I am unable to go for the canonization ceremony in Sri Lanka, I will celebrate the canonization of this great son of Goa,” he said.
 
Fr Fernandes highlighted the Jesuit influence in the life and veneration of Bl Joseph Vaz. “He was born in a Jesuit parish, his faith was nurtured by Jesuits and he was educated by Jesuits in Goa. On January 14, he will be canonized by Pope Francis, a Jesuit himself,” remarked Fr Fernandes, who incidentally had stayed in Sri Lanka for six months during his priestly studies.
 
“I realized the greatness of Bl Joseph Vaz when I went to Sri Lanka for my Tertianship programme at Arrupe House, Kandy, in 2005. Soon I realized that the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka owes its existence to this great Apostle of Ceylon. Sri Lankan Catholics already revered him as a saint and several institutions were named after him.”
 
“The faith of the Catholics in Sri Lanka resembled that of Goan Catholics as Bl Joseph Vaz brought several Goan priests of the Oratory of Felipe Neri that he had founded in order to resurrect the Church in Sri Lanka. For me, my 6-month Tertianship programme in Sri Lanka was a pilgrimage,” said Fr Fernandes.

+++

Pilgrims progress to Sri Lanka for the Sainthood of their Blessed Joseph Vaz

[First appeared in the Herald - 11 January 2015]
 

Participating in an event that takes place for the first time in five centuries is not just a historic moment, but it has also become a matter of great devotion and huge pride to a large number of Goans. Goa’s first canonisation of one of its most illustrious sons, Fr Joseph Vaz, by Pope Francis in Sri Lanka on January 14 has prompted hundreds of enthusiastic Goan devotees to go to Sri Lanka, to attend this unique event in the 500-year history of Goa’s Catholic faith.

‘Miracle Child’ Fr Cosme, entourage of priests and  laity Colombo-bound

MELVYN MISQUITA
11 JAN 2015
PANJIM

Goa’s first saint has begun moving thousands of devotees to Sri Lanka. Led by the Archbishop and consisting of senior members of the clergy and accompanied by the most significant pilgrim, the miracle child Father Cosme, they will cross the Palk Straits to the land where Blessed Joseph Vaz, a Goan, spent a large part of his life in the service of the faith. Over a thousand devotees and fifty priests, many of them as spiritual advisors to pilgrims will be in Sri Lanka for the event. HERALD reports on this journey and the forthcoming events which will unfold

An estimated 1,000 devotees consisting of priests and laity have already begun leaving for Sri Lanka to attend the canonisation ceremony of Blessed Joseph Vaz. While some will participate in the Mass others will extended their stay to visit religious and tourist sites.

Archbishop-Patriarch Filipe Neri Ferrao, Bishop of Sindhudurg Allwyn Barreto, Vicar General Fr Jose Remedios Fernandes and Archbishop Ferrao’s secretary Fr Loiola Pereira left for Sri Lanka on Saturday, while others attending the ceremony include Goan Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas (Ranchi Archdiocese) and the “miracle child” Fr Cosme J Costa.

According to priests and tour operators, Goans visiting Sri Lanka for the canonisation ceremony have been broadly classified into two groups.

The first group of visitors, classified as tourists, will stay in hotels and their itinerary will include the canonisation ceremony and a tour across places of tourist importance in Sri Lanka. Many tour operators have worked out different packages to suit various groups of Goan visitors during their stay in Sri Lanka.

The other group of visitors insists that they are pilgrims, not tourists.

“Ninety of my parishioners, devotees who accompanied me in parishes during the raising of funds for the Sanctuary and some actors of our drama ‘Goychem Noketr Padre Zuze Vaz’ (Goa’s Star, Fr Joseph Vaz) are also in our pilgrimage group to Sri Lanka,” said Candolim Parish Priest Fr Romualdo Robin Rodrigues, former vice-postulator for the canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz.

“This is a pilgrimage, not a tour. My friends in Sri Lanka will organize our visit to the various sites related to Fr Joseph Vaz. I have instructed my pilgrims that we stay in convents, retreat houses, monasteries and look upon this visit to Sri Lanka as a pilgrimage. We will live the humble life of Fr Joseph Vaz during the days of our pilgrimage,” Fr Rodrigues added.

Given that a Goan priest will be made a saint by the universal Catholic Church, an estimated 50 priests from all over Goa will visit Sri Lanka, either as spiritual advisors of groups or in their individual capacities.

As spiritual advisors, many of these priests accompanying these groups have been offered a complimentary trip by the tour operators.

Among the priests confirming their participation in their individual capacities include four professors from Rachol Seminary, Fr Simon Fernandes (president of the Committee for the Cause of Canonisation), Fr Nelson Sequeira, Fr Noel D’Costa and Fr Simon D’Cunha.

Other priests who are expected to make the trip to Sri Lanka include Fr Alban Fernandes (Holy Cross Shrine, Bambolim), Fr Roque Costa (parish priest, Rachol), Fr Ubaldo Fernandes (parish priest, Ambaulim-Quepem) and Fr Saude Pereira (parish priest, Chandor).

A group of six priests – Fr Mariano D’Costa and Fr Adolf Alvares (St Andrew’s church, Vasco), Fr Noel D’Costa and Fr Simon D’Cunha (Rachol Seminary), Fr Caitan D’Souza (Siolim) and Fr Xavier Estebeiro (Mapusa) – from the batch ordained in 2008 are also going by themselves to Sri Lanka for the canonisation ceremony. All six priests will leave Goa on January 13 and will return on January 16.

Two groups of parishioners from Porvorim will be led by Parish Priest Fr Tomas Lobo and Assistant Parish Priest Fr Boniface Furtado. Besides leading a group of parishioners, Fr Tomas Lobo will also have a special role to play in the canonisation ceremony.
 
“On the one hand, I’m elated to be part of the celebration in Sri Lanka where I will be part of our Goan choral group, led by Fr Loiola Pereira, which will sing an anthem to St Joseph Vaz in Konkani at the end of the canonisation Mass. I am also glad that I will have the opportunity to be concelebrating with the pope and with my brother priests at the solemn Eucharist,” said Fr Lobo.

“The pilgrimage to Sri Lanka will also give us an opportunity to visit places where Joseph Vaz worked with greatest missionary zeal and witness the faith of the Sri Lankan people, with whom we are connected due to the shining fruit of our Goan church - St Joseph Vaz,” he added.

__________

 

What Goa’s first Saint means to priests visiting Sri Lanka

“To me, it is a matter of great pride and joy that we are getting our first Goan Saint and that too, from our Beloved Pope Francis. When the news of his canonisation was announced, I rejoiced that the long wait of 304 years by Goans, Mangloreans and Sri Lankans, who already revered Joseph Vaz as a saint, has finally ended and the prayers of millions around the world had been answered.

What has drawn me closer to the saint is his phenomenal love for Our Lady to whom he dedicated his entire life and ministry. His missionary dynamism is truly exceptional and inspirational. God bless our church in the present times with such courageous, dynamic and joyful missionaries. The pilgrimage to Sri Lanka will also give us an opportunity to visit places where Joseph Vaz worked with greatest missionary zeal and witness the faith of the Sri Lankan people, with whom we are connected due to the shining fruit of our Goan church - St Joseph Vaz.”

Fr Tomas Lobo
Parish Priest,
Porvorim

+++

“The first time I learnt of Joseph Vaz's wonderful work was in school. My Konkani text book of Std VI had a chapter of Padri Jose Vaz. I was quite fascinated by the disguises he used to find the houses of Christians and thereafter, help them with their spiritual needs.

When studying in the Seminary, I came to know of the Second Vatican Council and its teachings on inculturation. This council gave a new vision, but it gives me pride that Fr Joseph Vaz, a man from our land, who lived more than two hundred years before the Second Vatican Council, had already implemented what the council thought. Canonisation adds nothing to Joseph Vaz’s greatness. He is great because of what he did in life, but it encourages us to strive to commit ourselves to the mission of Christ.”

Fr Nelson Sequeira,
Professor at Rachol Seminary

+++

I owe St Joseph Vaz everything, every bit that happened during my tenure and after my tenure at the Sanctuary of Fr Joseph Vaz in Sancoale. He has been my constant companion and even continues to be to this very day. And I have given his love to others whom I met during my tenure in parishes I was posted.
Actually, in August last year, I knew that Pope Francis would declare Fr Joseph Vaz as Saint during his visit to Sri Lanka. Something was telling me that it is going to happen. The Canonization is going happen during Pope Francis’s visit in January. I had even spoken to some friends that this would happen soon. And it came true. The multitude of devotees like me thanked God Almighty for the happiest news in my life. I go to Sri Lanka as a devotee, to pay respects to the person who entered my life in Sancoale and changed me spiritually. Fr Joseph Vaz for me is my constant companion.
 

My 90 parishioners who are devotees of Fr Joseph Vaz, devotees who accompanied me in parishes during the raising of funds for the Sanctuary and some of my actors and manager of our drama ‘Goychem Noketr Padre Zuze Vaz’ are also in the group of Pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. Back here in Candolim on January 14, nine Chapels will also install nine statues of St Joseph Vaz in Candolim.
 

This Pilgrimage to Sri lanka for the Canonization of Fr Jospeh Vaz is a Pilgrimage not a Tour. My friends in Sri Lanka will organize our visit to the various sites related to Fr Joseph Vaz. I have instructed my pilgrims that we stay in convents, retreat houses, monasteries and look upon this visit to Sri Lanka as a Pilgrimage! We will live the humble life of Fr Joseph Vaz during the days of the Pilgrimage. We will visit the places, including the place where he landed in Mannar on the Beach -tired and exhausted - where he began his ministry after leaving Goa as a coolie. And through this Pilgrimage we grow strong in our faith.
 

We come back home with the conviction that we walked the Holy land of Sri Lanka, in the footsteps of our own first Goan Saint, our son of the soil. My thanks to Pope Francis for giving us our first Goan Saint.

Fr Romualdo Robin Rodrigues
Parish Priest,
Candolim

+++

I recall with gratitude the prayerful atmosphere we had in our family. One of the many prayers those days was for the beatification of Blessed Joseph Vaz. Of course, I had not known much of him in my childhood days. When at Rachol Seminary, a wonderful and thought-provoking experience shared by late Fr Edwin, who was known as Swami, gave some insights into the life of this holy man.
 

Some years back, I was requested by the Archbishop to head the Committee for the Cause of the Canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz. I took it up willingly and in the spirit of selfless service to God and his people and for the love of the saint of our soil. This responsibility motivated me to read a lot on Joseph Vaz, especially during the Pastoral Year (2010-2011) dedicated to Joseph Vaz, when we had to organise and coordinate a lot of programmes at the Diocesan level. His life inspired me to be a better priest and energized me in my priestly ministry at various levels.
 

I also had the opportunities to make Joseph Vaz known by writing on the periodical ‘Goychem Noketr’ and other publications, through missions and otherwise. With wholehearted collaboration of the members of the two committees that I had during my tenure, we spared no efforts along with the Vice-Postulator Fr Eremito Rebelo to make Joseph Vaz known far and wide and at the same to reinforce the prayer campaign for the Cause of Canonisation.
While reading about the life and mission of Joseph Vaz, I always desired to visit the places where he preached the Gospel and safeguarded the Catholic Faith. 

There were avenues opened in the past to visit these places but time-factor and commitment to other activities did not materialize my desire to go to Sri Lanka.
Today, I go to Sri Lanka with sentiments of gratitude to God for gifting the land of Goa with such a holy and zealous priest, a man with foresight, far-sight and insight. A powerful intercessor for all of us, indeed!

Fr Simon Fernandes
Professor, Rachol Seminary
and President,
Committee for Cause of Canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz

+++

The Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz is an event for which thousands of Goans as well as Mangaloreans and Sri Lankans have been praying for, and looking forward to, in the last three hundred years. Thousands of favours have been reported through his intercession even during his lifetime and much more after his death till today. But none of them was submitted to a canonical process scrutinized by teams of doctors, theologians, Bishops and Cardinals and finally accepted by the Pope as a miracle, except the one that God worked in my life in answer to prayers. I have not done anything. It is Joseph Vaz's powerful intercession before God that has saved my life.
 

The Process of this miracle was started in January 1990 and it took three years to complete. As this process would take a long time to study and complete, Pope Francis has waved the requirement of an approved miracle for the Canonization.
I attended the Beatification ceremony in Sri Lanka on January 21, 1995. I look forward with deep gratitude for this great event of the Canonization. I thank God for my mother's deep faith in hum. Canonization will entitle Joseph Vaz for honours of the altar all over the world, as a saint to be emulated by missionaries, especially in difficult situations of present day persecutions of Christians all over the world. Joseph Vaz stands as a beacon of light, strategy and strength in such difficult situations.

Fr Cosme J Costa
Pilar Theological College
Pilar

+++

Exposition: Spiritual heritage preserved by Canons

[First appeared in Herald - 30 November, 2014]

MELVYN MISQUITA
30 NOV 2014
PANJIM

Fr Saturnino Dias, president of the Cathedral Chapter, (extreme right)
along with two other Canons on the opposite side, carry the relics of
St Francis Xavier inside the Se Cathedral during the 2104 Exposition.
Photo by Miguel N V Fernandes

If millions of devotees get to venerate the relics of St Francis Xavier at the Se Cathedral during the ongoing XVII Exposition, they need to be grateful to the selfless and dedicated service of a small group of priests for this rich spiritual heritage.

Had it not been for efforts spanning over 165 years by a group of senior clergymen called Canons (Cónegos in Portuguese, Kon’g in Konkani), who constitute the Cathedral Chapter (Cabido in Portuguese, Kabid in Konkani), Bom Jesus Basilica and Se Cathedral could well have been reduced to ruins.

“If some magnificent churches like Bom Jesus Basilica are still surviving in Old Goa today, it’s mainly due to efforts of my predecessors. The Canons were among the few clergymen who remained in Old Goa, when the city was virtually abandoned due to many reasons,” claims Canon Fr Atanasio Lobo, secretary of the Cathedral Chapter.

Established in 1534, the Cathedral Chapter comprised a group of Canons, a highly respected and influential group of senior clergymen, who were advisors and collaborators of the bishop, even to the point of substituting him in his absence. Besides being the bishop’s ‘senate and counsel’, they celebrated solemn liturgical functions in the cathedral and assumed administration of the diocese when the bishop died.

The Canons, who were associated with Se Cathedral and whose one member was parish priest of the Cathedral, ended up also being administrators of the Basilica and later, the sole clergymen in Old Goa, due to a series of events.

Following declining health conditions and other factors prevailing in Old Goa, the archbishop vacated his Archiepiscopal Palace in 1695 and shifted to another palace in Panelim (near Ribandar).

According to Fr Saturnino Dias, president of the Cathedral Chapter, staff employees of the Chapter were among the few parishioners left in Old Goa from 1695 onwards.

“This is because the population deserted the place and both civil and ecclesiastical authorities abandoned the city due to insalubrious conditions at Old Goa,” says Fr Dias.

If people left Old Goa due to health reasons, other factors forced the exit of religious congregations from Old Goa.
“With the expulsion of Jesuits from Goa in 1759, Bom Jesus Basilica and the adjacent Casa Professa (Professed House) was placed under the care of four Dominicans for some time,” said Jesuit Province Archivist Fr Gregory Naik.

“In 1761, a commission which included the Viceroy, the archbishop and other civil and ecclesiastical authorities took over administration of the Basilica,” said Fr Naik.

Canons Antonio de Menezes and Canon Caetano de Melo were then appointed administrators of the College of Bom Jesus and Houses of Bom Jesus respectively from 1780-1782. Then, two priests from the congregation of Vincentians became administrators of the Basilica from 1782 to 1792. They were followed by Canon Caetano de Melo as administrator of the Basilica.

About eight decades after the expulsion of the Jesuits, other religious congregations were forced to abandon their activity, when the Portuguese government ordered the suppression of all religious orders from Goa in 1835. This left the Canons, who were diocesan priests, the sole clergymen to remain in Old Goa.

With the suppression of all religious orders, many churches (St Luzia, St Domnic, St Alex, Holy Trinity, Our Lady of Light, Our Lady of Grace, Church of the Carmelites, etc) and church institutions (Santa Casa de Misericordia or Holy House of Mercy, Hospital of St Lazarus, etc.) in Old Goa fell into decay and were reduced to ruins by the end of 19th century.
The few churches that survived in Old Goa were mainly due to efforts of the Canons.

“These loyal, selfless and dedicated Canons were the only ones who did not abandon many churches at Old Goa. They managed to administer these churches by forming administrative bodies comprising 2-3 canons per church and they preserved these huge structures from funds generated out of the produce from vast orchards around the churches,” said Fr Lobo.

“Despite insalubrious conditions and other adverse influences, these Canons remained steadfast in Old Goa. After all, the Cathedral Church is also the church of the Chapter and in the absence of Se Cathedral, these Canons could not move to any other church,” added Fr Lobo.

As administrators of the Basilica from late 18th century till mid-20th century, these Canons supervised a number of expositions, right from the first Exposition (February 10-12, 1782) to the tenth Exposition (December 3, 1952 to January 6, 1953).

“Canon Franklin de Sa was in charge of the Basilica for about 37 years, from 1919 till his death in 1956. Aware that he was old and unable to administer the Basilica, which would also include the tenth Exposition, the archbishop agreed to the Jesuit superior’s request to depute two Jesuit priests as assistants to Canon de Sa. Following the death of Canon de Sa on April 30, 1956, the archbishop appointed Fr Estanislaus Martins as the first Jesuit rector of the Basilica, after a gap of nearly 200 years,” said Fr Naik.

Given their close association with the Basilica and the Se Cathedral, the Canons have been an integral part of Expositions of the relics of St Francis Xavier.

The Canons were prominently seen in their unique black cassock with white cotta and black mozzetta during the 1974 Exposition, while the relics were being shifted to the Se Cathedral.

More recently, the Canons also made their presence felt during the inaugural ceremony of the XVII Exposition on November 22, when they were among those carrying the relics from the entrance of Se Cathedral to the final stop in front of the altar.

Fr Dias, who incidentally had the rare honour of carrying the relics twice during the procession on November 22, said: “The first Archiepiscopal Palace and various monuments within the city were administered by the Chapter. If some of them, including the Basilica and Se Cathedral, are still standing, it is only because they were administered or taken care by these loyal and dedicated Canons for over 165 years.”

+++

Special moment for those carrying Relics of St Xavier

[First appeared in Herald - 24 November 2014]

MELVYN MISQUITA
24 NOV 2014
PANJIM

Fr Saturnino Dias (left), Fr Lucio Dias (centre) and
Fr Tomas Lobo (right) carry the relics of St Francis
Xavier outside the main gate of Basilica of Bom Jesus.
Photo by Vincent Braganza.

It was an honour and privilege accorded to a limited number of people, as those who carried the relics of St Francis Xavier during the inaugural ceremony of the XVII Exposition were yet to overcome the excitement of their once-in-a-lifetime experience on Saturday.

For a senior priest, however, this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience occurred twice within less than an hour, when he had the rare fortune to having held the relics on two occasions during the solemn procession from the Basilica of Bom Jesus to the Se Cathedral.

It was also special privilege for a family in Aldona, as a woman and her mother-in-law had the privilege of carrying the relics at the expositions in 2014 and 2004 respectively.

Fr Saturnino Dias, president of the Cathedral Chapter and Director of the Missionary Animation Centre, admitted that he was not scheduled to carry the relics on two occasions. “I thank God and St Francis Xavier for giving me this unique privilege to have carried the relics twice during the solemn procession on Saturday,” said Fr Dias.

On the first occasion, Fr Dias was on the right side to carry the crystal coffin, as priests brought out the relics at about 12.15 pm from the inside of the Basilica to the main door of the Basilica, where they handed it over to members of the Pastoral Parish Council (PPC).

“On the first occasion, I was not initially part of the group of priests to carry the relics from inside the Basilica. In fact, I did not even participate in the rehearsal for this event. But after the rehearsal, some senior priests came to me and requested me to carry the relics as a representative of the Cathedral Chapter,” said Fr Dias.

“I initially wanted to give this privilege to another canon, but the priests insisted that I should carry the relics as president of the Cathedral Chapter,” he added.

On the second occasion, Fr Dias was on the left side of the relics as he along with other canons and members of the exposition committee carried the relics at about 12.45 pm from the main door of the Se Cathedral to the site, where the relics have been placed for veneration.

“I certainly cannot explain this unique privilege and I can only attribute it to divine intervention for this experience,” said a grateful Fr Dias.

For Lourdes M Vaz of Old Goa, it was an ethereal experience. “When I was informed about the privilege of carrying the sacred relics, I was thrilled. It is one of the rarest of the rare moments of one’s life. When I actually held the relics, an ethereal feeling of peace and serenity descended upon me,” recalled Vaz.

Gail Misquita of Aldona also had the privilege of carrying the relics as member of the exposition committee, during the last stop in the Se Cathedral. “While I carried the casket on my left shoulder, I got to touch the casket with my right hand and it was a special experience for me,” said Misquita. Incidentally, her mother-in-law, Silvia Misquita, had had the privilege of carrying the relics during the exposition in 2004.

The experience was equally special for Fr Tomas Lobo, parish priest of Alto-Porvorim.

“Since my childhood, St Francis Xavier has been my favourite Saint whose blessings I regularly seek. Thankfully, I have always experienced the providential care an intercession of my beloved Saint. I felt blessed by God to have carried the body of someone very close to my heart. It was God’s favour and St Francis Xavier’s gift,” said Fr Lobo.

+++

Relics of St Francis Xavier: Venerated the world over

[First appeared in Herald - 23 November 2014]

MELVYN MISQUITA
23 NOV 2014
PANJIM

While the relics of St Francis Xavier are enshrined in the Mausoleum at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, the past five centuries have seen various parts of the body distributed, preserved and venerated in different parts of the world.
 

Relics of St Francis Xavier are carried during the
XVI Exposition in Old Goa.
Photo by Vincent Braganza.

Millions of devotees are expected to venerate the relics of St Francis Xavier during the XVII Exposition at Old Goa. But this privilege of venerating a relic will not be restricted to Goa alone, since various parts of the saint’s body have been distributed and preserved in different parts of the world. All these various relics are also revered with traditional fervour during the feast of St Xavier on December 3.

The relics of St Francis Xavier are known to have been preserved and venerated in churches and chapels in Old Goa, Margao, Panjim and Canacona in Goa, as well as in Mumbai. Elsewhere in the world, the relics are reported to have been encased in reliquaries at Japan, Macau, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Canada and USA.

It may be noted that relics are usually classified in three categories. A First class relic is a part of the body (bone, hair, a fingernail, etc.), while a Second class relic is something owned or worn. A Third class relic is more common and it could even include someone touching a religious object to a first-class relic and that object would be a third-class relic.

In his book ‘St Francis Xavier and his Shrine’, the Jesuit scholar P Rayanna provides details on some of the various relics of the saint which have been venerated across the world, since the death of the saint five centuries ago.

One of the very first relics of St Francis Xavier was taken by the servant who was sent to exhume his body on the desolate coast of Sancian and is reported to have cut off a piece of flesh, a finger’s length, from the left knee. 

Except for a big toe, all the other toes from the right foot of St Francis’ body are missing. In 1554, a Portuguese lady, Dona Isabel de Carom, anxious to have a relic of the saint, bit off the little toe from his right foot. This toe in the possession of the family of the Count of Nova Goa in Portugal, was donated to Santa Casa De Misericordia, a state run Portuguese Charity who also maintains a well known museum in Lisbon. 

From the very beginning the sacredness of relics of St Francis Xavier was obvious to everyone. “The miracle body of the saint naturally drew passionate responses and people even craved to have personal possession of his relics,” Fr Victor Ferrao, professor at Rachol Seminary says.

In 1556, St Paul’s College had a reliquary containing some hair of the saint, presumably taken out from the coffin. His right hand was cut on two separate occasions. The first operation took place on November 3, 1614, by order of Father General Claude Aquaviva. The arm was cut off at the elbow and sent to Rome the following year. It is kept in a silver reliquary and venerated in the church of Gesu. A small piece of this relic was sent to Malines, Belgium.

The second amputation took place on April 27, 1619 where the rest of the right arm with the shoulder blade was cut off at the order of the same Father General in order to satisfy the request of the Jesuit Province of Japan for a great relic of its first apostle. The shoulder blade was divided into three parts, one for each college of Cochin, Malacca and Macau. Unfortunately these relics were lost when the Dutch took Malacca in 1643 and Cochin in 1663. 

In Macau, the relic including a good part of the shoulder 12 cm and the top part of that bone with the forearm is kept in a reliquary of solid silver in the seminary of St Joseph.

The demand for relics of the saint grew with each passing decade. Fr Feroz Fernandes at Pilar Seminary says that St Francis’ body remaining incorrupt added to the odour of sanctity felt by his devotees.

“The relics then became tangible assistance for people to pursue holiness as reflected in the life of the saint and to seek his intercession in their needs. Although saints do not perform miracles, God does and very often he does it through intercessors like St Francis Xavier,” he says.  

By 1636, all the internal organs were removed from the body of St Francis Xavier and distributed as relics in the East and West. Authentic records of these relics speak of them being taken from the breast, intestines, flesh and interior organs.

During the official inspection prior to the Exposition of 1782, the Inspector General of Goa had declared that a relic was with him at home. A part of it is still in possession of his descendants in Portugal while the rest reached its native Castle of Xavier in 1902.

After the exposition in 1890, one of the toes fell off. Archbishop Valente placed it in a crystal case in 1894. It is kept in the Sacristy of Bom Jesus and is offered to those who want to kiss it. There is no reliable information available about the other two toes. But it is known that during the Exposition of 1910, two joints of the fourth toe, which were hanging on a thin skin, fell down. The then Patriarch Dom Mateus de Oliveira Xavier placed them on February 17, 1911 in the reliquary already existing in the Sacristy. Even now, one can see two bits of bones in the reliquary which the pilgrims kiss. 

During the exposition of 1952, a dried skin of one leg was hanging. Dom Jose da Costa Nunes, the then Patriarch, cut it and out of it many small relics were made and placed in small reliquaries. In 1964 at the request of Fr Aires Fernandes, then parish priest of St Xavier’s Church, Dabul-Mumbai, a piece of this skin was offered to that church by Bishop Francisco Rebello, then Auxiliary to the then Archbishop Patriarch Dom Jose Alvernaz, and in charge of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.  

“The Church,” says Fr Ferrao, “doesn’t accept exaggerated passion for venerable relics but at the same time remains very compassionate to the people who strive to express their love and devotion.”

But he clarifies, “The Church only venerates the relics and doesn’t worship any Saint. Worship is reserved for the triune God. There is hierarchy of veneration of the saints in the Church. The highest veneration is reserved for Mother Mary, then her spouse St Joseph, next are the Apostles and then the saints. Besides this, local patron saints can take precedence, on specific occasion as the case may be.”

In addition to the relics mentioned above there is a small bone of the saint that has been preserved and venerated at the St Francis Xavier Church in Bhatpal-Canacona in Goa. A large bone is preserved in the Holy Spirit Church in Margao. Relics are also preserved in the St Francis Xavier Chapel in Portais-Panjim and in the Precious Blood Parish at Cloverdale in Vancouver- Canada.

A reliquary of solid silver and gold containing first class relics of the saint is venerated in the Sacrament Catholic Parish in Rhode Island in the New England region of the United States. Another relic is reported to be in the St Francis Xavier Cathedral at Green Bay in Wisconsin, United States. Incidentally the cathedral claims to have the relics of an estimated 100 saints. Another relic is also part of the collection of the Western Jesuit Missions in the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, in midtown Saint Louis, Missouri-USA. The reliquary also houses the relics of other Jesuit saints.

According to Fr Fernandes, the ancient custom of veneration of relics dates back to the reverence shown at the graves of martyrs. “It was even followed at the time of the Apostles and finds support in the Bible. The Catholic Church encourages a healthy reverence for the sacred relics,” Fr Fernandes says, “placing veneration of relics in the same category as visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, religious dances, the rosary and medals.”

“Time and again the Church has asserted that the relics do not posses magical powers nor offer physical health benefits on their own. A relic cannot replace the Blessed Sacrament or the Eucharist. The church also shuns economic use and abuse of relics so much so that the relic cannot be put up for veneration without the authentication of the Postulator,” he says.

+++

Reverent US parish donated 350 wedding rings for SFX reliquary

[First appeared in Herald - 20 November 2014] 

MELVYN MISQUITA
20 NOV 2014
PANJIM

The beautiful reliquary encasing a relic of
St Francis Xavier is a prized possession of
the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in
Providence, Rhode Island (USA).

Relics of St Francis Xavier have been prized possessions across the world for the past five centuries and many of these relics are encased in beautiful reliquaries.

But not all reliquaries are as valued as the relic itself.

When one parish in the USA appealed for contributions to make a unique reliquary to encase a relic of St Xavier eight decades ago, its reverent parishioners resorted to a magnanimous donation: an incredible display of affection, generosity and commitment to the cause.

Believe it or not, 350 wedding rings, gold and silver jewelry were generously donated by parishioners in 1934. These valuables were then cast into a refining furnace to prepare a magnificent reliquary of solid silver and gold which contains a first class relic (a piece of the body) of St Xavier.

This is the touching story of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in Providence, Rhode Island (USA), where the reliquary is described in the parish website as “one of the prized possessions of the parish.”

The reliquary’s origin was printed in the Centennial Book of Blessed Sacrament Parish, but the story is described in detail in the ‘Providence Visitor’ (now known as The Rhode Island Catholic), the diocesan newspaper of the Diocese of Providence.

In its issue dated November 16, 1934, a copy of which is displayed on the parish website, the newspaper report states that the reliquary, “in which there are more than 350 wedding rings was completed for the Church of the Blessed Sacrament,” was formally blessed at devotions to St Francis Xavier on December 16, 1934.

“The reliquary, made entirely of sterling silver and gold, contains a first-class relic of St Xavier to whom parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Church pay special devotion on the third Sunday of each month.”

According to the newspaper report, the reliquary was “designed from suggestions of (then) pastor, Rev. Dr W A Doran” and its construction had begun about eight months earlier “after a solicitation of the same duration in the parish for gold and silver articles.”

Responding generously to the cause, the parishioners donated 350 wedding rings, watches, bracelets, chains and other jewelry to the church.

Describing the magnanimous generosity of the parish, the ‘Providence Visitor’ reported: “The gathering of the jewelry and the encasement befitting the spiritual significance of the relic was entered into wholeheartedly by the parishioners. Many gave family heirlooms to be melted and refined for use in the execution of the reliquary.”

The ‘Providence Visitor’ also included a detailed description of the reliquary. “The main feature of the shrine is a sterling silver hand holding the relic of the saint which is encased in a delicately chased cross of gold. The hand is supported by a round base flanked by three angels holding respectively the emblems of Faith, Hope and Charity.”

“Between the angels are three shields, one bearing the coat of arms of (then) Bishop Keough, another the coat of arms of St Ignatius of Loyola and the third, the emblem of the Jesuit order. The reliquary stands 23 inches and weighs 22 pounds.”
“The relic case is in the middle of the cross held by the silver hand. Around the circle containing the relic is a row of rhinestones.”

“The three shields at the base are carved out of solid silver and enameled. They are set in silver, oxidized finish, and produce a striking contrast with the shields on which they are applied.”

“Around the base of the hand, the name ‘St Francis Xavier, S.J.,’ in raised letters, is in white gold, standing out in its original color in contrast with the fine gold plating of the rest of that portion of the reliquary,” the newspaper report adds.

It was also mentioned that the reliquary would be placed on the altar each month at the devotions to St Francis Xavier in the church.

US parish greets Goans on Exposition

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in Rhode Island (USA) has greeted Goans on the occasion of the XVII Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier from November 22, 2014 to January 4, 2015.

When Herald got in touch with the Blessed Sacrament Church, its parish secretary Liz Corsini sent photos of their prized reliquary encasing the relic of St Francis Xavier.

When informed that Goa would commemorate the Exposition in Old Goa, Corsini wrote: “On behalf of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish, the pastor Fr Charles Grondin conveys his blessings and good wishes (to the people of Goa).”

+++