Team Goemkarponn
OLDGOA: The ceremonial exposition of holy relics belonging to St Francis Xavier has begun in Goa, lasting until January 5, 2025.
According to the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, this event continues a ten-year tradition celebrated throughout the region, honoring the revered saint, known as Goycho Saib, in the local Goan community.
Coinciding with worldwide celebrations for Jubilee Year 2025, under Pope Francis’ theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, the exposition’s theme, ‘We are Messengers of the Good News’, emphasizes peace and love.
Highlights include an art exhibition and the release of a commemorative book. Priests are encouraged to lead pilgrimages, fostering spiritual renewal among Christians.
Fr Henry Falcao, convener of the Exposition Committee of the Archdiocese, said, “The exposition is veneration of the holy relics of St Francis Xavier. It has been a tradition in Goa for many years. It is a miraculous relic and a sign of divine intervention… His body did not see corruption despite being buried several times and each time the body was exhumed, it did not see corruption.”
“The exposition is a spiritual event, not a commercial one. Over the years, it has also become an international event. For the Catholics, it is about renewal of our personal life and social life, it’s an event of faith… to strengthen our faith in God,” he said.
CM Sawant said, “In the last three months the Exposition Committee has been working tirelessly on the ground”
“We have set up a special administrative office and secretariat to manage the event,” said Sawant while emphasising on the extensive work done in collaboration with the Church to ensure the success of this international event.
Apart from that, Sawant informed that a light and music show is planned for December 27 in the Se Cathedral campus. The exposition will also feature pollution-free travel with the use of buggies for transportation for senior citizens and PwD.
A total of 600 traffic personnel and 700 police officers, including SPs, DySPs, and PIs, have been deployed for round-the-clock security at the Exposition. Strict CCTV monitoring will be in place, and suspicious individuals will be detained,” he added.
“For the 45 days, we are going to ensure that an excellent international event is organised with the thrust on clean and green, as well as safety and security,” Sawant said.
St Francis Xavier, also referred to as “Goencho Saib” (Lord of Goa), arrived in Goa — then a Portuguese colony — in 1542. His primary mission, as ordered by King John III, was to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers.
He died in 1552 on Shangchuan island off China’s coast. He was first buried on the island. The following year, his body was exhumed and transported to Malacca, where it was housed in the Church of St Paul for several months.
The saint’s body was shipped to Goa in 1554, and kept at St Paul’s college in Old Goa — the first building constructed by Jesuits in Goa. The body was later transferred to Casa Professa near the Basilica by 1613, and placed in the Basilica in 1624.
