Team Goemkarponn
Goa has begun preparations for the annual Feast of St. Francis Xavier, which will be celebrated on 3 December at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. The revered event, which draws thousands of pilgrims every year, will be led this time by Auxiliary Bishop Simião Fernandes. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Faith does not disappoint us; hence, like St. Francis Xavier, let us be Pilgrims of Hope.”
The nine-day Novena will begin on 24 November and continue until 2 December. Several Masses will be held each day, animated by different diocesan centres, commissions and deaneries. Services will be conducted in a wide range of languages including Konkani, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Portuguese to accommodate the many pilgrims who arrive from within Goa and neighbouring states.
An interreligious gathering is scheduled for 27 November as part of the novena activities. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration and priests will be available for confessions throughout.
A large pandal is being set up near the Basilica to host the novena and feast-day liturgies. Pilgrims have already begun arriving in significant numbers, marking the start of one of Goa’s most important annual religious events.
