Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: It’s not novice that Goan catholics are known to celebrate their feast with the participation of members from other communities. We see it regularly at Old Goa, either annual feast or the justconcluded Exposition of SFX relics, hundreds of non –catholics and especially non-catholic ministers, iluding chief minister occupying front seats for the feast or main religious ceremonies.
On Sunday, the annual feast of St. Theresa of Jesus traditionally was held a great pomp and festivity as the feast mass and even the procession attracted the attention of general public and the devotes alike got their attention diverted towards surprised and unusual presence of Chairperson of Canacona Municipal Council Sara Shamba Naik Dessai, a non-catholic.
What made the interesting to the people that Sara attentively took part in the feast mass concelebrated by various priests including the Parish priest of St. Theresa of Jesus Church, Chaudi Rev. Fr. Succor Dias and other with Sara occupying the third-row of benches along with other parishioners after the first two rows were reserved for Confararia members and attentively took part in the mass and devotedly heard the homily delivered by the feastmass main celebrant Fr. Nelson Sequiera ( Rachol Seminary) except for not joining the queue for receiving Holy Communion, which is given only to the baptised Roman catholics, Sara infact was noticed following every other steps practiced by devotees during the mass as rising from their seats, sitting back and kneeling down and rising again , and even to the extent of joining hands as the priests conducted the prayer service.
After the feast procession was taken around the church road, and police, especially traffic police provided necessary assistance to the confraria members who were controlling the movements of the devotees amongst whom CMC Chairperson Sara Naik Dessai also took part.
Sara’s presence also came to other parishioners’ attention as she devotedly took part in the procession that followed after the mass with the priest carrying the statue of Chaudi church patroness St. Theresa of Jesus, which is traditionally celebrated on the second Sunday of January month.
Including the Chaudi Parish Priest Fr. Soccour Dias, and Asstt. To the Parish Priest Fr. Ryan D’Souza, the feast mass was celebrated by 8 co-celebrants including the main celebrant Fr. Nelson Sequiera.
Fr. Sequiera in his homily explained the sacrifices the patroness originally from Spain went through and she devoted her life to the church and the services of the people. Sta Thereza of Jesus has earned the name at the altar of service to others and that’s how she is called ‘Doctor of the Church’.
According to sources, though the feast of St. Teresa of Jesus falls on 1st October, the Chaudi church celebrates it traditionally on 2nd Sunday of January. Incidentally following Goa Diocese decision to celebrate feast of saints only weekdays and not Sunday, while many churches alongwith Chaudi followed the Diocese authorities dictates, due to strong objections and resentments of Chaudi parishiuoners, after celebrating the feast on a Saturday on year, became amongst the few other churches who reverted back to their traditional practice of celebrating their patroness feast on Sunday and continue to do so.
Later in the evening Ulhas Tari’s ‘ Kon Nhoi Konnacho was staged, while the feast fair had filled the entire NH66 road from Nagorcem to Chaudi on both sides of the road.
On Monday another Drama by Roseferns will be held at Church as part of the Feast celebrations.
