A thanksgiving mass in honour of Our Lady of Ajuda (Help) patron of Ribandar-Goa, offered by Parishioners of Ribandar in Kuwait, will be held on November 21, 2003 at 8:00 a.m. at the Holy Family Cathedral, Kuwait City. All Parishioners of Ribandar & well wishers are kindly requested to attend.
The Feast will be celebrated in Goa on November 9, 2003 (Sunday)
Please consider this as the only intimation.
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VILLAGE
Ribandar, my village, nests in bosom of Ribandar Hills, lapped by the Mandovi River and surrounded by Panjim, Chimbel, Kadamba (Ribandar) Hills and Sao Pedru village. Although, administratively and judicially, Ribandar stands alone as a village, and a part of the Panjim Municipal Corporation, the religious jurisdiction has continued to include Chimbel and Sao Pedru in the Ribandar parish.
Ribandar (or should I write it as R(a)ibandar � to emphasize the word �Rai�) is a very historically rich place. The very name Ribandar is a combination of two words �Raiam Bandar� meaning �Dock of the Royalties� or King�s Harbour. During the Portuguese regime, Ribandar Ferry Jetty was the dock of the big ships that would cargo the merchandize from Portugal and other places to Goa. The merchandize would be lifted from Ribandar and later transported to Old Goa, which was a very famous center for trade during the Portuguese rule in Goa.
RIBANDAR CHURCH
The earliest chapel, built in Ribandar between 1551 and 1554, was dedicated to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception and was affiliated to the ancient church of Our Lady of Livra-Febres, of Chimbel.
According to Fr. G. Schurhammer, S.J., the church of Ribandar was built before 1539; it was raised to the status of a parish church by Bishop Albuquerque who died in 1553. The Church was already a parish before 1656. It was reinforced and endowed in 1711.
The Ribandar Church itself has another story to tell about its coming into existence. The Church of Our Lady of Ajuda (Help) was erected by the Portuguese sailors in thanksgiving to Our Lady who saved their lives from a shipwreck. A ship of sailor�s was stuck in a very bad storm. After all their efforts failed to salvage and save their ship and their lives, they knelt down and prayed to Mother Mary promising Her to build a church in Her honor at the first stop they make. The ship dropped its anchor at Ribandar and the sailors kept their promise by building a Church, naming it Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Ajuda, i.e. Our Lady of Ajuda Church (Ajuda is a Portuguese word meaning Help, help they received from Our Lady). Interestingly, the two hard stones used to tie the ropes of ship have withstood the trials of the time and are still standing strong as two crosses in the Mandovi River adjacent to the Ajuda Church. One can imagine the size of the ships that docked at Ribandar from the distance between these two crosses.
THE ORIGINAL COFFIN OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
The body of St. Francis Xavier was kept in Ajuda Church for one night (night camp for the undertakers). When the body of St. Francis was brought from Malaca to the City of Goa, it was already night, the authorities of the City did not want to receive the Body at night. So on the night of 15th March 1554, the Sacred Body was removed from the ship anchored in the river Mandovi and deposited in the primitive church of Ribandar and venerated there. It was only on 16th March, 1554, Friday, before Palm-Sunday, that the Body was received in the City with great solemnity.
Readers can look up to the WebPages:
http://pweb.sophia.ac.jp/~d-mccoy/xavier/newman3.html#st
�There was decoration everywhere in Old Goa and on the margins of the Mandovi river. The cannons from all the forts fired continuously to welcome the body which reached Ribandar in the night of March 14, 1554 and it was taken to the Church of Ajuda at Ribandar.
The Vice-Roy returned to Old Goa and along with the Archbishop, Provincial and Senate made arrangements for a fitting reception. Six ships sailed to Ribandar to flank the ship Santa Cruz. The body was in a wooden coffin with damask lining, offered by Xavier's friend Diogo Pereira�.
Goan Voice at http://www.goanvoice.ca/2002/issue3/features.htm also writes
�Xavier's mortal remains reached Ribandar on March 15, 1554, and were carried in a solemn procession to St Paul's College at Old Goa following a night's halt at the church of Our Lady of Ajuda�.
Nonetheless, the original coffin in which the body of St. Francis Xavier was carried still lies on the Choir Loft of Ajuda Church.
GOOD FRIDAY CROSS
Also, there are many relics in the Ajuda Church, which have different and interesting stories to tell. One of the many relics, is the Cross used on Good Friday. It is believed that there are only 3 crosses of such kind in the whole of Goa (or may be the world) - one each in Old Goa and Ribandar. (I could find out about the third from my sources)
NOVEA VORSACHI SERENAD
More about our village, the Fondvem vaddo (ward) prides itself about their traditional �Novea Vorsachi Serenad� (New Year Serenade) an event that has now placed Ribandar in the tourism catalogues and brochures of Goa. Ironically, Camelot � the Shopping Center selling stylish home accessories, which was set up in Ribandar a few years ago, gained an entry in the tourism guides much before the traditional events in Ribandar.
SANGODD
The yearly Sao Joao �Sangodd� is another tradition, which has come down the ages and celebrated with much pomp and splendor by the youth of Ribandar. The tradition also includes a group of youth visiting the homes of all people who have newly weds. Any family who has married off their daughter has to offer the group a pot full of �Urrak. Any family having a boy married in that year can get away by giving the group one or two bottles of the brew.
TIATRO
The Fondvem vaddo also stages their yearly drama with a traditional Opening chorus �hymn� depicting a few versus or chapters from the Bible. This is a spectacular presentation, until this date maintained in its original form, has people thronging from all over Goa to see this presentation.
GOA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
A decade of years ago, Ribandar could boast about a full-fledged branch of Goa Medical College Hospital catering to the healthcare needs of people from surrounding areas. Recently, this complex has been converted to house the Management Studies Institute now known as �Goa Institute of Management Studies�. If you are interested in any management courses please fell free to contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
LOCAL SCHOOL
The Bal Bharati Vidyamandir is a tenth-grade school located in Ribandar. Some 570 students, mainly from lower income families, attend this secular school established 35 years ago by Mr. G.V. Shetye on a part of the family property given to him by his father. While his brother sold his share of the property to a real estate developer, Mr. Shetye resisted this temptation and built a school instead.
Though retired as a teacher, Mr. Shetye still is actively involved with the school. One of his dreams during the expansion of the school building was to equip it with a computer centre to enable students to become familiar with the technology of the 21st Century.
The school now has a full-fledged computer facility. After some start-up problems, the school's first computer class was held on September 1, 1977 attended by a batch of IX-standard students. Since then the school has expanded computer education to three levels (Standards VIII to X). Gradually, computer study was introduced to lower classes. Computer education is an elective in high school, though the government has made it a compulsory subject in the higher secondary (Standard XI-XII). Free classes were provided to poor students.
HAPPY FEAST
Augusto / Gracy / Adela / Gaynelle Ribandar-Goa (Kuwait)
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