PADRIPONN (Priesthood) Part 4 (Final)
We had some outstanding priests in Goa. Here is an example:
FR. FILIPE NERI MENDONÇA
St. Joseph's High School, Arpora was established in the year 1887. In those
days it was called Collegio (Matriculation was one of the highest
qualifications at the time.) It is the first English medium school in Goa,
imparting education till date. Its motto was inscribed in Latin Cibaria
Necessaria Sumite Et Abite which means Take the Necessary Food and
Depart. The school has completed 120 years of its fruitful existence. The
founder of this institution was Fr. William Robert Lyons, a scholar and
visionary.
Fr. Lyons started this institution in a house in Arpora, Bardez, Goa with
few students. It grew in strength, popularity and standard with the passage
of time. He got the school recognized by the University of Bombay in 1897.
The school sent its first batch of students for Matriculation Examination in
1900.
Fr. Lyons, a pioneer of English Education in Goa, died in 1925. Fr. M. A.
Lobo took charge of the school and worked with sincerity and dedication till
1937.
Fr. Felipe Neri Mendonça, an outstanding educationist and a strict
disciplinarian, took over as the Principal in 1931. He was responsible for
constructing a new school building which was inaugurated in 1937, on the
occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the school.
Students from different parts of Goa, irrespective of caste, creed and
religion, acquired qualitative education in the school. They excelled in
studies, sports and co-curricular activities. The school became a nursery
for eminent professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, business executives,
etc.
The school was renowned for its annual athletics meet, which was the most
popular sporting event in the whole of Goa until Fr. Mendonça passed away.
The highlight of the meet was the drill with magnificent tableau, which
was taught and conducted by Fr. Mendonça. He just stood at a point with a
whistle in his mouth and guided the drill without moving an inch from the
spot or doing any visible actions. The lead boys followed his eyes. Fr.
Peter DSouza assisted Fr. Mendonsa in conducting the drill. During the
tableau Fr. Mendonça enacted and displayed recent universal events then.
People from far and near thronged around the ground to witness the tableau
performed by the Arpora boys, as they were fondly known, and the air was
filled with a thunder of applause every time an act was performed. I never
missed the annual athletic meet.
The Government of India conferred the prestigious National Award for
Excellence in Education on Fr. Mendonça for his valuable contribution on the
field of education in Goa. He was the first Goan to get National Award in
the liberated Goa. He passed away in 1966.
Subsequently, the school was handed over to Diocesan Society of Education
and presently the school is administered by this Society under the care of
Archbishop Rev. Fr. Filipe Neri Ferrao.
The idea of a Catholic college was actually conceived by the veteran
educationalist Msgr. Filipe Mendonça, the then principal of St. Joseph High
School, Arpora. He felt that with dawn of liberation a new climate was
created in Goa favorable to the development of university education. His
idea was welcomed by the archbishop patriarch, D. Jose Viera Alvernaz.
Msgr. Gregorio Magno Antão, the chancellor to the patriarch Curia initiated
the idea to the Internuncio in New Delhi. A step further was the seeking of
the approval to the project from the University of Bombay. It proved to be
a Herculean task before the budding idea could be transformed into a
reality. With initial difficulties overcome, the Archdiocese of Goa embarked
on the ambitious scheme of starting the first university college in north
Goa. A vacated high school building in Bastora, a few kilometers from
Mapusa, would serve as a provisional arrangement for a modest beginning of
what is today - St. Xaviers College in Mapusa.
.
Fr. Mendonça was one of the pioneers of English schooling in Goa. We salute
you, Fr. Mendonça for your contribution to the Goan society without which
Goans would be poorer, especially in education. May his soul rest in peace.
We also had some priests, who recently received Gods call earlier than
expected. Here are a couple of examples:
FR. FREDDY J. DA COSTA (1953-2004)
Here is a priest who did more than he could during his short lifetime:
In a horrific tragedy, Fr. Freddy J. da Costa died on the spot when their
car collided head-on with a lorry at Haveri, near Hubli, in the early
morning hours of May 17, 2004.
I have no words to express Fr. Freddys work. He was gifted with several
skills. He was a living institution. He did not confine himself to
religious matters alone. He got involved in many social and educational
organizations. The type of the work he was involved in was not something
that anybody could accomplish. He packed more years of living into his 51
years than destiny gave him. He was one in a million!
The unexpected death of Fr. Freddy has deprived the Goans and the Church of
one of its most gifted priests. He was a man of integrity and transparency
who was an exemplary parish priest at several Goan parishes, a teacher at
the Seminary and an adviser to the die-hard Konkani enthusiasts. His deep
pastoral sensitivity gave him an insight into many peoples lives with whom
he developed strong and trustworthy friendships. The Church has lost a much
loved priest and, for so many of us, Konkani lovers, the tiatrist
fraternity, the musicians, the Konkani authors, a true and loyal friend.
Fr. Freddy had an easy manner and was at home with people from every walk of
life. He had the gift of making you feel that you were the most important
person in the world when talking with him. A person of great seriousness
but at the same time extreme good humor, Fr. Freddy was ever ready to defend
his strongly held Catholic beliefs but was also gracious companion, a
reconciler who believed in the dignity of differences. Those who worked
with him found Fr. Freddy a loyal and trusted colleague. He had an incisive
mind and the gift of clearly explaining difficult concepts and issues of
importance to the community.
Fr. Freddy was a dynamic priest. After teaching Konkani and Hindi in the
Saligao Seminary for several years, and as Chaplain of Our Lady of
Candelaria Chapel at Porvorim, Fr. Freddy served the Bambolim and Siridao
Parish as Pastor. During his pastoral life, he gave no reasons to believe
that he neglected his pastoral duties though he was immersed in various
social and cultural activities. On the contrary, he leaves behind an
outstanding example to Pastors to break themselves from parochialism. He
fulfilled his pastoral activities in ways that were new and creative. His
mere presence would infuse life in the people who surrounded him. In
Siridao, for example, he had organized more than 200 youth in the Parish who
were with him to support all Parish activities.
As a priest, Fr. Freddy has done yeomen service in the religious field. In
whichever parish he served, he always did it with dedication. He loved his
flock and in turn they loved him. The raising of the monumental Shrine of
the Fulancho Khuris at Bambolim will remain concrete proof of his
organizational skills. It is one of the few examples of his untiring and
sincere efforts towards his people. He utilized all his talents in a
creative way and always grew in the spring of love.
Fr. Freddy not only organized activities in the Parish for its various
groups, but he made it a point to be present at all of them. He had a
magical touch whereby he could do a number of things and do them to the best
of his ability.
In describing Fr. Freddy as multifaceted personality during the homily of
the Funeral Mass, Fr. Cristovão Caldeira, a close friend of Fr. Freddy
compared his life to the Unfinished Symphony composed by Schubert. His
life as a priest, his involvement in socio-cultural movements, his
contribution to Konkani, the public relations he maintained with peoples of
all religions, a dramatist, journalist, a social reformer, etc., has become
a part of his unfinished life but definitely a harmonious one, he said. In
the years to come Fr. Freddy had nurtured many dreams which today will
remain unfulfilled with his untimely death. The absence of his towering
personality may have left a void but his unforgettable memory will
definitely inspire many to fill in this vacuum left by him.
Fr. Freddy loved the Goan soil and its environment, Goas cultural ethos and
the Konkani language. He was a pastor par excellence, whereby he always
looked forward for collaborative efforts in making his parish grow. In his
death, the Goa Archdiocese has lost a talented priest; among the priest
fraternity, a fellow priest has been lost and in the field of journalism, a
prolific journalist has passed away.
He will be remembered for his 22 years of dedication to his much cherished
GULAB the only Roman script Konkani family magazine.
Fr. Freddy was born on July 20, 1953. He did his primary studies in his
native village Varca, Salcete. He joined the Minor Seminary of Saligao at
the tender age of nine, completed the six-year Humanities Course there and
joined the Major Seminary of Rachol for Philosophical and Theological
Studies. He was ordained priest on April 24, 1976. After finishing his
Pastoral Training Course at Pius X Institute, Old Goa, he was appointed
Prefect of Saligao for 14 years. He has an M.A. in Sociology. He was a
member of the Board of Studies of GBSHSC, and a member of their textbook
committee.
More than 300 priests concelebrated the funeral mass, the main celebrant
being Archbishop Patriarch Filipe Neri Ferrao, flanked by other 2 Prelates
namely; Archbishop Emeritus Henry DSouza from Kolkatta and Bishop Cypriano
Moniz from Assansol.
May Fr. Freddy be an inspiration to all of us. May his soul rest in peace.
FR. ALEX DSOUZA
Fr. Alex DSouza of Pilar Society and hailing from Macazana, Salcete was
also killed in a tragic accident which occurred on December 26, 2006 at
Sjuma village in Sangrur District in Punjab. Fr. Alex, who was the
vice-principal at St. Xaviers High School run by the Pilar Society in
Sirsa, Punjab, was traveling along with five staff members in a Punjab state
transport bus, which collided with a truck. He was the only son of Miguel &
Esperança.
The sad and sudden demise of the 33-year old (Christs age on earth) Fr.
Alex, did not only cast a gloom on the entire congregation but shattered his
parents lives, as he left this world much earlier than thought. Death is
not a question of age but a mortal certainty of our temporal abode on this
earth. This ascertains the reality that death is resolutely blind to ones
age and stature.
Fr. Alex was a wonderful priest. He was liked by all. Some of the
Anjunkars told me his mother was uncontrollable on the funeral day. She
wailed continuously and compared her son to Jesus because of his age and
repeatedly murmured: Devan dhilo; Devan velo. (God gave; God took away.)
Keep in mind, for the parents their children always remain children, no
matter whether they are married or ordained. Here was a priest who was born
to a mother and died like any one of us. His love for his parents and their
love for him was the same as ours. This is why we say priests are also
human beings like us.
Fr. Alex resided in Anjuna church while he studied B.Ed at the Goa
University in 2005. The sad news of his passing away shocked Anjunkars
because he was closely associated with St. Michaels Convent High School at
Vagator, Anjuna. As a deacon, he played with Gaumvaddy boys.
ACADEMIC: Fr. Alex spent about a month giving practice lessons at St.
Michaels at Vagator. He gave very good lessons with appropriate
motivation. His aids for the lessons were creative. He would spend plenty
of time in the school library to prepare for the lessons. He would spare no
pains to make his lessons very interesting. With his friendly approach, he
easily managed to come down to the level of the students, particularly in
case of the weaker ones. At the end of the lesson the response was generally
excellent. It was no wonder that Fr. Alex secured a distinction at the B.Ed
examination!
Co-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Fr. Alex would help in any co-curricular activity
conducted at the school. At one of the school concerts, he put up an
interesting play on King Ashoka with quite a big caste comprising
students; he encouraged even the weaker and shy ones to perform. The result
was a wonderful play under the skilful direction of Fr. Alex, the dramatist.
Anjunkars still remember the beautiful hats, which he had made for the
Portuguese dance Corridinho.
THE PERSON THE PRIEST: For all of us who came in contact with him, Fr.
Alex will always remain a smiling, jovial and ever ready to help and
motivate others. He was a holy priest and a friend to all.
Fr. Alex was beginning to walk in the footsteps of the late Fr. Freddy but
God had His own plans.
Nearly 100 priests from the Society as well as the Goa diocese participated
in the Eucharistic service. May Fr. Alexs soul rest in peace!
APPRECIATION OF PRIESTS SERVICES
In the past, people were God-fearing. They lived a simple but happy life
because they believed in God. They worked and lived for the day, exactly as
we have been taught to pray, viz. Amcho dispotto giraj aiz amkam dhi
(Our Father, give us this day our daily bread
) They didnt bother about
tomorrow or generations to come and to make a provision for them.
There was not much evil around in those days. The biggest evil of today
money - was in shortage, which is why the saying, money is power; power
corrupts, did not generally apply then. Prior to money, it was solely the
usefulness of things that counted, so a man had only what he needed. But
money enabled a man to enlarge his possessions more than he needed and
caused scarcity.
On the whole, life style was plain. Everyones mind was near pure temple.
There hardly was a place for devils workshop. One got what he/she saw -
nothing less nothing more. There was love, affection, support and
cooperation among family members, which resulted in fruitful outcome.
However, gradually, money evil took over the society, so much so when the
elderly noticed money-steered behavior, they remarked: Tacher duddvancho
devchar bosla. (Money evil has possessed him.)
They say, if there is peace in a family, there is peace in a ward; if there
is peace in wards, there is peace in a village; if there is peace in
villages, there is peace in towns and cities; if there is peace in towns and
cities, there is peace in a state, and if there is peace in states, there is
peace in a country. Today, we lack the very basics of life which is why we
face so many problems and end up washing dirty linen in public.
Religion is nothing but a way of life a discipline. It is based on
principles and ethics. We have different types of ethics work ethics,
business ethics, religious ethics, and so on. There is no difference
between educational and religious foundation. If we forget the alphabets or
numbers we can neither write nor calculate. Similarly, if we forget the
very basics of our religion that we learned in our childhood, how can we be
good Christians and practice our religion?
Religion is installed in us in our childhood and we follow it naturally as
we grow up. As adults, it is up to us to follow the religious principles
and ethics or discard them; nobody can force us; not even our parents.
Having molded childrens character in their early stage of life, parents can
only watch and either appreciate good results or feel sorry for them. At
the most, parents may advise their grown up children but they cannot impose
religion on them at least not at present times. Our ancestors were not
highly educated but they followed their inborn instinct and lived their
lives accordingly. They lived happily without saying a word against
religion and left the justice to God.
Every child is christened with baptism after which he/she is taught the
catechism and given the knowledge of the religion. It is the priest from
whom we receive the First Holy Communion. He is also the one who unites us
in the holy matrimony and accompanies us to the cemetery when we are dead.
In the past, we had Parochial Schools in Goa where a mistir (teacher) taught
children to read and write; he also taught them music notes. Priests also
helped in the teaching process. Gradually, over the years, these schools
disappeared but schools run by the Archdiocesan Board of Education sprang up
all over Goa. The Board has under its umbrella more than 150 Catholic
institutions imparting education in the State.
Besides some of the most famous Catholic-run schools like St. Anthonys High
School, Monte de Guirim, of which I am an alumnus, St. Brittos High School,
Mapusa, Don Bosco High School, Panaji, to name a few, which have been
forerunners in promoting education, here are some of the diocesan-affiliated
schools, majority of them area wise, spread all over Goa:
St. Lawrence High School (DSE), AGASAIM 2218789
St. Anne's Institute, (DSE) AGONDA 2647093
Mae de Deus High School (DSE), ALDONA - 2384229
Sacred Heart High School (DSE), ANJUNA 2274366
Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School (DSE), ARAMBOL 2292612
Regina Martyrum High School (DSE), ASSOLNA - 2773393
Our Lady of Candelaria High School (DSE), BAINA 2515093
St. Aloysius High School (DSE), BENAULIM 2772595
St. Jude's High School (DSE), BETALBATIM - 2880035
Our Lady of Grace High School (DSE), BICHOLIM 2362040
St. Theresa of Jesus H. School (DSE), CANACONA - 2643327
St. Theresa's High School (DSE), CANDOLIM 2276550
St. Theresa's Higher Sec. School (DSE), CANDOLIM 2276998
St. Thomas High School (DSE), CANSAULIM 2754241
Sacred Heart of Jesus H. School (DSE), CARMONA 2745383
Holy Cross Institute (DSE), CAVELOSSIM - 2871606
St. Joseph's Edn. Institute (DSE), CHANDOR - 2784470
Mount Mary High School (DSE), CHINCHINIM 2863616
Mount Mary High Sec. (DSE), CHINCHINIM 2862548
St. Bartholomew's High School (DSE), CHORAO 2239421
Infant Jesus High School (DSE), COLVA 2780911
St. Xavier Vidyalaya (DSE), CORGAO(Maina) 2241195
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School (DSE), CORTALIM - 2550732
Our Lady of Health High School (DSE), CUNCOLIM 2763858
Our Lady of Health High School (DSE), CUNCOLIM 2763858
Our Lady of Carmel H. School (DSE), CURTORIM - 2786422
Immaculate Conception High School (DSE), DABAL 2618272
Our Lady of Desterro H. School (DSE), DESTERRO (Vasco da Gama) 2522412
Our Lady of Rosary School (DSE), FATORDA - 2741275
St. Anthony's High School (DSE), GALGIBAGA 2632226
St. Andrew's High School (DSE), GOA VELHA 2218613
Saviour of the World High School (DSE), LOUTOLIM - 2777050
St. Francis Xavier High School (DSE), MACASANA 2787802
St. Rita's High School (DSE), MAINA (Curtorim) - 2786294
St. Anthony's High School (DSE), MAJORDA 2754060
Fr. Basilio Andrade Memorial Higher Sec. School (DSE), MAJORDA 2754332
St. Xavier's College (DSE), MAPUSA - 2262356 (Office)
St. Xavier's Higher Sec. School (DSE), MAPUSA 2250233
Our Lady of Rosary H. School, Fatorda (DSE), MARGAO 2741275
Our Lady of Merces H. School (DSE), MERCES 2235797
St. Xavier's Higher School (DSE), MOIRA - 2293679
St. Joseph's High School (DSE), NAGOA (Bardez) 2275657
Rosary High School (DSE), NAVELIM - 2737940
Rosary Higher Sec. School (DSE), NAVELIM - 2722436
Rosary College of Commerce and Arts (DSE), NAVELIM - 2736864
Mae Dos Pobres High School (DSE), NUVEM - 2791178
St. Anthony's High School (DSE), PANCHVADDI 2309594
Our Lady of Divar High School (DSE), PIEDADE(Divar) 2280155
St. Elizabeth's H. School (DSE), POMBURPA 2295218
Our Lady of Snows High School (DSE), RAIA - 2777236
O.L.of Victory Primary School (DSE), REVORA 2299294
Santa Cruz High/H.Sec. School (DSE), SANTA CRUZ - 2228378
Fr. Agnelo Konkani Primary School (DSE), SANVORDEM(Curchorem) 2650642
Our Lady of Rosary Primary School (DSE), SIRIDAO - 2219622
St. Joseph's School (DSE), SIRODA 2306512
Our Lady of Socorro Primary School (DSE), SOCORRO - 2413523
Mother of the Poor High School (DSE), TILAMOLA 2662539
St. Rock's High School, (DSE) TOLECANTTO (Velim) - 2773292
Don Bosco High School (DSE), TUEM - 2240247 / 9
Our Lady of Lourdes High School (DSE), UTORDA - 2755603
Our Lady of Lourdes High School (DSE), VALPOI - 2374534
St. Mary's High School (DSE), VARCA - 2745009
St. Andrew's Higher Sec. School (DSE), VASCO DA GAMA - 2513048
St. Andrew's Institute (DSE), VASCO DA GAMA - 2510201
St. Xavier' High School (DSE), VELIM - 2773597
Marina High School (DSE), VERNA - 2783959
Can you imagine Goa without these plus various other Catholic/Private
Schools? Anjuna itself has two Catholic-run educational institutions
Sacred Heart of Jesus High School and St. Michaels Convent High School.
My heart bleeds to write here that school dropout rate in Anjuna is one of
the highest on the coastal belt 35%! Can we blame the Board alone for
this? I dont think so. We must blame ourselves and strive to improve the
situation by controlling our children better and convincing them that
education pays in the long run rather than encourage them to go for easy
money by saying: Xikon konn feliz zala vo Degree zoddun konnank sirvis
mellta? (Who has prospered by studying or who gets a job by earning a
Degree?)
It is the priests who have sacrificed their lives, brought about drastic
improvement in villages and towns in Goa and brightened our childrens
future. The result can be seen in our childrens overall progress who took
up important positions in various fields. Thank you Church for giving us
priests who uplifted our society.
The only kind of luxury that priests enjoyed in the past was ready made food
prepared by the kuzner (cook) but sometimes when he was sick or went on an
emergency, they had no other alternative but to help themselves. Once, when
I was around 6 years old, I went in the church kitchen to drink water from
an earthen moddko (pot), which was located beside the kitchen door. I was
surprised to see the Padr Kur grind massala on a ghonnsunno which was on
the other side of the door. Priests even washed and ironed their own
clothes. Priests are human beings like us, graced yet frail, who do what
all of us are called for - to search for God and to respond to Him at every
moment of our lives. They grow up the same way we do and learn household
work like anyone of us.
Speaking of ready made food, we had a hefty parish priest in our church in
the mid 1950s. He was so fat that he could hardly enter the machilla
(palanquin,) which is why the pede always cursed him, and so did the
kuzner because he was asked to cook a variety of dishes.
Most priests then served the parish on foot - very few made use of machillas
or palanquins we have two of them in our church but this particular
parish priest insisted on being carried in a palanquin even to the place
where the new paddy sheaves are blessed, which is hardly two hundred meters
from the church. Well, there are always exceptions. Luckily for the pede,
he lasted in our church only for around a year.
If you want to know how priests and nuns serve the downtrodden, you have to
visit remote areas where the missionaries function. In 1989, I accompanied
a priest and a nun in a remote area in the Karnataka State. They traveled
deep into a jungle in a jeep where there was not even a proper road; the
driver just kept driving the 4-wheeler over the rocks. Finally, we arrived
at a place where over 100 children were waiting for us, most of them barely
clad. They lived in thatch huts. One adult girl taught them in a large
thatch hut.
What did the missionaries carry for them? Three basketful each bread and
bananas! It was the biggest gift they could receive perhaps in days. I
could read the hunger on their faces. Tears rolled down my eyes when I saw
their plight. They were angels in the form of poverty. I felt so much for
them that I couldnt return home without sharing with them.
Yes, these are the priests who are not only doing service to humanity but
helping us help the downtrodden and needy. They walk bare feet with them
and give them company. They feed them and clothe them and keep them alive
just to be blamed for forcible conversions, which are not true; I have seen
it with my own eyes. If the missionaries dont reach them, there is every
possibility you will find a pile of bones when you visit the place next
because they are shut off from the world. They are the lost sheep in the
jungle which is found and looked after by none other than our priests who
are Gods instruments. Mother Theresa was such an instrument for the
downtrodden in India.
If you want to support a cause, please do so by all means, but dont let
your left hand know what your right hand does. You give/offer something to
a person or a church or an institution with an intention. The moment it
(the gift/money) leaves your hands it becomes somebody elses
property/responsibility; so, dont worry about it. If that something is
misused by somebody else, he/she will be accountable for that. Remember,
you gave it because you could afford it; so, dont even think about it
again. Do we ask for an account of a gift given to a person on his/her
birthday or anniversary, or reclaim it?
Even the living saint, Mother Theresa, was blamed for receiving donations
from the underworld. She received what was given to her to support the poor
and the downtrodden.
Life in the olden days was already difficult and to make matters worse a
priest would sometimes be posted to a remote area where he couldnt even
have proper meals but he never complained; he accepted the posting anywhere
in the name of God.
So, why dont we appreciate the good work of a priest? If he falters, we
dont hesitate to criticize him. We would rather crucify him than reward
him. Just because a priest or a few priests make mistakes, we shouldnt
blame all the priests.
In the past, speaking against a priest meant speaking against God. In those
days nobody dared to speak against religion because it was considered a sin.
Even if a priest made a mistake, which was very rare, nobody raised
fingers or talked against him. They left everything to God by saying: Zonn
eklo zoddttechea disa aplea patkanchem farikponn dhitolo (Each will answer
for himself/herself on the Day of Judgment.) Today, the norm is totally
different. People have become so wise that they criticize priests and our
religion in public thinking that public will appreciate their washing of
dirty linen. What they dont realize is that they make a fool of themselves
in the eyes of the public and open the door to our enemies who do not only
have a hearty laugh at our foolishness but also grab the opportunity, look
us down and give us a bad name.
Priests have a life, too. They are not angels. They are human beings and
are mortals like us. Our religion teaches us to forgive our trespasses as
we forgive those who trespass against us. Just because a few priests may
have gone astray it does not mean that every priest is the same and we
should resort to defame all priests. If a priest is bad, God will take care
of him. If we speak ill of him, the others will benefit from it. Keep in
mind that children watch and follow us. If we plant the seed of hatred in
our childrens mind, how can we expect them to join priesthood? As we know,
the number of priests has been on the decline recently. If our children
stop joining the priesthood, a time will come we will not have any priests,
and, maybe one day we will have no religion. When we do not have enough
priests, who will run our religion?
We have a Konkani saying: Sogllinch bottam ek sarkim nhoi (All fingers
are not alike). There were a few cases which could be counted on fingers
where priests had gone astray. In such cases the Church nullified the Holy
Order and stripped the priest of his cassock but sometimes the cassock was
left in order to save public embarrassment.
Priests are doing a great job. As stated earlier, once upon a time every
bhattkar family had a priest; that competition does not exist any more.
If you want religion to guide you, you just have to put up with what you
have.
God has devised our body in such a way that every action is unique. For
example, when we point a finger at others, automatically three fingers point
at us, which makes us more culpable than others. Let us keep this in mind
when we point a finger at others.
CHURCH SUSTENANCE
Almost every church in Goa has/had property attached to it, which was
colloquially known as Igorjechem bens (church property or temporal goods).
Besides mango trees, jackfruit trees and other fruit bearing trees, the
property mainly had coconut trees. As is the practice, coconuts were
plucked once a month and sold to the public and so were the bye-products
like chuddttam (leaves), pidde (stems), povieo, (spathes), etc.
An administrative body known as Fabrica, erected according to the Canon
Law, administered the worldly goods (moneys, assets, buildings, properties)
of a Church and assisted the Parish Priest in the promotion of worship and
other apostolate and works of charity as well as looked after the
maintenance of the Priest(s) and personnel working for that Church.
The income was restricted titloch koko, titlench memem (limited [food]).
There was hardly any extra money which could be misappropriated. By the
1970s and 1980s, many churches, including Anjuna Church, sold Igorjechim
bensam (church properties) or converted the properties into small plots of
say five hundred square meters and sold them to interested parties for a
good price, thus bringing in a considerable income for the church.
TO ERR IS HUMAN; TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE
In the olden days, everything was done in limits; even the income was
limited. So, the chances of misappropriation were less. We are all human
beings. Anyone can err; even priests, because they, too, are human beings
like us. No wonder, the good old saying: To err is human; to forgive is
divine. The devil didnt even spare Jesus. He tempted Him thrice:
1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the
devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The
tempter came to him and said: "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones
to become bread." Jesus answered: It is written: `Man does not live on
bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
2) Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the
highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw
yourself down. For it is written: `He will command his angels concerning
you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone. Jesus answered him: "It is also written: `Do
not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
3) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he
said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him: "Away from
me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
During our childhood, a priest was treated with the highest respect because
everyone accepted him as Gods representative. Whenever children and/or
adults came across a priest, they reached his hand and kissed it devoutly.
Each one of us is responsible for his/her actions and will have to account
for our sins on the Final Judgment Day.
In one of Prince Jacobs dramas, he compares a marriage to a hotel (read
restaurant.) When asked by his friend how, he explains:
You go to a restaurant, go through a menu and choose a dish. By the time
the dish arrives at your table and you begin to eat, you see the others
sitting on the next table(s) eat something different which looks more
attractive and you wish you had ordered that dish, and so on. The same is
with marriage. When you look at other women, you wish you had married them
but its too late.
And now, many think of the religion in the same way, blame the
clergy/religion and move away from the church under one pretext or the
other, sometimes in search of a new religion. Religion is not a dish which
you can change every time you notice someone perform it differently. You
either follow it or dont. If a person was not able to lead a good life and
find happiness during his/her life time, what guarantee is there he/she will
find happiness in another religion and that, too, in his/her last phase of
life? He/she might as well make mends and use of the remaining time to
improve himself/herself and fall on the right track.
I have come across people who spoke deadly against the clergy and the
church, denied existence of God, stopped going to church and even attacked
priests physically. However, when they suddenly lost their eyesight or were
partly paralyzed or suffered from incurable disease like cancer, they
returned to God, placed rosaries around their necks 24 hours/day, and prayed
to God more than anyone else. Well, they were fortunate to have a chance to
repent for their sins and fall back on the track. Not everyone is lucky to
get a chance like that.
PRIEST AT A FUNERAL
A priest/bishop who may have baptized you, given you the First Holy
Communion, conferred Chrism on you and even celebrated your
nuptials/Ordination may also attend your funeral keep in mind these days
mothers and fathers bury their children instead of vice versa.
In the olden days and even now the moment a priest arrives at a home to take
the dead body to the church/cemetery, close relatives burst into cries and
scream at the top of their voices: Padr Vigar/Padr Kur tuka sasnnanche
svatek voronk eilo ghe moje maim [at funerals the word maim is also used
by a wife to refer to her dead husband]; atam tum amkam kednanch portun
mevchinam ghe maim, adi. (The Vicar/Curate has come to take you to your
everlasting place; you will never again meet us now, etc.)
The priest takes courage, cuts through the crowd and enters the living room
where the dead body is usually kept in front of home altar. Sometimes it
becomes difficult for him to conduct prayers. One of the elderly persons
takes charge of the mourners and keeps them under his control until prayers
end. The priest requests the mourners to keep silence while he prays and
then accompanies the dead to the church where a Mass is celebrated (there
was no Mass celebration in the church until the end of the1960s. The coffin
containing the dead body was brought to the church, briefly opened for the
ritual and immediately taken to the cemetery for burial.)
The body is then taken to the cemetery where again the priest performs the
ritual, prays and asks God to forgive the dead person by saying: Dhoniam
amcho bhav/bhoinn (munxeachem nanv ghevn) chukla zalear tum taka bhogos ani
tacho othmo tujea sorga rajeant ghe. Tacho othmo raji aslo Dhoniam tujea
utrak pall divnk punn tachi kudd oskot asli. (Lord, if our brother/sister
(takes name of the person) has erred, please forgive him/her and receive
his/her soul into your kingdom. His/her soul was willing Lord but his/her
body was weak.
A priest baptizes, welcomes us in the church and serves us throughout our
lives. He also leads us to our final destination the cemetery. Before
placing the dead body in the grave, he says the following and reminds us of
our end:
From dust you came, to dust you return.
Thats all for now from Doms antique shelf for this Lenten season!
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
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