Thanks to Isabel de Santa Rita Vaz and Cecil Pinto, and ...
at a different level, to Dom Martin ... the story of one of the
greatest Goans, Abbe Faria, is now being remembered
and written about.
However, while almost all stories carried in the local print
media refer to his dad, Caetano Vitorino Faria's famous
captioned line, none state (for the benefit of the uninitiated reader)
how the young Abbe got to be tongue-tied on climbing the steps
of the pulpit of Queen Maria-I's chapel at the Queluz palace.
The young priest would not have been expected to be seized
with stage fright. He had, after all, delivered a homily to an
audience no less distinguished than Pope Pius-VI himself and
the princes of the Church, at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.
For this sermon at the Queluz chapel, the young Abbe
had prepared himself well, or so we are told (and probably
rehearsed his delivery several times over)...
But when we went up the pulpit, he was suddenly overwhelmed
at the sight of the royal entourage ! And failed to find the words
he had so well prepared himself for.
The father, who was standing by the pulpit below, quickly
sized the situation and, in an audible but incomprehensible
tongue to the distinguished audience, uttered those famous
words, *Hi sogli bhaaji, Kator re bhaaji!*
The son's fumble broke.
And out poured a *Sermao* like the waters of the Mandovi,
during monsoons...
