Tomazinho Cardozo President DALGADO KONKNNI AKADEMI Orda, Candolim, Bardez, Goa Phones: 9822170102 / 2489019 / 2489213
PRESS RELEASE Date: 29. 04. 05 Dalgado Konknni Akademi will confer the first ever “Mgrs. DALGADO PUROSKAR – 2005 “on Rev. Fr. Vasco do Rego, S.J., on 8th May, 2005. Fr Vasco do Rego, has served the Konknni language for the last 40 years in the fields of Konkani Biblical and Liturgical translation, developing the necessary Konkani vocabulary for religious texts, composing Konkani hymns and their music, Konkani preaching and Konkani writing in the Roman script, and as a pioneer in Konkani education. Recognising his substantial contribution in these various fields Dalgado Konknni Akademi has chosen him as the very first recipient of the Dalgado Puroskar in the 150th year of Mgr. Dalgado’s birth. Vasco do Rego was born in Panjim, on 8 January 1925. After his schooling and a short stint at the seminary, he joined the Society of Jesus on 15 August 1945. He was ordained priest in Belgium on 15 August 1955. He was inspired by his teacher, theologian Fr Pierre Charles, S.J. to use Konkani language and music in the liturgy of our people in Goa. When he was on the staff of Rachol seminary from 1963 to 1967 he took the occasion to learn Konkani thoroughly and encouraged the seminarians to do the same by including Konkani in their course of study. His contribution to Konkani language - In 1964 Fr Vasco pioneered Konkani primary education by organizing four schools in the vicinity of Loyola High School, Margão, to introduce Konkani as the medium of instruction in the primary section. He overcame the lack of Konkani text books by getting Konkani writers and Konkani Bhasha Mandal to prepare the necessary text books, and got the Konkani teachers trained on the job. From 1968 to 1973 when he was the Rector of Loyola he could devote more time to supervise the Konkani primary education in Margão, and test its efficacy. - When from 1973 to 1978 he was the Novice Master in Belgaum, Fr Vasco devoted a lot of time and energy in preparing the liturgical texts in Konkani. He was put in charge of a team of scholars translating liturgical texts into Konkani by the Regional Liturgical Commission. Ultimately, the Misa-Gronth published in 1981 is an important fruit of this work. Though different authors had done the groundwork for the Konkani Vachpam-Gronth Fr.Vasco made substantial contribution by way of editing and organizing its texts. - From the time Fr Vasco went to Old Goa as the Rector of Bom Jesus in 1978, besides his Konkani preaching and organizing the novenas and feasts there and later on, he devoted all his spare time to Bible translation work. Already in the Novo Korar published in 1971 he had contributed by translating John’s Gospel and the letters of Peter and John. As the chairman of the Bible Committee appointed by the Liturgical Commission of Goa Archdiocese, he supervised the revision work of Novo Korar, and the Old Testament translation work that was undertaken by different persons. He has himself translated the Book of Isiah into Konkani. - One other major contribution to Konkani of Fr Vasco, are the lyrics of a number of hymns and Christmas carols, and for some of these he has also composed the music. In Gaionancho Zhelo published by the Liturgical Commission, for instance, he has written the lyrics for 333 titles, and out of these for 47 he has also composed the music. These hymns are in answer to the challenge posed to him to sing Christmas carols in his native language when he was a student in Belgium. - Fr Vasco has a few Konkani religious books to his credit. Sonvsarak Jezu diat is a collection of sermons he preached at Bom Jesus on the occasion of the novenas of St Francis Xavier, published in 1995. In 1991 he brought out Stotram, a Konkani translation of the Psalms. Nazretcho Jezu is a concordance of the Gospels in Konkani in Roman script published in 2001, and the same was brought out in Devanagari with the title Nazretkar Jezu in 2003. He has written a few articles in Konkani in Gulab, Dor Mhoineachi Rotti, Renovação and other periodicals. ‘Mgr. Dalgado Puroskar – 2005’ will be conferred on Fr. Vasco do Rego at a special function to be organized on 8th May, 2005 at 4.30 p.m. at Caritas Hall, Panjim on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mgr. Sebastiao Rudolf Dalgado after whom Dalgado Konknni Akademi is named.. His Grace, Rev. Fr. Filipe Neri Ferrao, Patriarch will do the honours of presenting the award to Fr. Vasco Rego in the distinguished presence of Dr. Nandakumar Kamat. Mgr. Dalgado Puroskar carries a shawl, a memento, a citation and Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand). Tomazinho Cardozo President.
