All roads lead to Sancoale Sanctuary today
By Daniel F. de Souza
Sancoale: Beginning Monday today, the religious fervour at the Sanctuary of
Blessed Joseph Vaz at Sancoale village will reach a feverish pitch . The
nine day novenas in preparation for the feast of the Patron of The
Archdiocese of Goa, scheduled on 16th January 2007 will begin from today.
The novena masses at the Sanctuary will be held everyday in the morning at
6.30a.m., 8.30 a.m. and at 5.00 pm in the evening. All the novena masses
will be followed by special novena prayers invoking God to bestow
sainthood on Blessed Joseph Vaz.
From 7th to 11th instant there will be four pilgrims visiting the sanctuary
each day from several parishes of Goa, on the remaining days around 3
pilgrims will attend the novena masses each day. Each novena has been
dedicated for separate intentions like; Families, youth, childless couples,
workers, for a special miracle, vocations, old and the sick, several
problems and issues, For peace in Sri Lanka, India, and the World
respectively from 7th to 15th January 2008.
On 11th January there will be a perpetual adoration of the blessed
sacrament from 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. in the evening. This will be followed
by a night vigil at 10.00 p.m culminating in the Holy Eucharist at 5.30 in
the morning. This night vigil is specially intended to intercede for a
special miracle through the intercession of Blessed Joseph Vaz, which could
help him to be elevated to sainthood by the Vatican. A special mass
service for the sick and the old people will be held at 9.00 a.m. on 13th
January.
The feast day morning masses on 16th January 2008 will be held at 5.00
a.m., 6.00a.m., 7.00 a.m., 8.00 a.m. and the concelebrated Feast high mass
will be at 10.00 a.m. with Rt. Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop Patriarch
being the main celebrant. Besides there will also be a mass at the Oratory
at 12 noon followed by a mass at 4.00 p.m. at the Sanctuary which will be
attended by pilgrims from the Pilar Seminary, and a special mass for the
working people at 5.30 p.m in the evening.
Fr. Eremito M. Rebelo, Rector of the Sanctuary who is monitoring every
small detail to make this nine day event a spiritually enriching and faith
strengthening encounter has appealed to the faithful and devotees of Blessed
Joseph Vaz, to attend the novenas and feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz in large
numbers so that the process to grant sainthood to the son of the soil
gains momentum and the need for much needed miracle is fulfilled through his
intercession.
Blessed Joseph Vaz, who is the climax of Goans' faith is considered as one
of the leading catholic missionaries ever in the Asian region who preached
Christianity to the poor and served the downtrodden in the poor countries of
Asia under inhuman conditions. He is much revered by the catholic community
in distant Sri Lanka, precisely Kandy, where many Goan pilgrims pay a visit
every year (ENDS)
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The above article appeared in the January 7, 2008 edition of the Gomantak
Times, Goa
