Goa set for exposition of St Francis Xavier’s relics

Goa set for exposition of St Francis Xavier’s relics 

Sakal Times Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Thursday, 20 November 2014 AT 01:22 PM IST

    

Goa, Saint Francis Xavier, relics, veneration, Bom Jesus Basilica, congregations

Old Goa (Panaji):Goa is set to receive lakhs of devotees for the exposition of relics of Spanish Jesuit St Francis Xavier, at Old Goa, starting on November 22.
Hectic activities including painting of centuries-old church buildings and erection of pandals and stalls are presently taking place at Old Goa, often called as the Rome of the East. This will be the 17th decennial exposition of sacred relics of St Xavier who preached Christianity in Goa and other parts of Asia in the 16th century.
The relics, which are permanently placed at a pedestal in Bom Jesus Basilica, will be open for veneration at the Se Cathedral, the largest church in Old Goa, for 44 days from November 22 to January 4.
A large number of Christians and people of other faiths from India and abroad are expected to visit Goa for the exposition, arranged by Goa government in association with the Goa Church. The government administration is presently busy raising special pandals to shelter the thousands of devotees waiting in long queues in front of Se Cathedral and Bom Jesus Basilica.
The rush of devotees is expected to be more during the novena prayers preceding the feast of St Xavier on December 3 and during the Christmas holidays and last four days of the exposition.
The Church has denied rumours that it will be the last time the sacred relics will be opened for veneration.
Vagator-based Sr Leena, belonging to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, told Sakal Times that nuns of various religious congregations in Goa will share their charism at the stalls in Old Goa during the exposition. The congregations will showcase their spiritual and various kinds of social works, to the visiting devotes.

Pilgrimage arranged for Puneites 
The Pune diocese, which has arranged pilgrimage tours for devotees, has said that accommodation at various church centres in Goa has already been booked well in advance. Coordinator Fr George D’Souza said that two buses carrying people from various parishes in Pune diocese will leave Pune for Goa on December 10 and 14. Some parishes in Pune have also arranged their own tours for the exposition, Fr D’Souza said.

Invite Pope to India, Pune Christians urge govt

Sakal Times
- CAMIL PARKHE Sunday, 27 July 2014 - 11:26 PM IST
Tags: Pope Francis, India, invite, United Christians, St Francis Xavier, relics

Pune: United Christians, a city-based organisation, has urged local MP Anil Shirole to intercede on behalf of local Christians and invite Pope Francis to India on occasion of exposition of relics of St Francis Xavier in Goa this year.

In a memorandum submitted to Shirole, the members of the organisation said the Catholic community in the city and country was "saddened and disappointed" to learn that Pope Francis, the head of the Catholics in the world, was not visiting India to attend the exposition. The exposition of relics of St Francis Xavier, the 17th century Spanish Jesuit, is held in Goa every 10 years and is attended by a large number of Christians from all over the country and abroad.

The United Christians delegation that met Shirole included Francis Britto, Ashwin Rego, Sachin Ambrithraj and Peter D'Cruz.

The organisation has urged the Lok Sabha Member to intercede on behalf of Pune's 1.5 lakh Catholics with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to extend an invitation to Pope Francis, who is also head of the Vatican State, to visit India.

Peter D'Cruz told Sakal Times that Shirole handed over a copy of the memorandum to Swaraj in New Delhi on Saturday. The Union minister has assured him that she will look into the matter, Shirole informed representatives of the United Christians.

The Catholic Church last month officially confirmed that the Pope was not scheduled to visit Goa to attend the exposition. Incidentally, Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when the latter visited Goa early last month. It was not known whether the issue of inviting the Pope to India during the exposition was discussed during the meeting.

Decennial exposition starts in November

The decennial exposition of the sacred relics of Goa's patron saint, St Francis Xavier, the 17th century Spanish Jesuit, will be held in Old Goa from November 22 this year to January 4, 2015.

Incidentally, Pope Francis himself is the first Jesuit, a member of the priests' congregation Society of Jesus, to be elevated to the Papacy. 

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Vincent Bagul - Tuesday, 29 July 2014 - 10:48 AM IST

The United Christians should have sent their invitation directly to the Pope. Why do they have to ask the local MP to intervene? Does not the Pope listen to the Christian people? It is true that the Pope holds dual post as the Head of the Vatican State and as the Head of the Catholic Church. But the Christians are expecting the Pope in India only as the Head of the Catholic Church. If the Pope has interest in his faithful flock, he should come on his own. Why involve the Government of India?

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Pope not coming to India disappoints people

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Pope not coming to India disappoints people
Camil Parkhe - Sakal Times Tuesday, 1 July 2014 - 12:09 AM IST
Tags: Pope Francis, Catholic Church

Pune: The official confirmation by the Catholic Church that Pope Francis will not visit Goa and other parts of India, during the forthcoming exposition of relics of St Francis Xavier in Goa, has disappointed Christians here.

It was widely believed that Pune, having major church institutions, will be a part of the Pope's itinerary if he decides to visit the country.

Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao had announced in Panaji, Goa, last week that there are no plans for the visit of Pope Francis during the exposition of the relics of the Jesuit Spanish saint Francis Xavier. The decennial exposition will be held from November 22 this year to January 4, 2015.

Incidentally, Pope Francis is also the first Jesuit, a member of the Society of Jesus congregation, elevated to the papacy. Therefore, it was believed that he may visit Goa and other parts of India during the exposition of the relics of a fellow Jesuit. 

Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre has said, “It is natural that Christian devotees will be disappointed that the Holy father is not visiting India.” 

Speaking to Sakal Times, the bishop, however, clarified that Pope Francis' India visit was not planned as the Government of India had not extended a formal invitation to the head of the Catholic Church.

He said that the Catholic Bishops Conference of India delegation had met the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh some months ago to seek extending an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India during the exposition period.

"However, the Government of India did not make any move and therefore, no plans were made for the Pope's visit,” Bishop Dabre said. Peter D'Cruz, an activist and leader of the local United Christians Front, has said that even now, the Government of India can initiate steps to arrange for the Pope's visit during the exposition.

“The BJP government at the Centre and also in Goa State should expedite the formalities to invite the Pope, the leader of the largest religious community in the world, to India. The exposition of relics of St Francis Xavier, held once in a decade, is a major event for the Christians in the country.” D'Cruz said. 

Bardeskars Part II , Goan Catholics settled in Maharashtra and Karnataka in 18th century

Articles on Bardeskars, Goan Catholics from Bardez taluka settled in border areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka in the late 18^th century and  published in Sunday supplement of  The Navhind Times, Panaji, Goa, on 23 August and 30 June, 1985. Bardeskars 23 June 1985

The Bardeskars Part II – June 30, 1985

The Bardeskar community, the Goan Catholics scattered in border districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, has maintained an unique social, cultural and religious set up there, akin to that of Catholics in Goa despite their migration two centuries back. Ppreservation of their mother tongue Konkani and lack of inter-religious marriages have been the major components enabling them to have a distinct identity of their own. Yet the community has never considered nor is considered by others as an 'alien' to the culture of their new homeland.

The last many generations of these Bardeskars have remained Goan Catholics only in their homes, often residing in the same areas in a village but still intermingling with the rest of the communities. They are typical Marathi people in the Konkan and Kolhapur regions of Maharashtra and Kannadigas in Belgaum district of Karnataka .

Konkani language, like their Roman Catholic religion, is an important factor maintaining their umbilical cords with their ancestral land, Goa. Obviously with the passage of time since their forced migration, Konkani language of Bardeskars has undergone tremendous changes when new words from either Marathi or Kannada were incorporated in it. Despite this, it is likely that many of the Konkani words used during old times and now almost extinct in Goa might be used by the Bardeskars even now. Besides, several of the old Konkani folksongs meant for various social occasions like marriages, ordinations and other religious services are still widely used by the community. Those studying the development of Konkani language will find ample subject matter for their research in the Konkani language spoken by the Bardeskars. There is a urgent need to collect the Konkani folksongs for posterity, lest they are wiped out in the passage of time.

Even to this date, Konkani language is widely used by Bardeskars in religious services like mass, rosary and litany. The liturgy utilised for religious services is in Roman script, the same script also used in Goa. However in spite of widespread use of Konkani in daily life, the Konkani literature movement has not yet reached to these regions while a few of the Bardeskar Jesuit priests like Fr Prabhudhar, editor of Marathi monthly 'Niropya', and Fr Caridade Drago, have carved a niche for themselves in Marathi literature, having a few literary works to their credit.

Another interesting factor about the Bardeskars is that despite having almost very less contacts with Goa for two centuries, they have not surrendered their rights over their properties in their original homeland. It is amazing that though the foreign rulers in Goa were always apprehensive of anyone entering the territory from the British India border, the Bardeskars having brought up and spent many years in Konkan,Kolhapur and Belgaum districts, stakes their claim on the 'Zonn' of the comunidade of the areas of their forefathers and continue to do so upto this date. During my stay in western Maharashtra and some parts of Belgaum district, I met many Bardeskars who introduced themselves as 'Gaonkars' of Aldona, Siolim, para, Tivim and other places in Bardez taluka.

It is said that the ancestors of these Bardeskars faithfully registered the names of their children in the records of their respective communidades (cooperatives) in their villages in Goa and that many of them managed to take the Zonn (share) from these communidades whenever they visited Goa, no matter how small the Zonn was. In the later stages when the Portuguese rulers took strong action against any 'foreigners' entering into the Goan territory, many of the Bardeskars are said to have come to Goa either to pay homage to their patron St Francis Xavier or for some other works through unguarded border villages.

Till recently before the Catholic parishes from Kolhapur and Konkan region were bifurcated from Goa archdiocese and linked to Pune diocese, all the records of the churches in these areas, dealing with baptism, marriages, deaths, etc were in Portuguese. The records giving vital information of the forefathers of the Bardeskars are still available in Ajra, Halkarni and other church parishes in Kolhapur districts .
The passage of time has failed to severe the Bardeskars from their past and they have often faithfully, sometimes rigidly, preserved it. The resistance to change according to new times, I think, is not so much due to the rationalisation but merely due to keep up the convention. For example, many young Bardeskars do not know the exact reasons behind some dos and donts in their community although they are willing to abide by it.
Consequently, marriages are not so common in the Bardeskar community between its various groups, belonging to different Hindu castes before their conversion to Christianity. The scourge of casteism – a practice which is officially banned by the Catholic Church and still prevalent in Goa - was carried by them to their places outside Goa. Various efforts are being made by the Jesuit priests who also belong to the Bardeskar community to eradicate the practice of casteism and as a result, some 'inter-caste' marriages within the Bardeskar community have taken place during the past few years. Some of the groups of Bardeskars are still averse to beef eating – a fact hinting at their high caste origin in Hinduism in Goa.
The celebration of annual feast is held even to this date at various chapels and churches in these areas as per the tradition of their ancestors in various villages in Goa. Thus, the Bardeskar community hailing from Siolim near Mapusa and settled in Adkur village in Chandgad taluka of Kolhapur district celebrates the feast of St Anthony. Two years back when a chapel was constructed there, it was dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, as is the case in Siolim.
Like Goan villages, here too one finds 'Confraria', the laymen hierarchy in church affairs and the distinction between the Gaonkars and non-Gaonkars. However fortunately there were no disputes experienced on the style of the recent Cuncolim controversy in the past over this issue.. The Church authorities here are making efforts to establish equality among all in the Catholic Church all over the world.
Thus having nursed and safely preserved their language, religion and culture, these Goans in neighbouring states have never faced the crisis of loss of identity in their new homes as they have firmly established their roots there.
Many of the Bardeskars have found jobs in the mills in Pune, Kolhapur and Mumbai while a few of them are teaching in educational institutions or running their own business.

Bardeskars Part I, Catholics from Goa's Bardez taluka settled in Kolhapur, Sawantwadi and Belgaum districts in 18th century

Two articles about the Bardeskar Community (Goan Catholics from Bardez taluka settled in border areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka in the late 18^th century) published in Sunday supplement of The Navhind Times, Panaji, Goa, on 23 August and 30 June, 1985. Bardeskars 23 June 1985

Bardeskar Community, June 23, 1985, The Navhind Times 

By Camil Parkhe 

A lot has been written about the Goans who despite settling in Mumbai and Gulf countries have preserved a distinct identity of their culture. Majority of them have continued their close ties with their motherland, a fact which has been a matter of pride for their kiths and kins residing in Goa. However one is hardly aware of a large section of Goan Catholic community who has settled only about 200 kms away from Goa, in the border areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka states about two centuries ago. Though having lesser contacts with their motherland for a long span of time, they have preserved their culture, language and religion in a most unique way while intermingling in their new places and acquiring a respectable position there.

The Bardeskars, as these people settled in the border areas of the neighbouing states have come to be recognised due to their origin of Bardez taluka in Goa, provide an interesting topic for researchers in the fields of history, sociology, religion as well philology, due to their peculiar transitional period of over last 200 years and the position they enjoy at present. The Bardeskars represent tremendous amalgamation of two distinct cultures – one of their original places, the other of their new settled areas.
The Bardeskars have settled in groups mainly in Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri, Vengurla in Konkan area, Gadhinglanj, Ajra and Chandgad talukas of Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra, and Chikkodi, Kukeri and Khanapur talukas of Belgaum district of Karnataka. Ironically, there are gross misunderstandings about these migrated Goans in Goan society due to their food habits, eloquence in the language of their new areas and sometimes even way of worshiping despite the fact that all these migrated Goans have remained hardcore Catholics to this date. No only that a few of these Bardeskars who have returned to their home land after the liberalisatioon of Goa from the Portuguese regime are considered as aliens in their own villages and are sometimes derogatorily referred to as 'Ghatis' (people from the ghats) despite their typical Goan Catholic names like D'Souza, Fernandes, Costa and so on. Only a glance at the historical events in Goa beginning with the end of the 18^th century, the subsequent migration of the Bardeskars to other states and their life afterwards can throw light on the present status of the Bardeskars in the border areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Though it is certain that these Goan Catholics migrated en block at the end of the 18^th century, historians are not unanimous about the exact cause of their migration. According to one version, the migration can be traced to a political cause. Accordingly, it is said that the British, then ruling only in some parts of India, had planned to conquer Goa from the Portuguese with the help of the Ranes of Satari. The Portuguese, in retaliation, captured the lower class Goans who sided with the British and established a reign of terror by exhibiting the cut up dead bodies. This reign of terror is said to have led to the Bardeskars fleeing from the Portuguese colony and taking refuge in Kolhapur, Sawantwadi and Belgaum areas.
However the version is not fully satisfactory as the migrated people are only from the Catholic community and it does not consist of the lower class alone.
A popular version attributes the migration to the inquisition campaign- a fanatic religious movement which originated in Catholic western European nations and echoes of which were strongly felt in Portuguese Goa too. According to this belief, the Portuguese who had converted a large number of populace to Christianity, now forcibly tried to westernise the neo-Catholics while wrongly identifying tenets of Christian religion with the westernised culture. The harassment of the native Christians reached its zenith when the Portuguese rulers with their dictum, 'Aqui e Portugal' (here is Portugal!) sought to interfere in the daily lives of the neo-Christians, originally hailing from higher as well as lower Hindu castes. The westernisation campaign included accepting clothes in western style, food habits including beef eating – an idea which the native Christians could not digest very easily due to their umbilical cords with Hinduism. The popular version also says that a Catholic bishop, believed to be of Brahmin origin, was expelled from Goa and laid his life during his exile in British India.
Horrified by the sudden spurt of inquisition, a large number of Goan Catholic families especially from Bardez taluka and belonging to the cross sections of classes are said to have migrated en block between 1761 and 1780 to these border areas in British India.
What transitions this migrated Goan Catholic community has gone through during the last 200 years? And what are the things which enabled them to maintain contacts with their homeland, its culture despite the rulers in Goa being hostile towards them due to their migration into British India? It is said that despite the ban on entry of 'foreign nationals' from British India into Portuguese India, many of the Bardeskars continued to visit their villages in Goa as well as to pay homage to the 'Goenchea Saiba' (St Francis Xavier) on his December 3 feast day annually. The history of the Bardeskars, right from their forced migration to this date provides an interesting reading as it invokes admiration for this community which despite the hardships at the initial stages struggled to achieve its respectable position in their new places.
In these new places – which have become their homes in a true sense as majority of them have acquired agricultural lands and some are even running their own businesses – the Bardeskars have acquired fluency in local languages, Marathi in western Maharashtra and Kannada in Belgaum district in Karnataka. Yet Konkani, their mother tongue, is preserved by all of them, scattered in various villages in spite of having almost no contact with Goa. Like the Catholic community in Vasai in Thane district in Maharashtra, the women from the Bardeskars community have taken up the trade of selling fish- fresh and dry – which is supplied from Vengurla on bazaar days. In contrast to Goa, where the Hindu community is referred to as 'Konkano' by their Christian brethren, Bardeskars are referred to by the other local communities as 'Konkani' due to the Konkani language spoken among the Bardeskars.
The most amazing fact about the Bardeskar community is that Christianity - a religion which believes in regular community services and administration of sacraments at various stages of life – was preserved by the community in the absence of priests for many decades. The community followed the religion of its ancestors from Goa even without any knowledge of its theological position while continuing with the religious family services like rosary and litany. St Francis Xavier was, of course, their patron saint and it was only at later stages that priests from Goa were asked to nurture the faith of Bardeskars by visiting them periodically. Until the liberalisation of Goa from the Portuguese rule in 1961, the Sawantwadi and Kolhapur areas were a part of the Goa archdiocese and it was only after Goa's Liberation that these areas joined the Pune diocese. The preservation of the Christian faith by the community without the most essential guidance either by the clergy or the catechists has continued to baffle the Church authorities even to this date. While fresh efforts are being made by the Jesuits who took over the mission work from the diocesan priests very recently to imbibe the tenets and principles of Christianity among the younger generation of the Bardeskar community.
The community though having Christianity as religion of its ancestors is very receptive to the modern trends in the Christian religion due to the dark span of about two centuries in its history as far as religion is concerned. Consequently, while inculturation is almost well accepted fact among these Catholics, the priests have also been successful in introducing various reforms which are slowly showing some positive effects on the social and economic status of the Bardeskars.