Team Herald
PANJIM: The first-ever Mass for the visually impaired pilgrims during the Exposition was celebrated atthe St Francis Xavier Training-cum-Production Centre in Old Goa.
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Fr Henry Falcao, Convenor of the Exposition of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier, was the maincelebrant, with other concelebrants Fr Maverick Fernandes, Director of Caritas Goa; Fr Savio Fernandes, Executive Secretary of Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) and Fr Walter D’Souza, in-charge of SFX Training cum Production Centre, Old Goa.
About 85 visually impaired pilgrims and their assistants from Goa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha and Himachal Pradesh participated in the Holy Eucharist.
Fr Falcao, in his homily, stated that St Francis Xavier, who was in love with Jesus, attractedmany people to Jesus during his lifetime and continues to charm people even 500 years later.“So many people have come together for this one event to venerate the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier. We are all pilgrims working and walking together in this journey,” said Fr Falcao.
Earlier, Fr Maverick Fernandes welcomed the visually impaired pilgrims and theircompanions and spoke of his long association with Blind Welfare Association in Goa.
Milagres Costa, Convenor, Blind Welfare Association, a visually impaired Goan, presently based in the UK, thanked Caritas Goa for assisting in the organisation of the firstever special mass for the visually impaired in Goa. Later Fr Savio Fernandes proposed a vote of thanks.
After the Mass, special provisions were made to enable all the visually impaired pilgrims andtheir companions to venerate the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier at the Se Cathedral.
