Remedios Britto was born on October 8, 1946, and is one of four boys born to Rosario Soter Furtado and Idalina Moniz, who lived in Gaunsavaddo, Mapusa. Since the parents were busy with a bakery, Remedios was admitted as a boarder to St Britto High School, Mapusa, for primary education. He joined the Confrades, and the Christian activities helped him grow in his relationship with God. “At least one of the four sons should become a priest,” frequently remarked Assumpta, his maternal aunt and a nun at Sancoale, when she visited the family during the holidays.
After the fourth standard, Remedios began studying Portuguese and, within a year, completed both premier grau and segundo grau. He decided to enrol in the Pilar Seminary, when he was 11 years old, thanks to the influence of his aunt and the Jesuit priest at the boarding school. As a teenager, he participated in badminton, table tennis, and volleyball, but his favourite sport was football. They competed against Salgaocar and Sesa Goa teams while on the seminary team.
He took permanent vows after his second year of theology, and his spiritual director counselled him to become a Diocesan priest. So, he entered the Rachol Seminary in 1971. On April 29, 1973, during the Novena organised in honour of the church's centennial celebration, he was consecrated as a priest at Mae De Deus Church, Saligao, by the then-bishop Raul Gonsalves.
Fr Remedios served for a year at Old Goa's Pastoral Institute. His first posting was at St Michael Church, Anjuna, where he spent four years as an assistant parish priest. He spent a brief period in 1981 posted to Our Lady of Gloria Church in Varca. He was promoted to the chaplain and was assigned to the Our Lady of Patrocinio Chapel in Pulvaddo, Benaulim, where he worked for eleven years.
Fr Remedios was appointed as the parish priest (PP) at the Mother of God Church and manager at St Anthony's High School, Majorda, between 1993 and 1999. His next destination was St Andrew Church, Vasco-da-Gama, where he also served as the manager of the Higher Secondary School. From 2006 until 2014, he served as the PP at St Anthony Church, Siolim. After that, he was assigned to oversee Our Lady of Merces High School and also served as the PP of Our Lady of Merces Church, Merces. He eventually retired in 2022 at the age of 75 years after a protracted spiritual journey. Since last year, he has been a priest on staff at St Michael Church, Taleigão.
Fr Remedios will celebrate a Golden Jubilee Mass on April 29 at 10 am at the Holy Spirit Church in Margao with his batch mates: Frs Augusto Carvalho (Anil Kumar), Jorge Pazzi Fernandes, Oscar Quadros, Visitação Monteiro, José Dias, Alcântara Rodrigues, José Antonio da Costa, José Remedios Fernandes, Sertório Rodrigues and Alfredo Monteiro, which will be presided by cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, to recall the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon them. Fr Remedios and some Panjim deanery priests will celebrate a thanksgiving mass at St Michael Church, Taleigão on May 1 at 10.30 am.
May the Lord bless you, fill your life with His joy and sustain you by His grace!