Generally, May Day is dedicated to worker’s being International Workers Day and by the Roman Catholic Church to St Joseph the Worker, and this year we had 11 priests viz Fr Remedios, Fr Augusto Carvalho (Anil Carvalho), Fr Jorge Pazzi Fernandes, Fr Oscar Quadros, Fr Visitacao Monteiro, Fr Jose Dias, Fr Alcantara Rodrigues, Fr Jose Antonio da Costa, Fr Jose Remedios Fernandes, Fr Sertorio Rodrigues and Fr Alfred Monteiro from Goa Diocese who completed their sacerdotal Golden Jubilee as workers in the vineyard of the Lord. Besides during the last year 2022, The Vatican Cardinalate was very much in the news because two Indian Cardinals were honored to be nominated by His Holiness Pope Francis out of 22 elevated the world over viz His Eminence Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, the first from Goa Diocese, after nearly five centuries and His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Poola from Hyderabad Diocese.
Goa Diocese was founded on February 4, 1557 and had a hoary ancestry of over 500 years of Christianity without a Cardinal but in reality, we have had Valerian Cardinal Gracias as Asia’s first Cardinal whose father Jose Gracias hailed from a little known village of Dramapur and his mother Carlotte from Sinquetim in Navelim. He had lost his father at the young age of two years and the mother had to fend for the children being from a poor humble background. Our priests from Goa Diocese including the recently beatified Saint Jose Vas have excelled everywhere throughout the four corners of the globe wherever they have been worked in the vineyard of the Lord with great zeal and dedication hailing from even the remote parts of Goa.
Also from Dramapur itself, we have had akin to the Asia’s first Cardinal His Eminence Valerian Cardinal Gracias, another priest, Fr Alfred Monteiro who was born on April 15, 1945. Fondly referred to as ‘Pele’, being a very proficient talented footballer, a passion of every Goan, hailing from, Xanmodi from Dramapur itself, originally from Goa Diocese but who has made waves abroad namely in the United States of America.
He had served as a Pastor of Our Lady of Victory-Sacred Heart Parish in Mount Vernon, as well as Pastor of St Marys -Mount Vernon since 2012- 2015 and prior was an administrator over there for a year. He was also temporary Administrator of Sacred Heart, Mount Vernon. He served as a Parochial Vicar at St Lawrence O’ Toole, Brester, 2009-2011, St Gabrielle, New Rochelle, 2003-2006 and St Theresa Manhattan, New York 1995 – 2003. He also served at Orlando, Fla. He was actually ordained in 1973 in Goa and served at Majorda, Colva and Mandrem parishes and was also a Chaplain at Borda at Margao as well. He was in the forefront of the Konkani agitation language movement. He founded the Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Fariar, Venezuela and was the first Pastor over there for five years. He was honored by the President Lucinze at Presidential Palace at Caracas and was presented with Simao Boliver Medal in recognition of his exemplary services.
He was a Vicar at many churches in New York Diocese, New Rochelle, St Theresa, St Lawrence O’toole, Pastor of Mount Marys, Vicar (Asst) at Los Angeles, Florida, St John de Vianey – a rare honor bestowed on him for being elected as the first and only elected Goan in the history of a priest from Goa Diocese as the Dean by a secret ballot. Two parishes viz, Our Lady of Victory and Sacred Heart were merged into one and he was the pastor and administrator and appointed member to deliberate on reorganization of churches and new plans of merger for the Archdiocese, an important assignment entrusted to him being the only foreigner.
He was appreciated and recognized for his pastoral dedication and committed spiritual and other humanitarian projects both by his parishioners as well as the ecclesiastical authorities of New York and was appointed Dean in 2016. He was honored by Robert P Astorino, County Executive of Westchester County on October 22, 2017 for his impressive accomplishments and to commemorate his dedication and commitment to God and the community, in addition, honored by Mayor Richard Thomas of the City of Mount Vernon on October 30, 2017 in recognition of the spiritual faith and leadership, he has imparted towards the Mount Vernon Community and recently retired having served the New York Diocese.
As a tribute to his roots, he celebrated his Golden Jubilee of priesthood joined by his four sisters viz Sr Eduarda, Sr Jesuiana, Didasia and Edwiges (in their eighties) and the late Sister Bibiana, amidst his villagers. A tribute to the native village of Asia’s first Cardinal viz His Eminence Valerian Cardinal Gracias, the family beacon which incidentally is now carried by the Cardinal’s nephew Fr Wilfred V Fernandes, also hailing from Dramapur village, presently serving in the Prison Ministry at Bishops House, Pune Diocese at Pune in Maharashtra, India.
(The author is a practicing Advocate, High Court, having retired as Assistant Commissioner of Customs, of the Indian Revenue Service in Goa)
