Being drawn to the decennial exposition of the sacred relics of Goa’s patron saint, St Francis Xavier, like millions of faithful, my family and I decided to visit on 29th November, 2014. This event was very special to me as I had planned my vacation to coincide with this glorious event. I was told by my family that the arrangements had been changed as compared to the last Exposition. I intended to attend the second Holy mass at 7 am and left home to be in time for it.
On arriving at the venue, I was guided to a common parking space, which was well planned and all the involved traffic police were guiding vehicles to prevent any bottlenecks. Next, I found myself boarding the Free Ring Service KTC Shuttle bus with my family, that would take us near the Basilica. As the 6 am Holy Mass was still going on, we decided to view the Holy Relics. We entered the queue and when we arrived at the manned entry point, my backpack was asked to be opened for inspection. Proceeding further to the entrance of the Se Cathedral, my backpack was checked for a second time. We finally saw the Casket of the Holy Saint and paid our respects. It was the first experience for my kids and I was very happy that they could witness this event.
We finally arrived for the 8:15 am Holy Mass and my backpack was checked again at the entry to the Basilica. The Holy Mass concluded and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. We proceeded to the fair to buy some souvenirs and sweets. I observed that there was a continuous movement of police officers and police staff had been brought in from Maharashtra to man certain locations. On our way back, we boarded the KTC Shuttle which brought us to the parking space.
I must commend the wonderful arrangement of this glorious event and the various departments involved. KTCL, traffic police, Goa Police and the volunteers for the Exposition are doing a wonderful job and I’m sure they will maintain the same level until the conclusion of this event. Personally, I was very impressed that my backpack was checked three times, which goes to show the alertness of the police who don’t want to take any chances.
For once, it appears that Our Patron Saint has realized a miracle to ensure various departments, putting aside their personal differences and working together for a common objective. May this peace between the Government Machinery and the people of Goa, prevail until the next Exposition.
