Trading polished floors for an kle-deep slush, Auxiliary Bishop Simiao Purificação Fernandes stepped into the archdiocesan paddy fields at Reis Magos and joined priests and volun teers in planting paddy saplings, lending visible support to the Church’s continuing efforts to pre serve traditional farming practices and promote care for the environment. The cultivation drive brought together Auxil iary Bishop Fernandes, Fr Mario Souza, Assis tant Administrator of the Archdiocese, along with priests and volunteers from the parishes of Bor da, Fatorda, Reis Magos and Panjim. The initiative forms part of the Archdiocese’s ongoing efforts to pro tect nature, preserve traditional occupations and encourage communi ties to remain connected with agriculture at a time when many farmlands face increasing pressure from neglect and develop ment.
More accustomed to seeing their Auxiliary Bishop in his cassock at the altar, those present at Reis Magos in stead found him shoulder to shoulder with priests and volunteers in the muddy fields, reinforcing through personal example the values of humility, service and solidarity with Goa’s farming community. Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, who blessed the annual paddy transplantation programme at Ra chol Seminary earlier this month, could not participate in the Reis Magos initiative because of a prior engage ment. The Archdiocese, however, said it continues to encourage such programmes across Goa, with several parishes taking up agricultural activities to revive tra ditional farming and strengthen community participa tion.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The Reis Magos initiative is another in a series of farming activities in which Auxiliary Bishop has per sonally participated over the years. Through cultiva tion and harvest drives in different parts of Goa, he has consistently encouraged communities, particularly the younger generation, to value agriculture, uphold the dignity of manual labour and embrace care for cre ation. Participants described the Auxiliary Bishop’s pres ence as an encouragement, saying his willingness to work shoulder to shoulder with volunteers transformed the cul tivation drive into more than a symbolic exercise.
The Reis Magos cultivation drive forms part of a wider Archdiocesan effort to revive traditional occu pations and strengthen environmental stewardship through community participation. Similar initiatives have been encouraged across several parishes, bring ing together clergy, youth and lay faithful to preserve farming traditions while fostering a deeper connec tion with the land. For the Archdiocese, the cultivation drive is another step towards reconnecting communities with agriculture while reminding the faithful that caring for creation be gins with caring for the land that has sustained Goan com munities for generations.
