PANJIM: Archbishop of Goa and Daman Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao has issued a circular regarding the 400th anniversary celebration of Canonisation of St Francis Xavier.
In his circular, the Archbishop stated that St Francis Xavier was undoubtedly one of the greatest evangelisers the Catholic Church has known, a fact that earned him the title of Patron of the Missions.
Further elaborating on the same, the Archbishop mentioned that St Francis Xavier having been canonised on March 12, 1622, the current year of 2022 marks the fourth centenary of his canonisation.
“Remembering the event with gratitude to the Lord Almighty, the Church in this Archdiocese rejoices in this great gift from God to the Church and from the Church to the world. The outstanding contribution made by our Saint to the life of the Church, particularly to her mission of evangelisation, remains a constant call to our Local Church to renew her commitment to the Gospel and to its dissemination,” said the Archbishop.
He also mentioned that, over the years, the Church in this Archdiocese has been taking significant steps in this direction, culminating in the celebration of the Goa Diocesan Synod in the year 2002.
“Presently, under the inspiration of our beloved Holy Father, we are all engaged in a soul-searching Synodal Journey or ‘walking together’ towards a Church that has a vision of Communion and Participation oriented to Mission,” the Archbishop added.
Expressing his joy over the gift of St Francis Xavier to the Church and particularly to the Society of Jesus, the Archbishop stated that the Church in Goa rejoices with the Jesuit Family in Goa — the members of the Society, their collaborators and families — and joins them in celebrating this great gift on March 12, 2022, the 400th anniversary of the Saint’s Canonisation and also the last day of the traditional Novena of Grace.
This joint celebration will take place through a Solemn Eucharist at 11 am in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, the Archbishop appealed to the faithful in the Archdiocese to gather in their respective parish churches/places of worship on Sunday, March 13, in a joyful diocesan celebration of the Saint, to render fervent thanks to the Almighty for his most gracious gift of St Francis Xavier to the Archdiocese and to the entire world.
