There is something about the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier that moves the Goan. It is an extraordinary association between the Goan and St Francis Xavier that has transcended centuries and brings Goan emigrants from across boundaries to spend those brief moments before the casket that contain the Sacred Relics of the Goencho Saib.
Somewhere in the anals of history, St Francis Xavier before his last journey out of Goa, is credited with having said, “Não voltarei mais a Goa, meu corpo sim, aqui ficara,” (I shall not return to Goa, my body yes, here it shall remain). Prophetic words, for he died on a little known island of Sancian, off China, but his body did make its way back to Goa, though it was meant to go to Europe.
Since the arrival of Xavier’s body in Goa in 1554, it has been revered and so continues to be venerated, turning into a magnet that draws Goans of all faiths to his feet. And when on Saturday the Sacred Relics will be brought down from the marble mausoleum it rests on in the Basilica of Bom Jesus and taken in procession to the Se Cathedral across the road for veneration, the thousands that are expected to be present in Old Goa will experience a moment they will treasure in their hearts for a lifetime.
The moment everybody is waiting for on Saturday is when the doors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus will open and the relics will emerge into the open for the first time after ten years.
Among the many waiting that moment will be Gilbert D’Mello, a resident of Divar. “I feel very taken up whenever there is the exposition of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier. I feel that the relics have remained so many centuries is a miracle. I consider him a model for my life and I am inspired by him,” D’Mello said. He has been associated with the Expositions since 1974 and is one of the select few who have had the privilege of carrying the casket in the procession from the Basilica of Bom Jesus to the Se Cathedral.
For D’Mello and many others like him, St Francis Xavier is the Saint they turn too at moments of difficulty, at moments when they need spiritual guidance, and nothing will stop them from venerating the relics, as often as possible during the next few weeks, and thank the Saint for the favours bestowed during the previous decade. “I plan to venerate them daily and I will make it a point to spend the longest time possible there,” D’Mello said.
That is something that the Church is looking for as a result of the Exposition. The theme ‘Faith creates communion, strengthens family, commissions to renew the society’ gives an idea of the Church’s intention.
Fr Victor Ferrao, professor at the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol said, “The Church expects a deepening of faith among Catholics as well as goodwill and communal harmony among people from other communities. It wants that the faithful transform their lives, that there should be a renewal of life towards the family that will transform society.”
Goodwill from other communities is something the feast of St Francis Xavier brings about annually. He is the Saint for all Goans, the one who can work miracles better than any other intercessor, mostly because he is there, resident, so to say, in Goa. And it is not just Catholics who venerate St Francis Xavier. His appeal goes beyond the Christian community. “We go for the feast every year, but for the exposition the entire family goes and we take darshan of the relics. We have a lot of faith in him as he is our Goencho Saib,” Vishnu Kankonkar, a resident of Chimbel, told Herald. Kankonkar said he will be going to Old Goa at least two to three times during the exposition period.
“I have gone there for the past Expositions and I will definitely visit this time too. Besides, I go to Old Goa very often and light candles on behalf of many people who are outside Goa and are unable to fulfill their vows. They ask me to do this and I gladly do it,” Parvez Yakubali, a resident of Panjim, said.
This time pilgrims are expected from various countries. From across the turbulent border, Debbie Fernandes is making plans to come for the Exposition. A resident of Karachi, Pakistan, Fernandes is one of the 300 plus Pakistani nationals of Goan origin who will travel to Goa in two batches. “I am scheduled to come in the second batch. Our Bishop Joseph Coutts will be travelling in the first batch. We the Goans of Pakistan miss Goa. For me visiting Goa is a feeling of home away from home. Visiting the serene Basilica of Bom Jesus gives one the occasion to renew one’s faith-commitment and live it amidst the various challenges of our times,” Fernandes told Herald.
For the next 44 days, lakhs of pilgrims and tourists are expected to file past the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier. The Church expects an average of one lakh pilgrims every day with the total figure touching 50 lakh by the day that the relics are taken back to the Basilica of Bom Jesus.
