Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao has declared that the Exposition of the Relics of St. Francis Xavier will be held from 21 Nov 2024 to 5 Jan 2025. The exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis occurs every 10 years. Cardinal Ferrao has announced this event much in advance to make spiritual preparations for the event and for overseas pilgrims to make arrangements for their trip to Goa.
The last (XVII) solemn exposition was held from 22nd November 2014 to 4 January 2015. The holy relics of St Francis Xavier are preserved in a silver casket at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, at Old Goa. Every 10 years the mortal remains are brought down for the exposition and taken in a procession to the Se Cathedral and kept for veneration.
St Francis Xavier died on 3 December 1552 at Shangchuan Island, China. He was beatified by Pope Paul V on 25 October 1619 and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March 1622. In 1624, he was made co-patron of Navarre. Known as the "Apostle of the Indies", he is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries since Paul the Apostle.
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