TEAM HERALD
VASCO: Hundreds of devotees on Monday thronged to the Chapel of Our Lady of Remedious at Cuelim to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, also known as the feast of Three Kings.
Three young boys from the villages of Cansaulim, Arossim and Cuelim are selected to enact the roles of the Three Kings, also known as the Magi or the Wise Men from the East, who followed the guiding star to worship the infant Jesus over 2000 years ago.
The Three Kings who were selected this year were Shannon Milroy D’Silva from Cansaulim, Ashville Jeffrey D’Costa of Arossim and Siddhant Craig Sanjeev Vas from Cuelim.
According to the history, the Chapel was said to be renovated in 1795 and the privilege to organize and celebrate the feast was given to the ‘Vangodds’ of the Gauncars (the indigenous Goans) of the Comunidade of Cansaulim, Arossim and Cuelim for the help and assistance rendered to the early Church in Goa and hence it is this inheritance that the boys of Cansaulim, Arossim and Cuelim have inherited.
These three boys travel on horseback through three different paths and reach the Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies (Nossa Senhora dos Remedios) on the hill at Cuelim which is almost 100 metres in height and take part in the Holy Eucharistic celebration. As mentioned in the Bible after the mass they return home by a different way.
The main celebrant of the mass, Fr Edison Fernandes of Old Goa, stressed on faith and urged the laity not to have superficial faith but to put it into practice in our day-to-day life.
While commenting on the three kings, Fr Fernandes said to propagate the faith the three king feast is celebrated year after year at the Chapel of Our Lady of Remedious on the hillock at Cuelim at Cansaulim.
Elaborating on the theme faith, Fr Fernandes said, “Faith is the assurance of things we hope for and conviction of things not seen.”
