A priest is the God-bearer or Christ-bearer, a living Eucharist of the divine presence, bringing a sympathetic ear and a compassionate heart in which people find God’s consolation, understanding and love” and that’s exactly what Fr Conceicao D’Silva did throughout his 38 years of priesthood.
Born on February 13, 1955 at Orlim, Salcete, Goa Rev Fr Conceicao D’Silva, who always displayed human qualities in his daily life, joined Saligao seminary in 1969 at the age of 14 years. After successfully completing theological and philosophical studies in Rachol, he was ordained priest on May 7, 1983.
During the first year of his priesthood, he served the parish of Holy Cross Church in Verna. It is here that he experienced the practical aspects of priestly life. Subsequently, he was posted at the Parish of Our Lady of Poor at Tilamol. During his four years of service to the parish of Our Lady of Poor, he proved himself to be a priest who, besides nourishing the souls of his parishioners, took care of their physical needs too.
His next assignment was in the Parish of St Alex, Calangute. Fr Conceicao, besides fulfilling his spiritual commitments with sincerity and dedication, went all out for the social development of the weak and the poor in the parish.
His next assignment was as chaplain of Lourdes Chapel in Ambelim. It was here that his charismatic spiritual qualities began to touch the lives of the people. After 5 years of service there he was promoted as parish priest and was posted at Our Lady of Amparo Church, Mandur where he was instrumental in beautifying the church and also in bringing solace to the people irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
As the Parish Priest of the parish of St Michael at Taleigao and presently in the parish of Our Lady of Snows, Raia he continued his charismatic activities and helped to improve the spiritual as well as social lives of his parishioners.
Young and old alike, under the leadership of Fr Conceicao D’Silva, prayed together. He started Wednesday prayer service at the Ambelim chapel. From a handful of people, the number rose to hundreds and thousands. The village of Ambelim became a centre of prayer and solace. When he set his foot in Mandur, he started the Friday service in honour of Jesus & Mary. People continue to pour in large numbers with their problems for counselling, prayer, healing and deliverance.
Through his homily he brought alive the existence and goodness of God before the minds of thousands of devotees. With the blessing of the Almighty he changed the lives of many, including people addicted to drugs, alcohol, etc. Definitely it is the fruit of his prayer and his commitment to work and fulfill the call of his Lord.
It is said, ‘Youth is pollen that blows through the sky and does not ask why’. Throughout his priestly life, Rev Fr Conceicao D’Silva made sustained efforts to bring about a qualitative change in the lives of the youth in the parishes he served. Besides conducting regular church activities for the youth, he went out in a big way to form parish youth associations. His sole aim was to make the youth responsible members of the society
‘Keep the temple of God clean. Let it be a place where people enjoy praying. Let there be a calm, quiet and serene atmosphere in the place of worship.’ This was the motto of Fr Conceicao in spreading God’s good word. Keeping up with his motto, wherever he served, he not only cleaned the human souls but also the places of worship.
His love towards Goa and its language Konkani was supreme. He strongly believed that Goan identity rested on Konkani language alone. Therefore, he fully supported the promotion and preservation of Konkani in Roman script. He was of the opinion that if Roman script for Konkani is not given equal status along with Devnagari script, then Konkani language would not survive and if Konkani language did not survive, Goan identity would be lost forever. Therefore, he wholeheartedly supported Dalgado Konknni Akademi and other institutions in their efforts to preserve and promote Konkani in Roman script.
Generosity was another key attribute of Rev Fr Conceicao D’Silva. Helping the poor and the needy, particularly the sick, gave him the fullest satisfaction. He improved the physical living conditions of numerous families by providing employment to hundreds of youth in Goa and abroad with the help of his friends, be they politicians, industrialists, social workers and his well-wishers.
All these human acts made Fr Conceicao D’Silva household name in Goa and elsewhere. He knew that priesthood means answering the call of God every moment of one’s life. He did it faithfully and religiously. While he revealed God’s presence to others, he believed that God stood by him. He trusted that God’s continuing miracle fills the world with grace by working through human hands. For his innumerable followers Rev Fr Conceicao D’Silva was one such human being through whom God touches the lives of people who believe in Him.
