PANJIM: His Eminence Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao on Thursday said that “in the Church, there are no privileges and positions of honour but responsibilities of service” and that he needs prayers and collaboration from everyone to discharge these responsibilities faithfully for the service of the Universal Church.
He was speaking at the Thanksgiving Eucharistic Celebration held in his honour at the Se Cathedral, Old Goa.
Cardinal Ferrao was the main celebrant, while Bishop Allwyn Barreto of Sindhudurg along with around 300 priests and a large gathering of faithful participated.
On his arrival at the Se Cathedral, Cardinal Ferrao was accorded a warm welcome with the beats of a traditional brass band. Later, a procession of faithful accompanied the Cardinal Patriarch to the Church’s main door where he was given a warm welcome by the Parish Priest and all the Canons.
In his homily, His Eminence highlighted the “dream of the Heavenly Father, which was shared by His Son Jesus Christ” and which is the motto of our Cardinal Patriarch, ‘That they may all be one.
He emphasised that Jesus fulfilled this dream by first being in union with His Father and secondly by His Love and service to the brothers and sisters around him. His Eminence called the faithful to do the same and create a Human Community United to God with love and service for each other.
Later, congratulatory speeches were delivered by Bishop Allwyn Barreto, Fr Amando Valadares on behalf of the priests, Sr Faria Barretto, Superior General of Sisters of Handmaids of Christ on behalf of the religious and Andrea Carasco on behalf of the Laity.
Bishop Allwyn expressed his joy at the Cardinalate of His Eminence and pointed out that he is a good, simple, systematic person and a good Theologian. He wished him all the best and expressed his joy to work along with him for the Sindhudurg Diocese, which is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.
His eminence was later felicitated by Vicar General Jose Remedious Fernandes with a shawl and Coat of Arms, on behalf of the Archdiocese. Aldona parish priest Fr Tomas Lobo conducted the ceremony.
