Team Herald
PANJIM: It was a proud moment for the Jesuits of the Goa Province as their Superior General, Fr Arturo Sosa SJ celebrated mass under the protective care of their Founding Fathers, St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francis Xavier, on Tuesday, at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.
The mass was well attended by well-wishers, staff of the various Jesuit institutions, benefactors, parents, alumni and collaborators of the Jesuits.
In his homily, Fr Sosa spoke at length on St Francis Xavier’s exemplary life and zealous missionary spirit. Fr Sosa highlighted three features that characterized the life and mission of St Francis Xavier: his tireless zeal for the salvation of souls, his great availability to God and his mission, and his love for the Society of Jesus despite the distance between him and his companions. Father Sosa invited everyone present to live their commitments whether religious, married or single in the footsteps of the great missionary of Asia and Patron of Goa.
The day was not only an occasion for Father General to celebrate the Eucharist in a Church steeped in Jesuit history, but also for the Society to celebrate the final vows of two Jesuits of the Goa Province namely Frs Rinald D’Souza SJ and Kelwin Monteiro SJ.
“The Final Vows are the most important moment in the life of a Jesuit; it is the time when a Jesuit is finally and definitively incorporated into and becomes a full-fledged member of the Society of Jesus,” Fr Sosa stated.
After the mass, Fr Sosa addressed the gathering and thanked the people for their immense contribution in helping the Jesuits of the Goa Province carry out their mission as partners and collaborators working in a single mission of serving God.
Fr Sosa also released a book that evening titled, “Jesuits of the Goa Province”. Fr Anthony D’Silva, director of Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Porvorim, gave a brief presentation of the Jesuit history in Goa.
“The Jesuit story begins with St Francis Xavier. It was here in Old Goa that he lived, walked and preached the word of God. St Francis Xavier in every Goan household is not a name but a living story,” D’Silva stated. The book was authored by Fr Gregory Naik SJ.
