MARGAO: Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao said, “Jesus Christ, our Lord, is a Synodal Shepherd, who invites priests to be shepherds, stewards in the Kingdom of God guiding the people and being with them in their journey, sometimes in front when they need to be led, sometimes in the middle to motivate and support them and sometimes at the back to promote unity and fellowship.”
During the celebration of the annual Chrism Mass of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman at Se Cathedral Church, Old Goa at 10 am, on Thursday, he reminded the priests to be faithful to their priesthood, and invited them to renew their priestly promises publicly.
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Bishop Emeritus of Port Blair, Alex Dias and priests’ representatives from all over the Archdiocese attended the Chrism Mass which aims to express more clearly the presbyterian communion of the priests with their Archbishop.
He invited the priests to be caring leaders, living their priesthood in all freedom and to be discerning pastors always seeking to know what God wants of them.
During this Mass, the Archbishop blessed the Holy Oils, namely, the Oil of the Catechumens (Oleum Catechumenorum), the Oil of the Sick (Oleum Infirmorum), and the Holy Chrism Oil (Sacrum Chrisma).
The Chrism Mass is important because the Bishop expresses his bond with the Priests and all the faithful. The priests in their turn resolve to work under the fatherly care and guidance of their Bishop, who in turn asks for prayers from priests and faithful to help him reflect on the life of Christ. This unique celebration unites the Bishop, all the Priests working in the Archdiocese and the faithful they cater to.
At the end, the Archbishop also reminded the faithful about a circular issued by him regarding the National Day of Fasting and Prayer to be held on March 22, to pray for spiritual blessings for the Nation. He made the sentiments of Pope Francis his own by urging the faithful to pray for peace in Palestine and Israel.
The Chrism Mass ended with the release of the Pastoral Diary for the coming year by the Archbishop and Bishop Alex Dias, Emeritus Bishop of Port Blair Diocese. The Pastoral Diary has the schedule for major events in the Archdiocese and is prepared under the direction of Pastoral Secretariat of the Archdiocese.
