Team Herald
Canacona: With no official reply coming from the naval authorities in regard to the umpteen representations made by the Catholic Community, the pilgrims from Goa and Karwar are hurt to know that the Church of Our Lady of Springs on Anjediva Island will be without the celebration of its annual feast on February 2.
The Anjediva Island is host to the most ancient church in India outside Kerala and was built in 1506. The church is of utmost religious importance in all sense to all the pilgrims who used to visit the island and celebrate the feast. Moreover, there is another chapel on the island dedicated to St Francis of Assisi which lies in ruins.
The defence ministry has denied entry to pilgrims and other civilians on the pretext that there are important strategic military installations in the vicinity of the island.
However, Natividade D’Sa, a senior citizen from neighbouring Canacona begs to differ with the explanation put forth by the defence ministry. “The peaceful Christian community is just requesting to continue the age old tradition of holding a mass in the church on two occasions, one on October 4 and the other on February 2. How to permit holding a mass service without putting the defence installations at risk if at all the naval authorities feel so, is their responsibility”, D’Sa explained in grief.
“I have requested in my letters to the various people in responsible positions to open up the church during the day of the feasts for a couple of hours and for limited faithful with strict check-up at the entrance, but I have not received any positive reply from their end”, D’Sa lamented.
Ervil Barreto, another senior citizen and Church leader from Canacona, is also part of the brigade which has put up the demand of restoration of religious festivities at the church. He says that on the basis of the available reliable information the church of Our Lady of Springs has been refurbished to its past glory by the Archeological Survey of India in 2017.
“A total of nearly Rs 50 lakh has been spent by ASI to restore the ancient church to its original form; now all decisions lie in the hands of the members of parliament from Goa and Uttar Karnataka to highlight the demands of the Goan and Karwar Christians and get the dispute solved”, Barreto opined.
Diogo Da Silva, president of Catholics of Canacona, informed that the artefacts pertaining to the island church have been preserved at various sites and the church authorities with the help of naval authorities should bring these artefacts back to the church where they truly belong. “The bosses in the defence ministry who are in Delhi should review the decision taken 15 years back and permit pilgrims’ entry to the church at least on feast days” Da’ Silva asserted, as all Catholics of Goa and North Karnataka lie in hope and await a favourable response from the respective authorities as February 2 is just week away.
