TEAM HERALD
OLD GOA: The nine-day novenas, preceding the feast of St Francis Xavier, began on Monday with thousands of people thronging Old Goa on the first day of the novena.
The theme for the day was ‘Devachea hatant jivitachem orponn korun, kuttumbant bhavart zagoum-ya’ and most of the homilies were centered around this theme Masses were held at 6 am, 7.15 am, 8.15 am, 9.30 am, 10.45 am, 3.45 pm, 5.15 pm and 6.15 pm with the 9.30 am Mass offered by the Old Goa deanery.
With the church observing the day as day of social justice and peace, the 3.45 pm Mass was celebrated for the cause.
Masses on the second day of the novenas are scheduled at 6 am, 7.15 am, 8.15 am, 9.15 am (pilgrimage Mass-Benaulim), 11.45 am (Gujarati), 12.45 pm (Italian), 2.30 pm (Malyalam), 3.45 pm (youth centre), 5.15 pm and 6.15 pm (English). Also, November 25 being the feast day of St Catherine, a feast Mass will be held at the Se Cathedral at 11 am, with Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao being the main celebrant.
For the third day since the relics of St Francis Xavier were thrown open to the public, thousands of pilgrims continued to throng the Se Cathedral to venerate the sacred relics as long queues could be seen for most part of the day.
