Team Herald
MARGAO: To commemorate the birth centenary of Jesuit priest Antonio Pereira, Fisheries Minister Felipe Neri Rodrigues named a road in Sirlim village after this illustrious priest who was born in Sirlim and also re-released a book of his which was earlier published in 1985.
At a programme organized by Dalgado Konknni Akademi, the minister recalled attending mass celebrated by Fr Antonio Pereira when he was a catechism student and said he was too small a person to speak on such an illustrious person from the same village.
Felipe said his sermons were more interactive and called him a teacher instead of a preacher and recalled that Fr Antonio Pereira had congratulated him when he first became a minister and remembered it was a greeting from one villager to another.
“I am really feeling proud to be associated with these programmes where we have named a road after Fr.,” he said while appealing to people to keep using the name given to the road to keep Fr Antonio Pereira’s memory alive.
Recalling some of the columns that Fr Antonio Pereira wrote, he appealed to the younger generation to emulate his simple life with great achievement.
and follow his values of respect and honour to all, especially the elders.
Earlier, Fr Antonio’s grandniece Anushka Rodrigues shared what her mother had told her about her uncle who was called “pateu” by the family. She disclosed that he had written 34 books in Konkani and two each in Portuguese and English.
Parish Priest Fr Jose Antonio Costa recalled being the first diocesan priest appointed at Bicholim parish which was managed by the Jesuits and where Fr Antonio had a great following. Disclosing that he took Fr Antonio’s blessing before going to Bicholim, he pointed out that Fr always advocated the use of Konkani specially while speaking.
“Today we see so many Konkani cassettes being produced in Mangalore, but hardly any in Goa and Goans are hesitant to speak English which is against what Fr Antonio Pereira believed in,” he said urging people to speak Konkani to not only keep the language alive but to protect the State, too.
Dalgado Konknni Akademi Vice President Fr Conceicao D’Silva welcomed the gathering its President Tomazinho Cardoso delivered the key note address where he highlighted the various works done by Fr Antonio Pereira and his achievements.
