ADELMO FERNANDES
St Andrew’s Church in Vasco will be celebrating the feast of its patron saint on November 30. This year’s feast is special because the parish completes 450 years since its inception. The nine-day Novenas commenced on November 21. This year several programmes have been chalked after the novena mass got over every day on the theme “Ekchar – an Aura of Unity”.
Built originally in 1570, this imposing church structure, with its arched doors and windows reminds a visitor of the town’s legacy of fishing and other sea-faring occupations. Andrew was a Scottish fisherman who was the ‘first-called’ to be one of the 12 Apostles or primary disciples of Jesus Christ. He is revered as the patron saint of fishermen and young women.
Just as one reaches Vasco, taking the Zuari Road from the airport, this beautiful 16th century stone and lime building greets you. Prayer services are held in Konkani, English and Malyalam on Sundays. The church runs a school in the vicinity and you are likely to hear playful kids during their lunch break.
The St Andrew the Apostle Church, Vasco is called Santo Andre Igreja in Portuguese. The St Andrew, the Apostle Church is also called the Vasco Church popularly locally in Goa. The Vasco Church was founded by the Jesuits in 1570. The inaugural mass was celebrated with great solemnity on April 5, 1570. Adil Shah’s soldiers destroyed the original building in 1578. Viceroy Ferrao Teles de Menezes ordered the priests throughout Goa to build beautiful Churches of stone and lime. The church had a magnificent “façade” which was destroyed in the year 1950.
The present St Andrew the Apostle Church building was built in 1594, having gone through some substantial changes over the years. The parochial residence of St Andrew the Apostle Church was considerably extended in 1989, at the personal expenses of the then Parish Priest, Late Fr Antonio F Couto.
The Chapels without Chaplains in the Parish of St Andrew the Apostle Church are Our Lady of Merces Chapel, Vaddem; Goa, Our Lady of Piety Chapel, Mangor; The Holy Cross Chapel, New Vaddem, and the St Sebastian Chapel, Bhuteabhatt, Patrong.
The Religious Orders present in the Parish of St Andrew the Apostle Church are the religious women orders of The Presentation Sisters (PBVM) and the Cluny Sisters (SJC). The Presentation Sisters are based at Presentation Convent, Mangor Hill, Vasco and the Cluny Sisters are based at St Catherine of Alexandria Cluny Convent at Vaddem, Vasco.
The Educational Institutions in the Parish of St Andrew the Apostle Church are St Andrew’s Higher Secondary School, St Andrew’s Institute and St Andrew’s ICSE School and St Theresa’s High School, which is run by the Presentation Sisters. The Cluny Nursery and The Cluny Technical Institute run by the Cluny Sisters.
The Jeeban Jyoti Social Centre run by the Presentation Sisters and The St Catherine’s Hostel for working girls is also run by the Cluny Sisters.
The new St Andrew’s Higher Secondary School building at Vaddem was inaugurated and blessed by His Grace Most Rev Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop Patriarch of Goa and Daman. Having been established in June 1995, the institution has completed over two decades of providing quality education to students of Vasco and its surrounding areas.
The Higher Secondary School initially started with Arts, Commerce and Vocational stream and was functioning in the evening session in the church campus due to lack of its own premises. The then manager of the institution Fr Jose Antonio Da Costa was instrumental in starting the Science stream in the year 2014.
A priest with a great vision, Rev Fr Jose Antonio Da Costa felt that if St Andrew’s Higher Secondary had to grow, then there was a need of a separate premise with quality infrastructure for its growth. He started construction of the new premises at Vaddem in front of the Lake with the blessings and help of the Vasco Parishioners and well-wishers.
His successor former manager of the institution and present Parish Priest of St Andrew Church Vasco, Fr Gabriel Coutinho, a priest who always strives for quality education, was instrumental in completing the project. Fr Gabriel besides ensuring quality infrastructure for the staff and students also strived very hard to ensure quality enhancement of teachers and the teaching process.
