Attn all concerned. Please let us know if there will be a feast/mass this year. We would like to attend the mass.
Thanks for your help and support. john&Josephine --- godfrey gonsalves <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear Netizens, > > Re : Feast of Nossa Senhora de Brotas, Church of Our > Lady of Springs Anjediv Island off Canacona > _____________________________________________ > > The Feast date is as usual Monday,2nd February > > The matter regarding permission to hold the Feast on > the Island is yet under consideration. > > The ex Station Commander, Sea Bird Project Cmdr B. > R > Rao has since been transferred on 31st October, 2003 > > and the new incumbent a hydrographer Cmdr S. S > Karnik, > from Koondapur in Udipi District Karnataka. He was > In Charge of the Hydrographic Training Institute at > Vasco-da-Gama Goa before his present posting on 1st > November,2003 as Commander Sea Bird Project. . > > Following a report sent by the erstwhile Station > Commander Cmdr B. R. Rao to the Defence Ministry > stating that "A DOZAN TEMPLES HAVE BEEN SHIFTED FROM > THE ISLAND TO THE MAINLAND " the Defence Minister > Mr > George Fernandes replied vide letters dated > 25.9.2002 > 29.4.2003 and 19.7.2003 respectively to both the > Chief > Minister of Goa Mr Manohar Parrikar and the Leader > of > the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Ms Sonia Gandhi in > reply to their letters that in view of the > observations above " WE NEED TO FOLLOW AN UNIFORM > POLICY TOWARDS PEOPLE OF ALL RELIGIOUS FAITHS" > which > literally meant that access to the Island is not > possible at all after the letter of the station > Commander dated 4.7.2002 that all permission will be > banned after May 2003. > > Now after the completion of the North break water > (and sensitive facilities alleged to being installed > there ) access to the island is easy i.e by walk > just > four kms from Binaga shore which in turn is 3 kms > from > Karwar bus terminus by autorickshaw shared costing > Rs.20/- one way. > > This writer interacted telephonically with ex > Station > Commander,Cmdr Mr B. R. Rao on 3.10.2003 AND also > visited the Sea Bird for the 4th time on 4.10.2003 > the > Feast of St Francis de Assisi whose chapel on the > Island is now in ruins and ascertained that there > was > only ONE temple on the landside viz Somnath temple > which was rased to the ground near the Entrance Gate > of the Sea Bird Project at Killebag near Binaga > Karwar > and a new one erected a little beyond. The others > were small "ghumties" In anycase that was the > understanding with the Govt of Karnataka the local > people and the Sea Bird authorities. This nails the > lie of the Station Commander Cmdr B R Rao. > > Unfortunately before he could reply back he was > transfered to New Delhi on 31.10.2003. > > However the Union Defence Minister Mr George > Fernandes during his visit to Goa on 4.11.2003 was > given a representation a) stating the above facts > b) > it was mentioned that the Anjediv Island is still > under the Goa Government as "CEDING of territorial > LAND from one State to another (viz Karnataka) or > the > Central Government " can be done only by an Act of > Parliament and this has not been done till date c) > that in BOTH the transfer orders issued by the Goa > Government dated 8.12.1987 and 26.7.1989 signed by > the > Collector South Goa District Mr A Venkatratnam (now > Secretary to the Governor of Goa) it was clearly > stated that "THE NAVY SHOULD ALLOW ON THE ISLAND ( > area 37,005 Ha Canacona Taluka) the customary feast > of both St Francis de Assisi and Nossa Senhora de > Brotas on 4th Oct and 2nd February" > > There has been a studied silence from the Defence > Ministry since then despite reminders. > > In fact TWO additional reasons for the breach of > this > understanding and confusion confounded are > a) the statement of the Leader of the Opposition Mr > Pratapsing Raoji Rane made in August 2002 in the Goa > Legislative Assembly that the temples were shifted > from the Island; which only lent credence to the ex > Station Commander Cmdr B R Rao's misrepresentation > of > facts to the Defence Minister; > b) the Archbishop of Goa & Daman, His Grace Dr Raul > N > Gonsalves under whose jurisdiction the Anjediv > Island > falls in,has been merely paying lip sympathy instead > of a dealing with a frim hand with the Navy and > demanding from them that they honour the agreement. > It > is the same neglect that has resulted in the > ruination > of the St Francis de Assisi Chapel on the Island. > The > Diocesan Centre for Social Communication Media Fr > Olavo Velho Pereira had authorised the undersigned > to > pursue the issue but there has been studied silence > from Church to date. > > Meanwhile the Parish Priest of St Annes Church from > Binaga, Fr Britto D Silva and the undersigned have > been inudated with queries from the faithful about > the prospects of celebrating the Feast and as the > suspense continues this writer is mailing a fresh > appeal to the President of India Dr A. P. J Abdul > Kalam who is on a two day State visit on 12.1.2004 > and > 13.1.2004 to Goa to resolve the matter and direct > the > Defence authorities to honour the agreement. > > With the 14 Lok Sabha elections likely before March > 2004 and given the soft stand on Hindutva being now > defined as "development" and not "Hindu > fundamentalism" by the BJP President and also > calling > for its cadres to take into confidence the minorites > as stated today at BJP convention at Hyderabad > Andhra > Pradesh let us expect the permission to come in the > days to come. The Chief Minister Mr Manohar Parrikar > will also be sent a copy of the same representation > to > ask the Navy to honour the Agreement. In fact at the > jsut concluded Gomant Vishwa Sammelan the CM went on > record as stating that getting things back from the > Navy is in fact a difficult task - he was referring > to > the a query on why the civilian airport at Dabaolim > cannot be reverted back and the Navy asked to move > to > Sea Bird. > > It may be noted that the Church at Anjediv does not > have a part of the roof but concelebrated High Mass > can be celebrated at short notice as the unsafe > circuitious route from Karwar Ferry to the seaward > side taking nearly an hour is no longer needed. > There > are several buses plying from Goa to Karnataka and > the > journey is about one and half hour to two hours from > Panaji Goa . In any case the Holy Mass if held > invariably commences at 11.00 a.m. and the last bus > returning to Goa is at 4.30 p.m. or at 6.00 p.m. > upto > Canacona and one can easily catch the train from > Canacona at 8.30 p.m. to Margao. > > The faithful desirous of ensuring that the Feast > should be celebrated as usual should therefore send > immediately their representations > to Archbishops Palace Altinho Panaji c/o Fr > Olavo > Velho Pereira Diocesan Centre for Social > Communication > Media [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with copies marked simutaneously to > a) Fr Britto D Silva [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > b) Cmdr S S Karnik [EMAIL PROTECTED] > c) Chief Minister of Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] > d) President of India [EMAIL PROTECTED] > e) Governor of Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] > f) Leader of the Opposition Lok Sabha Ms Sonia > Gandhi > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > g) Member of Parliament Mr Eduardo Shivaji Faleiro > [EMAIL PROTECTED] or the undersigned > > Godfrey J. I. Gonsalves > B-F-4 1st Floor, Hillside Apts > St Joquim Road > Borda P.O. Fatorda Margao Goa > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > === message truncated === ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
