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Francis Xavier was born on April 7, 1506 in the Spanish Kingdom of Navarre. As a boy, he was ambitious and fond of sport, but he had a largeness of heart and generosity of nature which made him capable of heroic love and endurance. His encounter with Ignatius Loyola triggered a sea change in Francis� life. Ignatius challenged him to examine his worldly ambitions by asking him: �What does a man gain if he wins the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?� He became one of the first members of the Society of Jesus, making his vows with Ignatius and five others on August 15, 1534, and was finally ordained a priest on June 24, 1537.
He arrived in Goa in May 1542. From here he went to Cape Comorin in the south of India where he spent three years working among the pearl-divers of the Fishery Coast. From there he went on to the East Indies, to Malacca and the Moluccas, and, finally, in 1549 he set out for Japan.
Wherever he went he would seek out the poor and the sick and spend his time ministering to their needs. During his stay in Goa he worked wonders and established himself as a God-sent person, and thus he was able to impose his spiritual authority on Goans and win their hearts. In ten years, he crossed the greater part of the Far East. When one considers the conditions of travel at that time, the means of transport, the delays and difficulties which beset him at every stage, it is an astonishing achievement. It is even more remarkable when one considers that he left behind a flourishing church wherever he went. The effects of his labor remain to the present day.
He died on December 3, 1552, on lonely Sancian Island, abandoned with but one companion, without the sacraments or a Christian burial. But within a few weeks his body was recovered and found to be perfectly incorrupt. It was brought to Goa and received there with great devotion and enthusiasm. In 1614 by order of Claudius Acquaviva, General of the Society of Jesus, the right arm was severed at the elbow and conveyed to Rome, where the present altar was erected to receive it in the church of the Gesu. Francis Xavier was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1619 and canonized along with Ignatius of Loyola, by Pope Gregory XV, on March 12, 1622. As far as Goans were concerned, they did not have to wait for so many years to acclaim him as a saint. They had already triumphantly received and recognized him as a saint on March 16, 1554 when his incorrupt and totally fresh body, in spite of having been buried twice in quick lime, was brought to the Old City.
It is this continuous fervor of devotion that makes every Goan feel privileged and honored to consider himself or herself the guardian/protector of a unique treasure � the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier. Goans value them more than their personal possessions, and would rather forgo a sentimental heirloom than even consider parting with the holy relics. The very lives of Goans are linked inextricably to the remains of the Patron. Whenever Goans face difficulties, they spontaneously appeal to the Goencho Saib (The Lord of Goa) and place their fate into his hands; he has not yet failed to deliver them good results through his powerful intercession.
This devotion to and confidence in our Goencho Pai (Father of Goa) are particularly manifested annually during the saint�s novenas and the feast on December 3, which is a public holiday. (A couple of years ago, the Goa government proposed to discontinue the public holiday on December 3, but they did not succeed. It is believed that St. Francis Xavier�s intercession made the authorities change their minds.) At this time of the year, Goans flock in the thousands to the Old City to attend novenas and/or the feast in order to venerate the sacred relics of the saint. Numerous churches and institutions in Goa are named after the saint. Parents, too, take great pride in naming their sons Francis or Xavier, thus placing the child under the care and protection of the Patron.
The first exposition of St. Francis Xavier�s sacred remains took place in 1782. For a time, his body was exposed for veneration every year on his feast day - December 3. Beginning in 1864, the exposition was less frequent for security reasons. Subsequently, it was scheduled every 10 years. The last such exposition took place from November 21, 1994 to January 7, 1995, and it was believed that that would the last one. However, we now have another one going on which began today, November 21 and will conclude on January 2, 2005.
Many miracles have been attributed to St. Francis Xavier. He was said to have possessed the gift of tongues, to have healed the sick and even to have raised the dead. He continues to perform miracles, especially for his people in Goa. Most pilgrims who visit the Old City have scores of stories to tell as to how they invoked the help of St. Francis Xavier for his healing powers when their mother, father, wife, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, etc., was sick and how he/she at some point of his/her life was cured of a disease to a part of his/her body. As a thanksgiving, they offer gifts made of wax depicting the part of the body that was healed. The vendor picks up the wax offerings and resells them unless they are placed among the lit candles to melt. The sale of wax parts has become one of the most lucrative businesses in Old Goa.
Goans have been quite staunch Catholics and their faith grew stronger with the canonization of their beloved missionary St. Francis Xavier, who has been accepted as the patron of the State by all religious communities.
People usually visit Old Goa either for a novena(s) or for the feast, but there are many who attend all nine novenas as well as the feast. In the olden days and even now, people prefer to go to Old Goa during novenas because it is not as crowded as on the feast day and it surely gives them greater freedom of movement to perform their pilgrimage without much hassle. Unlike today, all activities in the past � Mass celebration, veneration and kissing of the sacred relics - were held inside the Basilica.
Due to shortage of transportation in the old days, people arrived in Old Goa on foot at least one day prior to the commencement of the novenas and stayed there sometimes during the entire novena period. The pilgrims considered themselves lucky if they were able to occupy the corridors around the �roz-angnnem� (open space garden in the middle of the Basilica premises) because that meant being closer to the saint. They brought with them enough spare clothes, food provisions, essential kitchenware, kerosene stoves, bedding, etc. They cooked their food on church premises both indoor and outdoor. It is a pity today that even places of worship have become targets of arson and terrorism which obviously deprives the pilgrims of the right to fulfill their vows within the Basilica premises, which in the olden days was considered their own home.
The devotion to St. Francis Xavier has remained the same over the centuries. He performs miracles to people from all walks of life. In the early 1950�s while we were studying in the Escola Primaria, we suddenly came across human hair in our lesson books, bible and religious manuals and the same was experienced by the elderly people. We were told those hairs were miraculously planted in our books by St. Francis Xavier. Of course, we believed it. The religion and faith in those days was so strong that nobody dared to criticize or question such happenings.
My father was an ardent believer in St. Francis Xavier. When he took up employment in Kuwait in 1947, he carried with him a framed picture of St. Francis Xavier. Every time he came home on vacation he brought it with him and took it back on his return to Kuwait. When he returned home for good in 1970, the first thing he did upon reaching home was to fix the picture on the wall next to the altar. He told us that he held the pictured frame close to his heart during the entire sea trip from Kuwait to Goa and vice versa. At the end of the daily rosary, he always said special prayers to St. Francis Xavier. Whenever we held a litany at home, we would ask the head of the ward to say a special prayer to St. Francis Xavier and to sing his hymn at the end of the litany.
In the 1950�s and 1960�s there was hardly any transportation in Goa but people managed without it. Their faith was so strong that they could move mountains and this was all possible because they cared for and belonged to each other. People from each ward lived in harmony like a big family. Unity was their strength. All decisions were made collectively. Thus, when it was time to pay a visit to the Goencho Pai at Old Goa, people just met and decided, packed their �khattli-pottli� (little belongings,) and walked their way to the holy place.
As a 10-year old child, I made such a journey in the 1950�s and it remains the best pilgrimage of my lifetime. Although I could afford to go to Old Goa by a �caminhao,� I chose to join the Gaumvaddy group who had decided to go on foot. Most of my friends were very poor. Therefore, I felt sad and guilty whenever I did something that they couldn�t afford to do. I have learned more in life by being with them than I would have otherwise.
Every one of us carried a little �pottli� (bundle) wrapped with either food or utensils or bed sheets. The journey began with prayers at the strike of Anjuna church bell at 5:00 a.m. We crossed the following villages: Arpora, Calangute, Saligao, Pilerne, Verem and Betim. The mud roads in those days were terrible - full of pot holes. Every one of us had to exercise caution while walking barefoot in order to avoid injury to our feet. Our feet then were tougher than present day shoe soles! We carried our sandals and shoes in a �pothi� (cloth bag) to use them in Old Goa, but actually we never used them. Once we reached Calangute, the road from there to Betim had concrete double track. Children preferred to walk on these tracks, but this was possible only in the morning and at night, as the tracks would be very hot during the afternoons and make it impossible to walk in barefoot. Occasionally, we would see a military jeep driven by a �Paklo� (Portuguese soldier) approaching us at full speed and we would immediately leave the track and walk by the side of the road. We also had to look over our shoulder every now and then to make sure there was no jeep coming from behind us.
Since there were no hotels at that time, we halted on Saligao hill, opposite the Seminary, prepared a tri-stone �chul,� gathered a little firewood, prepared tea in a �handdi� (utensil) and ate �bhakri� (chapatti) for tea. Everyone was focused on the mission to reach Old Goa and perform the pilgrimage at the feet of St. Francis Xavier. With this in mind, hardly anybody spoke during the journey. Instead, rosaries were said repeatedly throughout the journey with a short break in between. We also sang St. Francis Xavier�s hymn in Konkani after every rosary; other hymns were also sung. There was no disturbance of any kind throughout our journey. The only sounds that we heard on our way came from grazing cows, buffaloes and goats; when in villages, pigs and chicken occasionally crossed the roads. People were extremely kind and humble. Whenever we asked for water, they allowed us into their homes and let us draw water from their wells to quench our thirst. They also offered us �pez ani pejecho nis� but adults refused it; children, however, didn�t mind it. The weather in Goa during November and December is usually quite pleasant, which made our travel much easier. Surprisingly, nobody complained of any fatigue. Once we crossed the Mandovi River by ferry, we continued our walk from Panjim to Old Goa via Ribandar and Sao Pedro.
As soon as we reached Old Goa, we looked for a place either inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus or around it. Once we found a place, we spread bed sheets to claim the space. An adult person was asked to remain on the spot to guard our things, and the rest of us went inside the Basilica to pray. Although Mass in those days was celebrated in Latin, people did not mind attending several Masses per day. Actually, all they did was pray and say rosaries during the Masses. There was no shortage of Masses as they were celebrated at each altar in the Basilica as well as at other churches. If you were a little late for a Mass you had the choice of attending a full Mass at another altar. In the olden days, people were very particular about attending a Mass in full. If they missed even the sign of the cross at the beginning of a Mass, it was considered invalid.
In the afternoon, we returned to the spot, took our positions on the bed sheets and shared the simple lunch we had brought from home � plain rice, green chutney, �sukea khareacho� (dried fish), ani lonnchem (pickle); children were given an egg-pao; they also ate rice.
People in those days were very religious, so much so that they would sometimes talk and sigh very loudly while they prayed and even beat their chests �bhar eilelea porim� as if they were possessed!
I remember we were required to kiss each and every statue of the saints in churches. When our turn came to kiss St. Francis Xavier�s statue, parents would ask us to keep our right hand on his feet for a while as if to draw grace from him through this action. The most important moment of a pilgrimage during an exposition was when we reached the silver casket containing the saint�s holy remains and touched and kissed it. When this was done, it was considered a lifetime fulfillment, because people did not know if they would be around or if there would be another chance to witness the sacred relics from close range. Many people collected holy water from the basin and added it to their water bottles. Anything that was carried home from Old Goa was considered sacred. Once people reached home, they would distribute water to relatives, neighbors and friends.
At night, we gathered firewood, and cooked rice outside the premises. Since we could not carry a grinding stone with us, the women prepared plain �solanchi koddi� for dinner. We fried dried fish in the �murmuro� and made use of the remaining lonnchem for dinner.
In the 1950�s there were hardly any hotels in Old Goa. People went there for novenas or on feast days with a �bhuthi� (lunch pack) wrapped in plantain leaf containing plain food like rice, green chutney, and dried fried fish. People would also carry egg-pao or a beef roast sandwich or just boiled eggs. The gardens and wide open spaces in Old Goa that were usually deserted would get crowded with pilgrims. People were seen sitting, lying or sleeping in the corridors of the Basilica or around it on the green grass. People carried empty bottles and filled them with water at the little fountain in Old Goa. Chevris-pao ani sorpotel are the two oldest snacks/dishes which were and are still available in Old Goa during novenas and on the feast of St. Francis Xavier.
Nowadays, the hotel business in Old Goa is so lucrative that we believe each bidder stakes thousands of rupees in order to secure a place to install a stall at the yearly Fair, which is probably the largest in Goa, and the bids run into the hundreds of thousands of rupees during an exposition.
At the end of the pilgrimage devotees proceed to the Fair to buy eatables like �bazlele chonnem� (fried grams), �kaddieo-boddieo ani khajem� (Goan sweets), �manah,� etc. In those days, when we returned from a visit to Old Goa, parents would wrap a handful of �bazlele chonnem,� a few flakes of �manah,� a little �khajem/kaddieo-boddieo� and send us to deliver the packages to our close relatives and neighbors. Upon receiving the �pottli,� they would ask us: �Baba, bae, tumi Goenchea Saibak mellon eileant?� (Baba/baby, did you visit Goencho Saib?) We would answer: �Hoi.� (Yes.) They would then immediately touch us with their right hand, kiss that hand and say �Saiba pav� (Lord, help us), just as one kisses a statue in a church, which meant that they temporarily considered us holy because we had been on a pilgrimage to Old Goa. The faith in those days was very strong. People were God fearing and believed more in religion than anything else.
Some of the cheapest things that a person bought for himself/herself or as gifts from Old Goa Fair in those days were a �bentin,� (scapular,) an �arluk,� (medal,) and a �kont� (rosary.) People would treat these gifts with great care. For example, they would make sure that they did not bathe with the �bentin� on but they would remove and keep it on the edge of a �nahani/mori� while bathing. If a person forgot it there, the next person who went for a bath would ask: �Hem bentin konnanchem?� �Whose scapular is this?) In those days every one wore a scapular around his/her neck; children were not allowed to leave the house unless they wore their scapulars - something totally neglected these days both by adults and children. Wearing a scapular is forbidden in the country I work in, but I always carry it in my wallet.
Once we performed pilgrimage, we returned home on foot. We left Old Goa in the afternoon and it would be night by the time we reached home. Again the distance was covered by praying, saying rosaries and singing hymns. On our way home, before it was sunset, we would collect fallen, dry coconut leaves and prepare torches out of them. Nobody objected to our collection of dry leaves; they were readily available there for us to be picked up as if to say �help yourself!� Dried coconut leaves were tightly held together with a �volleacho gabo� (a strip from fresh coconut stem) which we removed with a knife. The �gabo� was tied in at least three places on the torch, so that if the first one burnt out the second one would be pushed forward in order to control the fire and prevent the torch from burning faster. The elderly took charge of the torch and swung it because they knew better how to control its fire. Since the elderly in the crowd smoked (they did not refrain from smoking during the pilgrimage; in fact, one could see them smoking a �pamparo� freely in the �roz-angnnem of the Basilica,�) lighting the torch was not a problem because they carried match boxes with them. Occasionally, we met villagers on our way back home who greeted us: �Dev bori rat dium� or �Boa Noite� and we replied to them: �Dev tukai bori rat divum� or �Boa Noite!�
Now that transportation is considerably easier, Goans from every nook and cranny of Goa, and people from all over the world, converge in the thousands on the Old City by road, rail, air and sea � something unthinkable in the 1950�s and 1960�s! Children are so used to easy transport that they find it difficult to walk even a kilometer. They immediately begin to complain and say: �Mamma/dadda, my legs are paining. Please, let us catch a rickshaw!�
Goans who have settled abroad make it a point to pay a visit to the Goencho Saib/Pai at least once a lifetime, and they do this during an exposition.
Well, those were the days of hardship and endurance, but we made it!
That�s all for now from Dom�s antique shelf!
Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
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