Susan , there is no need for you to loose your mood on Christmas day by hearing the sermon of the priest . It is high time the Bishop calls all the priests for a seminar and explains to them the mental ability of the parishioners in todays world and the relevant topics to be preached in a church . The priest must have been a young guy out of the seminary and with a modern world mentality , graduated and attending the practical life of today. It may be true what he had preached , but there is always a forum for certain topics and for a certain type of congregation. It might have been well taken at a youth mass , but not for the Mass attended by different age groups. Pray that God inspires Fr. Oliver and he realises his mistake. GOD BLESS YOU !!!!
> Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2013 06:39:41 +0000 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > CC: [email protected] > Subject: [Goanet] The sermon at Colva Church at the 9.30 am Christmas Day > Mass > > Someone needs to ask Fr Oliver Fernandes to explain the remarks/statements > he made at the 9.30am English Mass, at the Colva Church. At the Christmas > mass at 9.30, in English, Fr Fernandes' sermon topics were on Rape, > abortion, women's underwear, lesbians, homosexuals .... Which I found > extraordinary and wholly inappropriate given this Christmas mass is > attended by families with young children and surely the message should have > been on the birth of Christ! > > Fr Fernandes had the gall to preach on Christmas Day at the 9.30 English > mass, that rape was incited by women and their dress code! I understand > several people have already complained to the Colva church and I have > written a letter to the Bishop, for if this is the message that a priest is > promoting what chance do women have? > > Unfortunately his preaching on these topics is not an isolated incident, > for having attended several of the Sunday 9.30 masses conducted in English > at Colva church, I have had the misfortune of having to listen to lengthy > sermons by Fr Oliver Fernandes which are sex obsessed (topics- blue movies, > threesomes, etc) with little or no connection to the readings of the day. > He appears to be a misogynist as he considers women responsible (at the > Christmas mass he lectured the congregation on the issue of women not being > like Mary, because they did not wear what he termed 'inner wear' at > dances, does he think that at the time of Jesus and Mary, women wore bras > and knickers? He made causal statements such as attending christmas dances > leads to abortions! > > Someone needs to ask Fr Oliver Fernandes why he considers it acceptable to > blame women for an act of aggression committed by men? Perhaps he can also > explain why in many cultures (tribes across the world) women are topless or > close to naked and are not subjected to rape, but according to Fr Fernandes > women wearing dresses without sleeves in Goa means that women incite and > are therefore responsible for rapes. > > I was saddened to read that tragically the rape victim despite her brave > fight for life, died. But if priests, like Fr Fernandes, are so insensitive > at times like this (given his sermon on Christmas day), and fail to see and > accept that rape is a male issue, what chance do women have? > > Yours sincerely > Susan Rodrigues
