Really sorry to share the sad news of the demise of Fr Nascimento J Mascarenhas. A priest for five decades, many of us would better know him as a writer in history, a person who crafted many charming accounts of Goan life.
He wrote books on Church history, the priests of Goa and prominent Goan achievers. He was a delightful author to work with -- patient, polite and ever-understanding. Wish more young priests were imbibed with his intellectual curiosity and willingness to share their knowledge. In the last few years, he was battling health issues -- heart, high diabetes and its complications -- but always wore his broad smile. His work and contribution will be long remembered. Fr Nascimento passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the Margao Holy Spirit Church, where he was based for some time now. (Together with his neighbour there the late Fr Ivo, he was also a contributor to Goanet.) A Eucharistic celebration will be held for his soul on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 11 am. Thereafter, the funeral cortege will leave to Mae de Deus Church in his home village of Saligao, at 1.30 pm, for the Holy Eucharist at 4 pm, followed by burial. To celebrate his work, Goanet shares an excerpt from Saligao Serenade [http://saligaoserenade.com/], the blog that Val Souza (IT guru in Mumbai) set up for Fr N. * * * What are Goa’s villages famous for? by Fr. Nascimento Mascarenhas najo...@gmail.com While tourists visiting Goa are familiar only with the beaches and famous places of worship, local Goans will tell you that many villages of Goa are renowned for a particular produce or commodity. As we sat one May evening on the parapet of the Saligao church compound, a few of us began to enumerate the Goan villages of our region (Bardez) and what they produced or what they were famous for. Albino D’Souza from Saligao's Nigvaddo ward said that Moira was famous for bananas. Parra was famous in Goa for watermelons, asserted Justino Fernandes from Grande Morodd. From Cotula was Dominic Andrade, who showed his appreciation for curry and stated that Aldona was noteworthy for its chilies. Moira bananas are famous in Goa Salvador Mascarenhas from Mudd'davaddi remarked that Goan village Sangolda was known for its variety of beans. Pomburpa was famous for its fountain, recalled Luis Domingo Dias from Cotula. Duarte Fernandes from Donvaddo showed his inclination towards Mapuça, well known throughout Goa for its weekly Friday market. Adolph Mendonca from Cotula simply said that Nerul was known for its groundnuts and sweet potatoes. Alfred Fonseca, settled in Arrarim, striking his chest proudly declared that his village Assagao was famous for its flowers. Paulito Fernandes from Mudd'davaddi, with a smile on his face, quipped that Calangute is noted for its beach. Feliciano D'Souza from Arrarim, showing his love for Goan village Candolim, remarked that it is famous in Goa for its salted fish. Bernardo da Cunha from Mollembhat spoke about Calvim and said it was known for its crabs. In one voice we ended the list of village names with "Saligao amcho ganv," renowned in days gone by for sugarcane and belios (a type of candy made from sugarcane juice). But one among us had remained quiet so far. He was our choir master Eustaquino D'Souza from Pequeno Morodd, who now added that Pilerne and Goan village Arpora were famous in Goa for salt and that without salt our staple food of rice and curry would be tasteless. As we carried on our discussions enthusiastically, a stately gentleman whom none of us knew approached us. He said that he was a ganvkar of Saligao belonging to the 9th vangodd and that he had come to Saligao to register his name at the Saligao Comunidade Ghor to collect zonn (dividend) and pay his respects to the patroness of the Saligao church, Mãe de Deus. We welcomed him among us as one of our elder ganv-bhav (fellow villager). Seeing that we were interested in the affairs of the Bardez villages, Professor Eduardo de Sousa -- for that was his name -- said that he would relate to us a couple of stories. We sat in silence, eager to listen to what he had to say. One of the first Hindus, the learned professor said, that converted to Christianity in the sixteenth century, was from our neighbouring village of Pilerne. His Hindu name was Mangapa Sinai or Bhau Sinai. He was a Narcornim de Camara Geral de Bardez (Notary of the Municipality of Bardez). He came to Pilerne from Cortalim. He had come to Goa along with his brother and uncle Balxa or Balkrishna Sinai from northern India. Mangapa was baptised and given the name of Pero Ribeiro by the Franciscan Observants (OFM) who were made in charge of the Christianisation of the people of the Province of Bardez. They began their evangelization from 1555 beginning from Verém. Pero Ribeiro offered his stables for the horses of Adil Khan to stay in Pilerne. He was also given the property Pattambhatt or Pasambhatt. A rivulet at Pilerne is called 'Rio dos Ribeiros' which irrigates the fields of Pilerne. One of the Ribeiro descendants went from Pilerne to Nagoa de Bardez and later settled himself in Saligao at Vhoddlem Morodd. His descendant is the late José Ribeiro, whose sons are Tom and Savio Ribeiro. The uncle Balkrishna Sinai was baptised and given the surname Cunha and a property in Arpora. He is the ascendant of José Gerson da Cunha, the famous author of The Konkani Language and Literature published in Bombay in 1881. We accepted the Professor's story without any questions or interruptions. Saligaokars are proud to be referred as kole (foxes), Prof Sousa went on to say. He narrated another story to showcase the shrewdness of the Saligaokar. Once upon a time, there was a Saligaokar who owned a leather shop, selling all kinds of items made from leather, including shoes. When he went abroad he came across a wholesaler of shoes, with a wide range of shoes going very cheap. He bought dozens of them. To avoid customs duty he mailed them in two separate consignments, one containing shoes for the right-leg only, and the other for the left. When the parcels reached Panjim, they were not claimed. After some time they were auctioned. None of the shoe merchants present bargained because they thought they were useless. The shrewd Saligaokar bought the parcels for a song, through one of his friends, deceiving the customs officers by his cleverness. Whether this story is true or not is, of course, anyone's guess! Though we wanted to hear more stories related to our village, Professor Eduardo had to leave, and we too departed from the scene. Memories linger on in our minds of those old days in our beloved and "porzolit [shining] Saligao". One can only hope that the present and future generations preserve the sheen of the Goan village of the past. * * * Goanet Obits is edited and compiled by Frederick Noronha fredericknoro...@gmail.com 91-9822122436