From: bcsabha.kal...@gmail.com To: http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Sacred-Relics-of-SFX-lowered-from-mausoleum/81291.html
Sacred Relics of SFX lowered from mausoleumArchbishop, priests carry silver casket to Basilica sacristy, Relics will be brought out Saturday morning and taken in procession to Se Cathedral for veneration; exposition begins todayBy TEAM HERALD | 22 Nov, 2014, 12:46AM ISTA- A+Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on google_plusone_shareShare on pinterest_shareMore Sharing Services6 Old goa: In a solemn and very private ceremony, the casket and crystal urn containing the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier were brought down on Friday evening, initiating the process for them to be kept for public veneration from Saturday.Sources said that present at the 30-minute ceremony were Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao along with Fr Alfred Vaz (convenor of the Church Exposition Committee), Fr Savio Barreto (Rector of Basilica of Bom Jesus), Fr Jose Remedios Fernandes (Vicar-General), Fr Manuel Dias (Chancellor) and Fr Olavo Caiado (Director of the Centre for Social Communications Media). The priests arrived at the Basilica at about 5.30 pm and proceeded to the Mausoleum in the Chapel of Fr Francis Xavier, where Archbishop Ferrao invoked a short prayer before the Relics of St Francis Xavier. After reciting the prayer, the Archbishop and priests observed a few moments of silence.The solemn ceremony to lower the crystal glass urn containing the relics of the famed 16th century Jesuit missionary was then set in motion. Under close attention of the Archbishop and the priests, a team of skilled personnel carefully and reverently lowered the casket from the mausoleum.With reverence befitting the occasion, the personnel then carried the glass urn containing the relics to a short distance, where they handed it to Archbishop Ferrao and the five priests. The clerics then carried the casket to the historic 17th century Sacristy of the Basilica. Standing before the relics, the Archbishop and the priests sang the renowned Konkani hymn ‘St Franciscu Xaviera’, bringing to an end the solemn ceremony at about 6 pm.The relics were left in the Sacristy for the night, amid a strong security cover. They will be brought out on Saturday and taken to the Se Cathedral where they will be kept for veneration.Millions of pilgrims and devotees are expected to attend the six-week-long Exposition, which will commence with a Solemn Pontifical Mass on Saturday at 9.30 am, at which Archbishop of Mangalore Aloysius D'Souza will be the main celebrant. The mass will be celebrated at a specially erected pandal outside the Basilica. Besides Bishop D’Souza, Archbishop Ferrao and some other bishops, and a large number of priests will concelebrate the mass.Once the relics have been placed in the Cathedral, the Archbishop will incense them and will pray along with the priests gathered. The devotees will then be allowed to kiss the Relics and can continue their journey of faith to a big pandal adjacent to the Cathedral, where the Religious Congregations will be showcasing their charisms and how they live it. An exhibition on faith by the Diocesan Centres and stage presentations to live the message of faith in the present context are part of the Exposition programme. There will also be counselling and prayer line services in the pandal.=======http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Faithful-proceed-to-Old-Goa/articleshow/45235696.cms Faithful proceed to Old Goa OLD GOA: A corner of the Basilica corridor, nearest to the mausoleum housing the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier, has been much coveted by pilgrims through the years, for they believe it offers them a few days of proximity tothe saint.Although the Sacred Relics will be placed in the Se Cathedral for veneration this year, the devotees that have slowly begun to trickle into Old Goa continue to head straight to the Basilica of Bom Jesus to occupy their usual spaces in the corridors.Luciana Monteiro is among the scores of pilgrims who have made this area their home for decades, right from their childhood, during the annual run-up to the feast of the Spanish saint. Now, all of 76-years-old, the frail lady from Bastora hopes to stay in the Basilica precincts for the next 10 days."My children and grandchildren are working. They have no time to stay here. They will come in the morning, attend mass and go to work," Monteiro said, leaning against the few belongings she had brought with her.Every year, thousands of pilgrims visit Old Goa to participate in the nine-day novena to St. Francis Xavier. Numbers are expected to swell this year as his Sacred Relics are lowered for veneration.While most devotees come for a day or two, a few hundred pilgrims stay for the entire duration of the novena. The situation is expected to be no different this year, except for the fact that pilgrims may stay on for a longer duration.Monteiro is not alone in her vigil. Pilgrims from Belgaum and Sawantwadi have also begun to arrive and take shelter near the permanent resting place of St. Francis Xavier.Shanti Figueiredo from Lalwadi, Belgaum chose to travel to Old Goa by public transport, leaving her husband and children behind. "We used to walk to Goa earlier, but now my legs hurt and I can't manage," Figueiredo said as she explained that her family would walk the entire distance with the village group.The tradition of pilgrims arriving into Old Goa on foot is as old as it is perilous. Apart from braving the heat and physical discomfort associated with the practice, some even have to stave off wild animals as they trek across hills and plains to reach the Goencho Saib.Rosie Fernandes from Margao is another devotee who has made the Basilica her home during the novenas. Her grandson, now based in Nagpur, is a priest at the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier. "He will be leading devotees from Nagpur on a pilgrimage to Goa during the novenas," she beamed. =======http://www.timesnow.tv/Exposition-of-relics-of-Francis-Xavier-begins-in-Old-Goa/articleshow/4469307.cms Exposition of relics of Francis Xavier begins in Old Goa22 Nov 2014, 1702 hrs IST, AGENCIESThousands of devotees on Saturday (November 22) thronged old Goa to witness the decennial exposition of relics of St Francis Xavier, a month-long event that commenced on Saturday. The relics of St Francis Xavier (SFX) were taken into procession from Bom Jesus of Basilica church, where they are housed permanently, to the nearby Se Cathedral church. The relics would be kept in open for veneration till January 4, 2015. Churches in the old Goa were awash with pilgrims who began arriving here since last evening. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place at the venue, which is closely monitored by more than hundred CCTV cameras. The main celebrant of the mass was Bishop of Mangalore, Rev. Bishop Aloysious, who along with Archbishop of Goa and Daman Filipe Neri Ferrao and other Bishops concelebrated the Eucharist at 9:30 AM in the make-shift structure adjacent to the Basilica where Sacred Relics are kept. After the mass, Sacred Relics were reverently taken in a procession to the Se Cathedral Church. Upon placing the Relics in the Cathedral, the bishop incensed the Relics and prayed together with the priests gathered following which, devotees were allowed to kiss the relics. "Pilgrims from across the globe and India, visiting Goa for the St Francis Xavier Exposition 2014, will get an opportunity to participate in the Holy Eucharist at Old Goa in languages of their choice. This is a facility introduced in addition to Masses in foreign and Indian languages that are already scheduled during the SFX Novenas (prayers offered for nine days) from November 24 to December 2, 2014," Convener of the Exposition Fr Alfred Vaz said. He said pilgrims coming from across the globe and India are given this opportunity for the first time. "The additional masses would be permitted as per the requests received and scheduled at 11 AM after the regular daily masses, which will be held in morning," he said. Foreign language masses in Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese have already been scheduled during the Novena. Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada masses are some of the Indian language Masses lined up during the nine-day Novenas, Fr Vaz added. "With Spain being the birth place of St Francis Xavier, a special mass in Spanish is also scheduled on December 3, the feast day of St Francis Xavier," the priest said. According to the calendar of Masses published for Exposition 2014, Masses will be held daily during the entire period of the SFX Exposition. The Eucharistic Masses in Konkani and English are scheduled daily. The organisers expect more than 50 lakh pilgrims to visit Old Goa during the exposition days. ====== Official website of the Exposition http://sfxexposition2014.com/ Mass timmings:http://sfxexposition2014.com/st%20francis-xavier-exposition-2014-masses-services.html#N1 Accomodation at Pilgrim centres:http://sfxexposition2014.com/st%20francis-xavier-exposition-2014-acco.html The Theme & Logo for this Exposition:http://sfxexposition2014.com/st%20francis-xavier-exposition-2014-theme.html History - St Francis Xavier -The Patron of the Missions:http://sfxexposition2014.com/st%20francis-xavier-exposition-2014-histo.html =========
