Happy Feast Of St. Francis Xavier II OLD GOA II GLIMPSES II 3 December 2022

Happy Feast Of St. Francis Xavier II OLD GOA II GLIMPSE II 3 December 2022
Happy Feast to one and all
The Feast of Saint Francis Xavier
Each year, on 3rd December, marks the anniversary of St Francis Xavier’s death, when thousands gather at the Basilica of Bom Jesus.
This annual festival, known as the Feast of St Francis Xavier or Goinchea Saibache Fest in local language konkani , is the biggest of all the Christian festivals in Goa. People from near and far come to participate in the morning 4.00 am mass onwards till 6.00pm in Evening.
St Francis Xavier came to Goa as a missionary in 1542, and began preaching to both the Goans and his fellow Europeans. During the next ten years he converted many thousands to Christianity, despite the resistance of some of the European officials he encountered, as well as language constraints (he wasn’t proficient in foreign languages as is commonly believed).
He died of a fever on a Chinese island in 1552, at just 46 years old, and was brought back to Goa a few years later and his body Still in Old Goa.
In 1637 his body was laid to rest in a silver casket, constructed by Goan silversmiths, who blended beautifully both Italian and Indian aesthetics in its design. 32 silver plates placed on the sides of the casket each depict a different episode in the life of the Saint. The casket was placed in the Basilica of Bom Jesus where it remains to this day. Once every ten years there is a public viewing of his body, the next being due in 2024.
Considered one of the greatest missionaries since St Paul, the anniversary of his death is also remembered in Spain, the land of his birth, as The Day of Navarre (Día de Navarra).
Visiting Old Goa and the Basilica of Bom Jesus
Once known as the ‘Rome of the East’, Old Goa is fascinating to explore with many reminders of the region’s former grandeur and the importance it held in the colonial era. There are a number of colonial buildings, convents, and churches, including the Basilica of Bom Jesus, that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
In 1545, Xavier wrote to the Pope, requesting that the Inquisition be formally instituted in Goa.
While he waited for a reply, he took to the seas, sailing to Cochin, the Malabar coast, Tamil Nadu, and as far as Malacca and Japan. The miracles attributed to him took place during these journeys, where he allegedly turned casks of sea water into fresh water for sailors, and brought a boy back to life after he had fallen overboard. He fell ill and died in 1552 on the island of Sancian while waiting for permission to enter China.
On 5/11/2022. Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao announces the exposition of the relics of St. Francis Xavier, issues a decree confirming the Solemn Exposition of the sacred relics will be held from 21 Nov 2024 to 5 Jan 2025.
#StFrancisXavier
#oldgoafeast
#goenchosaib
#oldgoa
#goenchopatrao
#saintfrancisxavier
#goa
#churchesinoldgoa
#sikh #goasikhyouth #novena #mass #god #christmas #feast

[@sunnymonteiro7914]

🙏🙏👌