St. Sebastian Church

Family Day gives a chance to the family members as well as the members of the families of a Parish, to celebrate the meaning of being a family and to spend quality time with each other by participating in fun activities together.
A family day provides hope in a community where families are the core and fundamental pillars of our society. For the past several years, we have been celebrating Family Day, in our St. Sebastian Church Parish, Aquem, during the Christmas Week celebrations. Read more

Exodus 20:12 Honour your father and mother so that you may live long in the land the lord your God is giving you.
The visit to the Old Age Home in Benaulim on 23rd December 2018, was one of the most memorable celebration and preparation before Christmas day. On the 23rd December, we the confirmation students visited the Home for the aged. There was singing in the bus till we finally reached our destination. Read more

In our Parish, the First Holy Communion was held on Sunday, 13th Jan ’19. 18 children received Jesus for the first time into their hearts. The Eucharistic celebration at 8:45 am, was celebrated by our Parish Priest Fr. Andrew Pereira and Asst. Parish Priest Fr. Gregory Cruz. The theme for the mass was “Jezuk Kallzant Gheum-ia, Mogachim Bhurgim Zaum-ia”. Read more

While the exuberance of the New Year gently propels us into the beautiful month of February, many a young hearts and probably old ones alike look forward to Valentine’s Day. Candle light dinners, flowers, chocolates, gifts and exchanging love messages… That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about, right? Well, maybe not. Read more

John the Britto was the Scion of a powerful aristocratic Portuguese family. His father Salvador de Britto Pereira died while serving as Viceroy of the Portuguese Colony of Brazil.
He joined the Jesuits in 1621, studying at the famous University of Coimbra. He travelled to missions of Madurai in South India, present day of Tamil Nadu way back in 1673 and preached the Christian religion in the region of Maravar Country. He renamed himself as Arul Anandar in Tamil. The ruler of the Marawar country imprisoned him in 1684. Having been expelled, he returned to Lisbon in 1687 and worked as a mission procurator. King Pedro II wanted him to stay on, but in 1690 he returned to the Marawar country with 24 new missionaries. Read more

The presentation of Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem is an early event in the life of Jesus, wherein He was officially inducted in Judaism.
As it was the custom in their religion that the new born should be presented to the Lord in the temple, Joseph a staunch believer and a devout person who followed Law of Moses to the core, went to the temple along with baby Jesus and Mother Mary. As per the custom then, and the rule book, one had to carry along with them the offering animal for sacrifice, namely LAMB, TURTLE DOVES or PIGEONS, depending on one’s capacity or the financial condition. As you all know, they carried two turtle doves for the sacrifice. Read more

Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in honour of the Marian apparitions that reportedly occurred in 1858, in the vicinity of Lourdes in France. The first of these is the apparition of 11 February 1858 when 14 year old Bernadette Soubirous told her mother that a ‘lady’ spoke to her in the cave of Massabielle while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar apparitions of the ‘Lady’ were reported on seventeen occasions that year, until the climax revelation of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception took place. Read more

The Lateran Basilica (dating 12th Century)
The Arch Basilica of St. John Lateran Basilica is the oldest and highest ranking of the four major Basilicas in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the Cathedral of the diocese of Rome, the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome. The Basilica is also called the church of the Saviour. In ancient Rome this was the church where everyone was baptized. It was built during the time of Constantine and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. At first the feast was celebrated only in the city of Rome but then, in honour of the Basilica which is of the city and the world, it was extended to the whole of the Roman Rite as a sign of unity and respect towards the Holy See, which as St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, presides over the whole assembly of Charity. Read more

The Se Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine in Old Goa. It is considered to be one of the largest churches in Asia. It is also known to be the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and has the prestige of being the seat of Archdiocese of Goa. The UNESCO has also declared it as a heritage site.
The Portuguese Viceroy Redondo commissioned the Se, or St. Catherines’ Cathedral, southwest of St. Cajetan church to be “a grandiose church worthy of the wealth, power and fame of the Portuguese who dominated the seas from the Atlantic to the Pacific”. Today it stands larger than any church in Portugal, although it was beset by problems, not least a lack of funds and Portugal’s temporary loss of independence to Spain. It took eighty years to build and was not consecrated until 1640. Read more