St. Sebastian Church

The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, free from original sin was by virtue of the merits of her Son Jesus Christ. God had pre-determined that Mary should be the mother of Jesus Christ, that is why, she was born without the stain of original sin. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence. All Catholics believe in this doctrine of Immaculate Conception. But Mary was not exempted from the temporal penalties of sorrow and bodily infirmities. Like any mother she was never separated from the sufferings of her Son.

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India gained independence from the colonial British rule on 15th August 1947 and on 19th December 1961 Goa was officially ceded to India after 400 years of Portuguese rule. Looking back for those of you who were there to experience the moment as well as those who have read about it would surely be a mixed reaction – bemusing and somewhat satirical.

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A part of the Inaugural Speech made by late President John F Kennedy on his election victory as the President of America and applauded by the people around the world is as follows.

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The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family during the Christmas Octave. It commemorates the lives of Jesus, Mary and Joseph together in Nazareth. Veneration of the Holy Family formally began in the 17th century through Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France.

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In 1954 Pedro Paul Rodrigues, a Goan tailor of Raia, 41 years of age and living in Bombay, came to Aquem with a view to invest in a home for his wife and seven children. His wife Laurente, put only one condition to him that the dwelling should be close to a church. He contacted Late. Joaquim Santana Dias whom he knew personally for guidance. Late Mr. Dias, (father of our good family friend, Felix Dias) suggested a bungalow that was for sale on a property known as “Rivontoloi – Batta alias santu xevoilam”. Pedro Paul bought this property from a Portuguese family. After various repairs to the bungalow, well and a surrounding compound, the place became presentable and livable. But sad to say, Pedro Paul passed away on 15th March 1958 not destined to live in this place he had bought.

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When one goes back in time, it is always with a sense of nostalgia about the good old days when good health was in abundance and there was that feeling of contentment and well being. Why is that nowadays we have all these dreaded illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, cancer etc. taking their toll on an already stressed out populace?

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So goes the Christmas song “Do you hear what I hear?” When we listen to this carol, every December we usually think its about hearing, seeing and knowing what happened the night Jesus was born. However the main intent of the couple who wrote the song was different.

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December is the last month of the Calendar, a month which is eagerly awaited by all Catholics as well as others. It is a time to be joyful. A time where families unite to celebrate the birth of Christ. Its Christmas time.  As the magazine reaches you we will be already in the mood of celebrating Christmas, with the markets flooded with decorations, Christmas carols are in the air,  and we listen to this music, as it helps us to come in the right spirit, right mood. But what is Christmas time?  Read more

Daisy and Amanda were schoolmates. Daisy hailed from a humble background while Amanda’s parents were from a rich and prosperous family. With the same education and almost similar career prospects, Daisy ended up toiling hard for a decade. Meanwhile, she married and had two beautiful children. Although Daisy earned a decent salary, she believed in enjoying the good things in life when she could afford them. However, her extravagant lifestyle resulted in lack of adequate savings to fall back on. Read more

I was on a short vacation to Europe, to cut off from my usual routines. I visited England, Rome-Vatican, Venice-Italy and finally Lisbon-Fatima. I was fortunate to get a glimpse of our Pope Francis, who appeared on the window, recited some prayers and then blessed the multitude of people, who inspite of hot sunshine, thronged the Basilica square. It was an awesome feeling.
Wherever I went, one thing which struck me most, at every nook and corner was the ‘Discipline’. The respect and fear of the law, little scope for breaking the rules. Be it the parking, traffic signals, queue systems everywhere, respect to elderly people and women, zebra crossings, everything is streamlined. Every possible act is captured on CCTVs with lot of monitors which record speeds of vehicles zooming along. The people of these countries must be really proud to boast of these nearly inch-perfect surroundings. Read more