St. Sebastian Church

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

One year, 365 days to be precise, has passed by and we have entered into the New Year 2019. Only our heavenly father knows, what this year brings for all of us – what is in store for us. As we step ahead in the fresh year, we need to move with a positive mind set full of hope and aspirations. To help us venture into the unknown, Church dedicates the New Year’s Day to our heavenly mother, who is always ready to intercede for us. Read more

Saint Joseph Vaz, born on 21 April 1651 in Benaulim Goa (India) was an Oratorian priest and missionary in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He entered Ceylon when the Dutch ruled and they had imposed Calvinism as the official religion. He travelled throughout the island bringing the Eucharist and the Sacraments to groups of Catholics. Later in his mission, he found shelter in the kingdom of Kandy where he was able to work freely. By the time of his death, Fr. Vaz managed to rebuild the Catholic Church on the Island.
As a result of his work, Fr. Vaz is known as the Apostle of Ceylon. On 21 January 1995, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, in Colombo. He was canonized on 14 January 2015 by Pope Francis in an open-air Mass ceremony at the Galle Face Green in Colombo. Read more

Nikhil was not an ordinary child. The only son of a well-settled family in Goa, Nikhil was blessed with a loving family, handsome features, and a bright mind. He was barely two when he could recite popular rhymes, garnering proud smiles from his doting parents. As he grew, he not only excelled in academics, always managing to be one of the top three rankers in the school, but also in sports, especially football, his favourite game. Nikhil had also inherited the musical gene from his mother – his fingers deftly creating magic with six strings, earning him friends and admirers throughout his teenage life. Read more

God is the ultimate healer of any illness and the doctor is only the mediator. We have heard of miracles performed by saints where hopeless cases which were given up by doctors have been cured through the intercession of saints and God, baffling the medical fraternity. Also there are testimonies of certain bad habits, vices etc which can cause problems and illnesses for family members, not necessarily for the family member having these habits, but for others. Many have testified how a good honest confession of sins with a priest has cured them of physical ailments which could not be cured medically. Below are a few examples. Read more

St. Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience – his meeting with our Lord Jesus, on the road to Damascus. He was originally named Saul and was a Pharisee in Jerusalem. He was from the wicked lot and after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he swore to wipe out the new Christian Church. He persecuted the early Christians. He created havoc, entering their homes, sending some to prison – even putting some to death. Read more

Republic Day honours the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India.
The Constitution was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949, and came into effect on 26 January 1950 with a democratic government system, completing the country’s transition towards becoming an independent republic. 26 January was chosen as the Republic day because it was on this day in 1930 when Declaration of Indian Independence (Purna Swaraj) was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress as opposed to the Dominion status offered by British Regime. Read more

2018 was an eventful year to all of us, be in all fronts. We have many incidents to narrate of these 365 days. To begin with, we ushered in a new year 2018 and then on we have so many incidents that have happened in our lives, may be with our families, may be at workplace, with friends or even in our Church. We had many activities planned for our parishioners. Many Parishioners participated, whilst many lost an opportunity. All who were a part of this parish family have many good memories to narrate, which is a treasure in the years to come. Read more