Over five lakh people are expected to gather at Old Goa village near here for the annual Feast of St Francis Xavier, patron saint of the coastal state, to be celebrated on December 3, the organisers said on Friday.
The Feast of St Francis Xavier is one of the most important events for the followers of Christianity. The feast is celebrated at Basilica of Bom Jesus, a church located at Old Goa, where the body of the saint who died in 1552 and whose relics are still preserved.
"Tomorrow onwards annual Novenas (prayers) to celebrate Jesuit St Francis Xavier will begin, which will culminate into a feast on December 3," Fr Patricio Fernandes, Rector of the Basilica told PTI.
He said during the ten days, including nine days of Novenas, more than five lakh people from across the country and also abroad, are expected to arrive in Old Goa to seek blessings of the patron saint.
The church has set up three dimension stage within the precincts of the Basilica, which will host the high mass at 10.30 am on December 3, which would be celebrated by Bishop of Bombay Fr Barthol Baretto along with other Bishops, including Archbishop of Goa and Daman Rev Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao.
Fernandes said the church has been promoting to celebrate the events in an eco-friendly way, and hence the use of plastic material was stopped last year.
"For the first time, we have set up a three dimensional stage so that the people can have a good experience. For the first time we will have screens and LED walls so that the person even in the last row can see the masses. It will be telecast live on the television and also on YouTube Channel," he said.
Fernandes said the theme this year is 'Like St Francis Xavier, let us live the Beatitudes and Be Holy'.
"Beatitudes are the attitudes of Lord Jesus. They are next level from Ten Commandments in the Bible," he said
According to him, to take part in the celebrations, several devotees from nearby villages in Karnataka and Maharashtra states walk their way to Old Goa from their villages, as a mark of respect for the patron saint.
"They come from areas like Kolhapur, Ajra, Gadhinglaj, Nesargi, Madhwal, Deshnur which are Marathi and Kannada-speaking areas," Fernandes said.
The church has made elaborate arrangements for them, he said adding that there will be a pilgrim mass for them on December 2, which will be in Konkani, Marathi and Kannada languages.
"It's a unique kind of pilgrimage they undertake. They generally walk for three to five days," he said.
During the 10 days, the masses would be held in Indian languages- Konkani, English, Tamil, Malyalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi- he said.
The Spanish and French masses are also scheduled on the Feast day, he added.
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