OLD GOA: In a bid to follow the call given by Pope Francis, the Church in Goa is contemplating the possibility of celebrating the feast St Francis Xavier in an eco-friendly manner by banning the use of plastic or non-biodegradable material.
The feast of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa, where his relics are preserved, will be held on December 4 while the novenas will begin on November 25.
Speaking to media persons, Fr Patricio Fernandes, Rector of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, said the decision to ban plastic or non bio-degradable items is in sync with the call given by Pope Francis to shun them. “To begin with, we will avoid using flex and decorations made of thermocol to deck up the stage for the mass. This is a hard decision and we have been already talking about it,” he said.
He added, “I agree that without flex or thermocol decoration the set might not look glamourous as there will not be paintings.”
The feast of St Francis Xavier, draws thousands of people from across the country, especially from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. “Many of them walk the distance from their homes to the Church,” he said adding that groups of pilgrims from places like Karwar, Belgaum, Sawantwadi, Azra and Malvan usually arrive on foot. Amongst the pilgrims attending the feast will be devotees from Portugal, Italy and other countries, Oherald reported.
This year, on the feast day, the masses will begin at 4 am as large numbers of people will be camping the previous night near the Basilica. About 15,000-20,000 people will participate for the feast mass which is at 10.30 am. The main mass will be celebrated by Bishop of Udupi, Rev Gerald Lobo.
Fr Fernandes said the masses will be in several languages. “The main mass will be in Konkani and in the evening the mass would be in English. There be also be a Spanish mass at 3pm. But there are other masses like we have French mass on November 28, we have Italian mass on December 1 and Portuguese and Marathi mass on December 2. We have Kannada mass on December 3,” he added.