Goa Church mourns death of exemplary retreat preacher

By Matters India Reporter

Panaji: Archbishop Filipe Neri of Goa and Daman led Catholics in the western Indian state in mourning the death of a popular retreat preacher who believed that the survival of Goan identity depended on Konkani language.

Father Conceicao D’Silva died of a massive heart attack on February 7 at Raia, some 35 km south of Panaji, the state capital. He was 66.

His funeral Mass was held at 10.30 am February 8 at Our Lady of Snows Church in Raia, his last posting as parish priest. He was buried in his native village of Orlim at 4 pm the same day.

Mourning the death Archbishop Filipe Neri of Goa and Daman pointed out that Father D’Silva always did the will of God. He was concerned about others as he preached the Word of God with zeal. “He always prayed for the poor, suffering and down trodden,” the prelate added.

Father D’Silva was popular for his Friday retreat services that he started at Ambelim village in Salcete, a south Goa district, nearly three decades ago. He was known for his charismatic connect with the faithful.

All this made Father D’Silva a household name in Goa, says Felicia Simona, a shack owner on the Calangute beach. “I have attended many retreats preached by Father Conceicao. His prayer healed many people. We have lost a priest who cared for his people,” she told Matters India.

Father Valerian Vaz, rector of Saligao Seminary, says Father D’Silva became “a living example” for all who had come to his life.

“As an evangelist he traveled around the world to conduct services specially where Goans lived. He helped them lead a good catholic life,” Father Vaz told Matters India. He recalled that Father D’Silva prayed the Rosary every evening with his assistant priests and volunteer teams.

He was ordained a priest in 1983 and served as parish priest in Carambolim, Taleigao, Raia and in the parishes of Calangute, Verna and Tilamol (Quepem).

Father D’Silva was a strong supporter of Konkani, particularly in the Roman script and of the Goan identity. He asserted that the Goan identity depended on its language, Konkani. He used to say that the idea of Goa and the Goan identity would be lost forever if there was no Konkani. “He believed Konkani in Roman script should be preserved and given equal status along with Devanagiri in the official language act,” said Tomazinho Cardozo, a former speaker of the Goa legislative assembly and a dramatist, playwright, writer in Konkani and English.

D’Silva was also the vice president of Konkani Dalgado Konknni Akademi and funded the academy between 2003 to 2008, when the government started giving yearly grants. He also raised funds and renovated churches in Taleigao, Mandur, Carambolim and the Cruz dos Milagres retreat center.

Father D’Silva was born on February 13, 1955, at Orlim, Salcete. He joined Saligao seminary in 1969 at the age of 14 years. After theological and philosophical studies in Rachol, the local major seminary, he was ordained a priest on May 7, 1983.

He worked for the social development of the weak and the poor in the parish, besides attending to their spiritual needs.

As the parish priest of Our Lady of Amparo Church, Mandur, he served people irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

At Mandur, he started the Friday service in honor of Jesus and Mary. People flocked to him with their problems for counseling, prayer, healing and deliverance.

Through his homily he changed the lives of many, including people addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Throughout his priestly life, Father D’Silva made sustained efforts to bring about a qualitative change in the lives of the youth in the parishes he served. Besides conducting regular church activities for the youth, he formed parish youth associations to make young people responsible members of society.

His generosity helped improve the economic status of numerous families by providing employment to hundreds of youth in Goa and abroad with the help of his friends, be they politicians, industrialists, social workers and his well-wishers.