By Molly Fernandes

Sancoale, March 6, 2022: Around 8,000 Catholics from across Goa joined the annual walking pilgrimage of faith the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman organized on March 6.

The pilgrims finally gathered at Sancoale’s Rua Escravo de Maria that houses of the ruins of the old Church of our Lady of Health. Sancoale is the place where Saint Joseph Vaz wrote by hand the letter of bondage at the main altar on August 5, 1677, the feast of Our Lady of Snow.

Archbishop Fiipe Neri Ferrao of Goa and Daman is the brain behind the four-year-old pilgrimage organized on the first Sunday of the lent. It is observed as a day of prayer, penance and reflection, explained Eddie Fernandes, a committee member and the coordinator of the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims walking in the wee hours of the day
Fernandes said the Archbishop’s House patronizes the event as part of its project to make St Joseph Vaz known internationally.

He said he was impressed by the pilgrims’ zeal and faith to “travel in the wee hours from deanery” and reach Sancoale for the Adoration at 4:45 am followed by Mass at 6 am.

All the deaneries of the archdiocese participated in the pilgrimage. The North Goa deanery gathered at Goa Velha where the archbishop joined the pilgrims. The Old Goa deanery walked from Mandur and the south Goa met at Verna Church, while Benaulim and Verna deaneries walked from Cansaulim and the Vasco deanery from St Andrew’s Church.

This year, pilgrims from Vasco walked 28 km to reach the Sancoale church, while those from Margo walked 19 km and pilgrims from Panjim Kadamba bus stand 20 km.

The people of Sancoale and Cortalim came from their churches along with their pastors.

Pilgrims walking in the wee hours of the day (Molly Fernandes)
Elisbao Vaz a Sancoale parishioner and another member of the working committee, said they had permission to seat 10,000 people, but only around 8,000 turned up.

One who missed the pilgrimage was Daniel D Souza from CCRTV. He told Matters India that he and his family wanted to come but could not make it because of the restricted numbers

Father Simon Diniz, the parish priest of Saints Philip and James Church of Cortalim, led the one-hour Adoration. “A walking pilgrimage is made as pilgrims by walking together. We also walk the pilgrimage as an individual to fulfil favors received, or as a penance, and as prayer request, the priest said in his introduction.

The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Ferrao and around 60 priests.

The archbishop in his homily reminded the pilgrimage of Israelites in the wilderness of forty years. “As a journey we just started with the Ash Wednesday walking the 40 days pilgrimage this Lenten season,” he added.

The prelate also reminded 40 days Jesus spent in the desert where he was tested by the Satan before starting his Salvific Ministry of Redemption.

Walking pilgrims gather at Sancoale church (Molly Fernandes)
The Satan continues to use power to draw people and coerce them to compromise, projecting evil as not bad. He also tells people to show off and draw people’s attention, the archbishop remarked.

Bishop Ferrao suggested three ways to follow Jesus: by praying – personal, family and community. Another way is to fast and do penance and not let the left hand know what the right does. The third way is to do good to others, acts of charity by spreading goodness, the prelate explained.

The archbishop urged the pilgrims to carry forward Jesus mission and make the synod stronger and meaningful through participation and communion.