POINGUINIM: The feast of
St Francis Xavier is special to devotees from the Canacona taluka, as a piece of the saint’s bone lies preserved in a small glass casket at the
Bhatpal church in Canacona.
The
St Francis Xavier Church, which was elevated from a chapel and dedicated to the saint in 1968, is all decked up for the novena, which commences on Saturday, and the feast on December 4.
The faithful from Canacona and Karwar in Karnataka will venerate the Spanish saint’s relic from November 25 till 6pm on the feast day.
“A piece of the bone of the saint’s index finger was dispatched to Canacona by the then Bishop of Goa, Rev Francisco Xavier de Piedade Rebello,” parish priest
Fr Francisco Avito Almeida told TOI.
For a few months, the relic remained at St Theresa of Jesus church, Chaudi, Canacona, but when the chapel was elevated to a church, following a decree issued by Bishop Rebello in 1968, the relic was gifted to this church by Chauri parish priest, say the village elders.
Prior to 1968, the chapel feast was celebrated in May, but later it was decided to celebrate the feast on December 3.
On Friday, the blessing of the ‘maddi’ (banner) was followed by the Eucharist. The novena masses will be held daily at 8am and 4.45pm, Almeida said, while adding that the homilies at the novena masses will be delivered by various priests from the Canacona taluka churches.
