PANAJI: The canonisation of Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be marked in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman by a double event – a parish celebration in all the parishes on the day of her canonization, i.e. on September 4, and a Diocesan celebration, with representatives from all parishes, at the Se Cathedral Church in Old Goa on September 13, the day of her funeral.
The Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao, in a circular issued, has asked the priests, religious, and lay faithful in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman to participate in these events, “so that they become an occasion to recommit ourselves to the service of the poor and the marginalised and, in particular, to the care of the sick and the suffering in our own homes and neighbourhoods.”
In view of this double celebration in the Archdiocese, a committee that was formed has made various suggestions, for a fitting celebration on September 4 as well as September 13, which are already being circulated, mentions the circular.
The Archbishop stated that it is a privilege to be living in an era when quite a few of our contemporaries – people who have been known for their outstanding sanctity and active contribution in the transformation of human lives and structures – have been canonised.
Many peoples’ lives have been deeply impacted by their close contact with such eminent fellow beings. Some of them, like Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, have visited Goa and we have seen and heard them in person, he stated.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited Goa at least twice, adding the Missionaries of Charity, founded by her, has four houses in Goa Archdiocese, namely at Panaji, Carambolim, Quepem and Cotto-Fatorpa.
The canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is an occasion of great joy to the Church throughout the world, but especially to the Church in India, it is stated in the circular adding that this historic event, which is fittingly taking place in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, drives home to us the eternal message of Jesus, our Master, that caring for the neglected and the forgotten is the noblest of services; it places before us the challenge to “go and do likewise” to the abandoned and the lonely in our homes and neighbourhoods.