St. Sebastian Church

On the occasion of the 48th anniversary of his ordination, we celebrate the extraordinary journey of Fr. Simpliciano N. Fernandes, whose ministry has spanned over four decades with unwavering dedication and remarkable contributions to the Church and community. Ordained on April 21, 1978, during a challenging time for the Archdiocese, Fr. Simpliciano’s early years in the priesthood were marked by resilience and devotion. 

Fr. Simpliciano has always sought to expand his knowledge and skills to better serve his community. His decision to pursue higher studies at St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa, led to his involvement in religious journalism. His contributions to the field earned him the prestigious Fr. John Barret Journalism Award, and he was selected as the Young Catholic Journalist of India for the Summer University in Europe. He received diplomas in Journalism from Fribourg University (Switzerland), Gregorian University (Rome), and Université de Lyon (France). 

The Susegad Christ metaphor can be taken as a sacrament. This metaphor is never a mere flourish of language but it explains the structure of reality and, at the same time, evokes a lived response and becomes a symbol, a doorway through which meaning and experience pour together. The Susegad Christ of 

Goa is exactly such a symbol. The image of a calm, smiling Saviour, arms open in unhurried welcome, is not a decorative label pinned into Jesus. It is a sacrament of words and wood and pigment that communicates both the meaning of revelation and the experience of Goan peace! 

The Susegad Christ explains how the Gospel does not show ordinary Goans why the ancient law of love reaches its fullness not in heroic defiance but in prudent day-by-day fidelity. The fisherman mendung net at dawn, the grandmother lighting lamp at duskeach discovers that their ordinary rhythm is already inside the divine rhythm. The metaphor explains without lecturing; it simply lets the eye rest on the wooden statue in the village chapel and whispers: “This is how the divine looks when it wears your own face.” 

Every year, when Good Friday arrives, we remember the suffering and death of Christ. The church grows quiet. The altar is bare. The liturgy slows us down and invites us to sit with pain, silence, and sacrifice. Good Friday is not only an event in the life of Jesus; it is also an experience in our own lives. 

Each of us encounters moments that feel like a personal Good Friday, don’t we? Times when plans collapse, relationships strain, health falters, or uncertainty clouds the future. These are the times when life feels heavy and answers are not easily found. During a recent retreat at the Xavier Retreat Centre in Baga, I was reflecting on the Ignatian spiritual exercises which helped me see these moments in a different light. 

A tribute to my friend Mr. Tony Dias 

As always, those early morning calls that come outside of normal hours carry with them a quiet sense of unease feeling that something is not right. That Tuesday morning was no different. The ringing of the phone shattered the stillness, and in that very moment, an unspoken fear settled in. And then came the news… news that would weigh heavily on our hearts, leaving us in disbelief and sorrow. 

For the past few months, we had already lost a couple of our dear friends. Just as we were beginning to come to terms with those scars, this loss has come upon us like a wound that will not heal easily. Today feels like a sunset that came far too soon as though the sun that lit our lives has quietly slipped beyond the horizon, leaving behind a sky heavy with darkness and silence. There is an emptiness in the air, a stillness that echoes the pain in our hearts. It feels unreal… almost impossible to accept… that someone who meant so much, someone who was such a constant in our lives, is no longer with us. 

What Is the new Commandment? 

The “New Commandment” is a central Christian tenet from John 13:34- 35, where Jesus instructs his disciples to “love one another as I have loved you”. 

Why did Jesus call it a NEW commandment? Why did He not simply say, ‘You already know this old commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. Now just make sure that you apply it’? How is this commandment to love our fellow man in v.34 a new commandment? From studying this passage and comparing it with other passages of scripture, we can suggest at least 5 ways in which this commandment is new. 

Easter is often celebrated as a single moment in history-the triumphant rising of Christ from the tomb but It is not confined to a day in history; it is a rhythm. It is the “Easter of life”-a continual rising that unfolds within each of us, day after day. 

Life, in its deepest truth, is a cycle of dying and rising. Every disappointment, every failure, every moment of darkness is, in its own way, a kind of Good Friday. We encounter loss, we face rejection, we wrestle with doubt, and at times, we feel buried under the weight of our struggles. But Easter whispers a quiet yet powerful truth: no tomb is final. Within every ending lies the seed of a new beginning. As we are reminded in Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season… a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4). 

Messenger of the Gospel 

“Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation.” -Gospel of Mark 16:15 

Among the four Evangelists who gave us the Gospel accounts of the life and mission of Jesus Christ, Saint Mark the Evangelist, holds a special place in the history of the early Church. His Gospel is widely believed to be the earliest written account of Jesus’ ministry and has helped Christians throughout the centuries understand the message of salvation. 

St. Mark, a Libyan, is also known in the Scriptures as John Mark, he belonged to the early Christian community in Jerusalem. His mother Mary owned a house that became an important meeting place for the first Christians. In those early days of the Church, believers gathered in homes for prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread. Coptic tradition also holds that Mark the Evangelist hosted the disciples in this house after Jesus’s death, that the resurrected Jesus came to Mark’s house, and that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost in the same house. Furthermore, Mark is also believed to have been among the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine. Growing up in such an atmosphere, Mark was closely connected with the Apostles and their mission of spreading the Gospel. 

Aquem a small village of yester years has a rich historical heritage. The fisrt conversion in Salcete to Christianity took place in Aquem. On 29th February 1560, Tipu Santu Naik Sardessai was converted Sebastiao Coelho to whose ancestry I belong, as his private temple “Deull” was converted to a chapel named Pandava copel and the saint honoured and dedicated was São Sebastiao. 

I am a septuagenerian and recalls vividly the tremendous development, trnasformation that has taken place at Aquem during the last 50 years has a distinctiive impact on the lives of the people who lived peacefully. The population was not much. There were houses scattered all around, lots of land for cultivation, vegetation, grazing and for playing. Now we do not see much land in Aquem. 

Feast Day: April 29 

The life of Catherine of Siena is a beautiful example of strong faith, courage and love for God. She was born in 1347 in Siena, Italy, during a difficult time when war and disease were common. She was the 25th child in her family. From a very young age, Catherine showed a deep love for God. It is said that when she was just six years old, she had a vision of Jesus and this changed her life completely. 

As she grew older, her family wanted her to get married, but Catherine chose a different path. She decided to dedicate her life to God and joined the Dominican Third Order. She lived a simple life filled with prayer, fasting and helping others. Even though she did not have much formal education, she became very wise and later dictated many letters and spiritual writings that are still read today. 

The meeting began with a prayer led by SCC 1 and 2 invoking God’s guidance and blessings upon everyone gathered. 

Message from the President 

The President of the Parish Pastoral Council addressed the members and reminded them that we are living in challenging times. He spoke about the situations of war around the world and the rising cost of living, which has made life difficult for many. He urged all members to turn to prayer during this season, seeking God’s peace and mercy. He encouraged everyone to build a closer relationship with Jesus by speaking to Him daily and continuing faithfully in prayer. He emphasized that it is not enough to pray only once or in times of need, but that we must pray regularly, trusting that God will hear our prayers.