There is an hour, a minute, a second which you will remember forever – when you know instinctively on the basis of the most inconsequential evidence, that something is wrong. Something sad, an event none can bear has taken place. Someone just breathed for the last time. Death comes like a thief. When, where, how…. these are the questions which have no answers. It is one of the most difficult things that all of us will have to deal with in our lives, when a member of our family, a friend, a loved one, leaves us, never to return. Otilia Clovis Da Costa, our dear friend and the Secretary of our Editorial Board, passed away in the early hours of the first day of October. She went through a lot of pain and suffering for a couple of months before our heavenly Father called her into His embrace. She was an Ex-teacher at the Presentation Convent, Margao, basically a person nice to all and sundry and a role model to her students. A soft spoken personality, with a ready smile for everyone, she was an active member of our Parish, having accepted the responsibility of becoming the first Lady Moderator of our Parish Pastoral Council for one Term. She was also an Extra-Ordinary Eucharistic Minister, a very devout lady singing praises to our Lord at every occasion and even gave her testimony several times when she was miraculously cured of her serious illness over a decade ago. As a Secretary of our Board, she performed her duties with all the seriousness and to the best of her abilities. Her life with us will always be remembered. We pray to the Almighty to grant her soul eternal rest in heaven and the courage and strength to the members of her family, to bear this loss. Incidentally, all Souls Day, on 2nd November, provides us the opportunity to pray for the Souls of our dearly departed members of our family, friends and in a special way the souls in Purgatory and the souls of our brethren, who have no one to pray for them. May God wash away their sins and give them eternal rest.
Just as we celebrate our birthday, 3rd November is the day, our St. Sebastian Church was born. It’s been a long journey of seventeen years since our Chapel was elevated to the status of a Church. We have seen a lot many things happen during this period – many ups and downs. As the idiom goes ‘a lot of water has flowed under the bridge’. As we move along, a lot remains to be done under the able leadership of our Parish Priests. We need to strengthen their hands by supporting them and extending all possible help to make our Parish an ideal Parish to be envied by others. Let us all cherish happy memories of the past 17 years and look forward for happier ones to come.
Until we meet again.
Felix Dias
(Editor)