Pormoll

St. John de Britto’s life is an inspiring story of faith, courage, and sacrifice. He was born on March 1, 1647, in Lisbon, Portugal, into a noble family. Despite his privileged upbringing, John chose to dedicate his life to God and became a Jesuit missionary. He traveled far from his homeland to South India, where he spent his life serving others and spreading the message of Christ. John grew up in a devout family. His mother’s strong faith and his father’s role as a governor influenced him greatly. When John was a child, he became very ill, and his mother prayed to St. Francis Xavier for his recovery. After he was healed, John’s mother believed it was a miracle, and this event shaped his desire to follow in the footsteps of missionaries like St. Francis Xavier.

In today’s highly competitive World, stress is a common companion to almost everybody. The unrealistic demands of work, relationships, future planning and even everyday life takes a toll on our health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The word “Health” comes from the root word “Whole” that means, feeling healthy means “to be complete”, a sense of wholeness within ourselves. For this to happen, our body should be vibrant, our physical energies must be vibrant, our mind must be joyful, and our emotions must be exuberant- only then you will feel a sense of wholeness.

The vibrant spirit of Konkani music came alive on 25th January, 2025 at the St. Sebastian Church compound Aquem , as the much-anticipated Kantaram Lharam 2025 Konkani solo and duet singing competition captivated the audience.
Organized by the St. Sebastian Parish, the event celebrated the rich musical heritage of Goa while providing a platform for talented Parishioners from all over Goa to shine. The primary aim of the competition is to promote and preserve the rich cultural heritage of Konkani music amongst Parishioners of Parishes in Goa. The Objectives to be served are Cultural Promotion, Community engagement and Recognition of Excellence.

Kallokant uzvadd porzollta
Monxeanchea patka vorvim sonvsarant Kallok ailo punn Devan aplea Mogan monxeak porto aplea uzvaddant haddlo. Povitr Tritvecho dusro zonn monxeak Soimban Ankvar Moriek zolmolo. Taka ami natalamchi porob mhonnttanv.Monis kullachi soddvonn anik dusre toren ti korunk zainasli karann monxean ogddailoli Devachi ievzonn monxea vorvim ti porot zagear galunk zai asli. Punn tem korunk monxeak xokti Ani kurpa nasli. Tea khatir Devuch monxeachea adarak ieta, Mogall Bap aplea ekleach Putak amchi soddvonn korunk iea Sonvsarant pattoita.

With a heart full of overflowing emotions and joy, I wish to extend hearty congratulations to you all on the happy occasion of the Silver Jubilee of our beloved Church bulletin, PORMOLL.
This journey of 25 years began in December 1999, initially as a quarterly magazine, and gradually became a monthly issue. This was the brainchild of our then Chaplain, Fr. James Torres e Silva, with the active support of a few zealous parishioners who rightly constituted the initial Editorial Board. The members were Sr. Ernestina Fernandes HC, late Archibald Gomes, late Otilia Clovis Costa, late Lawrence Noronha, and myself.

MESSAGE
This year, we celebrate a remarkable milestone: the 25th anniversary of PORMOLL, a magazine born out of faith, dedication, and a desire to spread God’s Word. As I look back on this journey, I am proud to be a part of its initiation and glad we created this magazine 25 years ago to serve the parishioners of Aquem. The success of PORMOLL speaks volumes about the unity and hard work of its parishioners.

SONDEX
“Pormoll” stapun xapunk laglear hea vorsa 25 vorsam bhortat mhonn aikun kuxalkai bhogli. Zaiteo vostu nettan suru kortat punn teo chukoinastanam chalu dovrunk ekdom augodd zata ani thodde pautt bond poddtat. Punn Aquem-cho boro “Pormoll” aiz legun eit asa mhonn jiv sontosta.
Mhaka hanv aslo tea sogllea firgozamnim firgoz-potr meulam. Mhojem-nch vhoddponn sangun don vostu mhonntam ani Pormoll-ak sor korun xabaski ditam:-

Understand the word ‘Jubilee’
‘Jubilee’ is the name given to a particular year. The name comes from the instrument used to mark its launch. In this case, the instrument in question is the yobel, the ram’s horn, used to proclaim the Day of Atonement. This (Jewish) holiday occurs every year but takes on special significance when it marks the beginning of a Jubilee year. We can find an early indication of it in the Bible: A Jubilee year was to be marked every 50 years since this would be an “extra” year, one which would happen every seven weeks of seven years, i.e., every 49 years (cf. Leviticus 25:8-13). It was intended to be marked as a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, one another, and all of creation. It involved the forgiveness of debts, the return of misappropriated land, and a fallow period for the fields.

December has come, and with it, all the joys of Christmas. However, its true meaning is not just about the stockings and gifts under the tree, the lights in front of homes, the star, the crib, the cards we mail, the WhatsApp messages, yummy sweets and meals, and the shouts of “Merry Christmas” between houses and to those we pass on the streets.
Christmas is the celebration of the incredible love of God the Father for us. It is the story of God becoming a human being (The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us) in the person of Jesus Christ. It is the greatest act of humanity; God did not send His Son Jesus into the world to condemn us but to save the world through Jesus. God wanted us to spend eternity with Him. He gave us His Son to take the punishment of our sins, which Jesus did so perfectly. What a wonderful God we have!