St. Sebastian Church

Sweet heart of Jesus
Fount of love and mercy
Today we come thy blessing to implore
O touch our hearts, so cold and so ungrateful
And make them lord, thine own forevermore…
Sweet heart of Jesus
We implore
O make us love thee
More and more.
Sweet heart of Jesus
Make us pure and gentle
And teach us how to do thy blessed will
To follow close the print of thy dear footsteps
And when we fall
Sweet heart, oh love us still….
Sweet heart of Jesus
Bless all hearts that love thee
And may thine own heart ever blessed be
Bless us, dear lord, and bless the friends we cherish
And keep us true to Mary and to thee….

-Fr. Leslie Gomes

Every Catholic knows that the central teaching of the Church is that Jesus is really and truly present in the signs of Bread & Wine. Sunday, 11th June is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – CORPUS CHRISTI – the real presence of Jesus. Although the Eucharist is celebrated every day, it is fitting that at least once a year, it be celebrated with great honour and solemn commemoration. Saint John Paul II said, “To live the Eucharist, it is necessary as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament”.

A study carried out in the United States revealed that the majority (70%) of the catholics, on their own admission, either do not understand or do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus; that the Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. More shocking is that in the younger age-group – 40 years and below – 80% do not believe in this central teaching of the Catholic Church. It is a mystery. It is hard to grasp. If anyone should struggle with this belief of our faith they need to approach a priest in order to receive help. We cannot allow doubt to enter our discipleship of Jesus. The presence of Jesus under the appearances of Bread & Wine (Eucharist) is at the heart of our life. If the Eucharist is taken out of the Church, spiritually the Church will just die. Read more

We teach our toddlers the sign of the Cross, “In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit… Amen!” It is taught at all levels of institutional Catholic education. In a word, the Trinity is basic to the Catholic tradition, but have we ever pondered on what exactly is the Holy Trinity?

The Trinity refers to the idea that God is one but exists in three different Persons. The word ‘Trinity’ comes from the word ‘tri’ meaning ‘three’ and ‘unity’ meaning ‘one’. Christians believe that there are three distinct Persons to this one God and that these three Persons form a unity. This belief is called the Doctrine of the Trinity:

God the Father – the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
God the Son – the incarnation of God as a human being, Jesus Christ, on Earth.
God the Holy Spirit – the power of God, which is active in the world, drawing people towards God. Read more

When you can laugh at yourself, you will live longer
=Ted Loader=

Retirement from work was traditionally perceived as the resting phase of life mainly due to old age and the challenges it offered to lead an active life. In the last few years, the world has evolved both mentally and technologically. We have progressed significantly as a society with these changing times. Retirement, today is celebrated and considered to be a whole new chapter of well-planned opportunities to live life to its fullest, do things that you always wanted to do most but couldn’t do due to pressure of work.

Life during retirement requires planning. Many people neglect to think about their future or bear in mind the targets that they need to meet. They may only think about relaxing and staying with family when retirement comes. Read more

Amongst all the Saints of the Catholic Church, St. Anthony is venerated as the gentlest and the kindest of them all due to his burning love for God and his exalted virtues. Born and raised up by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, on 15th August 1195, St. Anthony was a Roman Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was known as the patron Saint of the poor, of sailors and fishermen, of priests and travellers, of lost things, a protector and guardian of the mails and a wonder-worker. He is also the patron saint of amputees, animals, elderly people, pregnant women and many, many more. As one of the most popular Catholic Saints, St. Anthony is well-known and well-loved all over the world. He performed many miracles in his life but due to a serious illness, he died at a young age of 36, on 13th June 1231 in Padua, Italy. Because of the numerous miracles performed in his life, within a year, the Church declared him a Saint and his feast is celebrated on the day of his death i.e. 13th June. People all over the world flock to St. Anthony to seek favours and he seldom disappoints. Read more

Leaving aside the tradition that wants them both in Rome at the same time, and killed on the same day, we recognize the traits that unite Saints Peter and Paul, these two men so different, and ensure that they are celebrated together, in their common will to spread the Gospel message and the legacy left by the human and mortal experience of Jesus.
If Peter was the “Stone” on which the Church was built, as well as leading the flock of God, Paul was the most fervent preacher of the Word in the whole Mediterranean world, the first missionary in history.

There is no doubt, about the link between Saint Peter and Paul and Rome, where both died, but above all to the Christian rebirth of which both tended. In 2012 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI declared them both “Principal patrons of the Church of Rome”. Even today Rome remembers them with a great feast. Together, the two saints are the founders of the See of Rome, through their preaching, ministry and martyrdom. Read more

Health can, generally, be measured on major three parameters: Physical, Psychological and Nutritional. Physical health means the physical appearance of a person; Nutritional health means the presence of essential nutrients in the body to fight diseases with immunity. Psychological health means the ability in a person to maintain patience, calm and composure in all circumstances of life.

Health professionals consider cancer, diabetes and several other mental and physical health issues such as depression, lethargic attitude, etc to deficiencies in fitness and well-being of a person. Unhealthy and unfit lifestyle of a person also results in premature death. Obesity and lack of physical fitness in young generation sets the stage for diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health problems. Read more

Mogall Firgozkaramno,

Gormeche dis, votacho dhog, ghameche lott, thoklolim kudd ani mon, hem sogllem ekuch magta ani tem mhollear visov gheupache dis.

Iskolachim bhurgim apleo porikxecher-porikxa korun ghoddie thoklim astelim. Tanchea fattik lagun, tankam hanga thoim tuition-ak vhoddun haddun, tanche borobor xikunk bosun avoi-bapui thoklim zatelim. Ani atam soglleancheo chodd xeo porikxa somplea mhonntoch soglleank visov gheupa sarkhem dislem astelem. Read more

We are in the summer months experiencing increase in heat conditions with researchers warning of heat waves linked to the climate change. Elsewhere in India, in places like Maharashtra, many people are severely effected by heat waves and many lives have been lost due to heat strokes. We are being cautioned that the frequency and intensity of heat waves are likely to increase further in the coming days. The green cover is getting depleted due to large – scale development and concrete jungles are coming up all over. The necessity of maintaining a balance is ignored by our greed and the attitude of turning a Nelson’s eye to the illegalities by the powers that be. Read more

Holy Week is a most sacred time of the year for it is during this week that we recreate and remember the last week of Jesus’s life here on earth. Beginning with Palm  Sunday, we are invited to be a part of one of the greatest event in the Bible. We welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, waving our palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” A couple of days later, our shouts change to “Crucify him! Crucify him!” during the reading of the Passion.

Having spent most of my life in Kuwait, an Islamic country, we were fortunate to freely practice our Christian faith and thereby I did attend the Church regularly. During the past so many years I’ve dipped in and out of different Holy Week events at Holy Family Cathedral – Kuwait but honestly, I’ve never gone to all of them in a single week.  As I am now permanently based in Goa, this year was my first time, not only fully attending the Holy Week event but also actually participating in them in one way or the other. Read more