St. Sebastian Church

On 4th August is the feast of St. John Maria Vianney, when we celebrate Holy Priesthood. St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests, was a simple Priest in France, who stole the hearts of those around him. I find it fitting today to write on the role of priests in our lives and vice versa. Bear with me as I write what you already know.

It is a reality of all priests that even before the Ordination every Priest knows the joy and Miracle of Priesthood. No Priest will look at his Priesthood and say it is because he is capable or perfect. He knows he has faults and failings, yet he has set his life aside to proclaim Jesus to the world. Often, we the laity demand /expect much from Priests. We forget that they are like ourselves, who need to be understood and cared for, because they have given their life for each of us just as Jesus did.
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Luke 1:28 – because Mary is, “full of grace”.On August 15, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – the most important Marian feast in the Church calendar.

Catholics believe that on this day the body and soul of Mary – Mother of Jesus was taken up into heavenly glory after completing her earthly journey by her beloved Son and His Angels. In her lifetime, Our Lady had three great ecstasies, of which the Assumption was the greatest.

The privilege of the Assumption was granted to no one, but Mary.
Pius XII in 1950 in Munificentissimus Deus dogmatically defined it by exercising papal infallibility. The dogma and a matter of faith has been divinely revealed by God. Signifying this event, she has been called, ‘Our Lady of Assumption’.

By a special honor, she was enriched by divine grace from the moment of her conception. Mary did not have original sin but conceived the Son of God, with full grace.

Mary is considered as the first Christian disciple.  Read more

“And He was transfigured before them, and His garments became glistening intensely white.”

The Transfiguration scene of Jesus is a representation of His coming of kingdom in its fullness.

Most of the narratives in the Bible are so compact that they overflow and are open to multiple levels of interpretations. This is certainly true to the story of transfiguration of Jesus. The episode about the transfiguration of Jesus is certainly a divine fact that took place on earth.

The transfiguration was the presentation of the glorification and the divinity of Jesus before humans. On this occasion His body underwent a change in form, so that it shone as bright as the sun. The episode of transfiguration comes at a time, when the public ministry of Jesus was coming to a close. Read more

Saint John Vianney is venerated as a protector and role model to all priests and in particular to all priests who serve in Parishes as Parish Priests.

He was born on 8th May 1786 at Dardilly, France during the period of French Revolution.

His parents were Marie Beluze and Mathieu Vianney. He had three other siblings. His family was involved in farming. His primary education as well as his First Holy Communion was in a total hiding as there was persecution of Religion. In spite of all these difficulties he had the vocation of becoming a priest. He was ordained a priest in 1815 and soon became a curate in Ecully. Read more

Occasions such as Feasts, Anniversaries, Independence days, Republic days, etc. are opportunities for us not only to celebrate and make merry but more so to take stock of what we have done and what we have failed to do and decide upon what corrective action we can take to undo the harm that we may have created by way of our inaction or bad decisions. As India completes 74 years of Independence, among many other factors that contribute to the development of our Nation, a look into our environment would not be out of place.

Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Laudato Si” of 24th May 2015, on ‘Care for our common home’ is a worldwide wake up call to help humanity understand the destruction that we human being have wrecked on the Environment and our fellow human beings. This document is in many ways the epitome of the Holy Father. It presents the Gospel truths with relation to the philosophical, theological and cultural causes that threaten the relationships of humans both with nature and other human beings. Read more

The health scares surrounding COVID-19 have all of us thinking about immune system strength.

When you think about boosting your immune system, the first things that come to mind are likely healthy eating, adequate rest, taking vitamins, or reducing stress. Even though we’ve all heard the advice “get plenty of fluids,” it’s easy to take the importance of drinking enough water for granted. It’s a fact you’ve been hearing since school … “Your body is made up of as much as 70% water.” With all that water in our bodies, it’s no surprise that hydration is important on many levels—including the health of our immune system.

Your body’s immune system is your first line of defence against disease, and water is a secret weapon you need to stay healthy. Read more

Tadev:  Dev Boro dis dium, Simao Titiv. Tuji bolaiki koxi asa?

Simao:  Tukai dium Tadev. Devache kurpen asam boro.

Tadev:  Tujem mukhamoll chintest-xem dista. Kitem zalem tor? Chodd pavs poddon, tuka luksann zalem?

Simao:  Nam, amkam kaim luksann zaunk nam, Devak argam. TV ani potramcher pollelear kitlo lok trasant poddla. Ghoram moddlim, xetam roilelim vanvon ghelim, buddti aili, thodde roste nanch zale, zhaddam poddun thoddeancho jiv pasun ghelo.

Tadev: Oi, pollounk ani aikunk vaitt dista. Amkam xharanim ravteleank vhodd ontor zaunk nam. Tambonastanam kitle dis pavs poddon ami ghorant bhitoruch aslim. Read more

O fair Lady, lily white,
Star of the sea, my heart’s delight,
Illuminating dark of night,
How wondrously thou was assumed,
Body and soul, into heaven
Radiant moon, mirror of the Sun,
Reflecting His Light, Immaculate One. Read more

Akhea vorsa bhitor zaite toreche dis monoupak suru zaleat. July mhoino mhonntoch Bhagevont Joaquim ani Anna, Saibinn maie-chim avoi-bapui ani sonvsari nodren Jezu monis zal’leachim xepai ani xemai. Hi tanchi porob July-ache 26ver somorombhtat. Hem monant dovrun teach disa July-ache 26ver xepai-xemai cho dis kortat.

Xepai ani xemai zaunk ek lhan xem punn apurbaiechem bhag. Karann, eke vatten atam zaiteanger ek vo fokt don bhurgim astat. Thoddeanger bhurginch zainant. Thoddim atam natram asunk tanchim bhurgim kazaruch zainant. Ankvar ravtat. Mhonntoch barik nodren ek xepai-xemai zaunk ek lhan xi punn sadhi milagr. Read more

We are pleased to bring out the July issue of Pormoll but on the PDF format, as was the case for the month of June. We have received accolades for deciding to go paperless which in effect has led to a contactless distribution as well. But I am sure many of you might have divergent views and would prefer to have a hard copy as hitherto. You may be aware that our magazine was being printed outside Goa as their cost of printing was much less compared to the rates quoted locally. The entire process saw the involvement of lot of outside people towards printing and the final delivery of our copies. With the Covid virus showing no signs of receding and the Curfew / Lockdown in force, we had literally no choice but to discontinue with the hard copy. We also had concern for our Parish Council Members, who went about, house to house, distributing the monthly copy. We gratefully, acknowledge and appreciate this selfless service rendered by them. I may add, that even our monthly meetings are held virtually on Google Meet. Another parishioner also had an issue with storing the old copies of Pormoll. We would be happy to have more responses and suggestions in this regard. Read more