St. Sebastian Church

The Fourth Sunday of Easter (25^th April) is dedicated to our Diocesan Seminaries by our Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. Seminary is an institution for the training of the candidates for priesthood. The Diocesan Seminaries directly come under the care of the Bishop of the Arch-diocese or Diocese. Through this article I wish to make you aware of the seminaries of our Arch-Diocese of Goa and Daman.

SEMINARY OF OUR LADY, SALIGAO-PILERNE

The Seminary of Our Lady, aims at the all-round development of young seminarians by living unto the motto “seeking the things that are of above”. The Seminary helps the seminarians to nurture their priestly vocation by imbibing different values so that they become good priests. Read more

We have approached the end of the Lenten Season. With our daily practices of prayer, fasting, abstinence, almsgiving, stations of the cross and listening to the word of God (maybe online) there is sense of being enfolded in the sufferings of Jesus, which He undertook in obedience to His Father. God so loved us that He sent His ONLY begotten son to deliver us from sin and a life of everlasting torment, to live a life of holiness and enter His kingdom to a life of bliss for all eternity.

Over the years we have got accustomed to work with Jesus and Mary through the 14 stations of cruelty and brutality. Today I would like to share my meditation and invite you to view the passion of Jesus as it were from above i.e through the eyes of our loving father along with the Prophets of old, all the Angels and Saints. Read more

“I am healed in the name of Jesus… He is a miracle worker”

On 20^th May 2006, I was operated for solitary thyroid nodule in Goa and the sample was sent for biopsy. The test report came as cancer of thyroid (malignant). I was thus advised to operate the other side of the neck to remove the second nodule.

For the second operation, it was suggested by another doctor that I go to either Manipal or Bombay. I chose to go to Manipal as I was asked to operate within a month from the first operation. There I was told that I might lose my vocal cord as the wound was raw (not healed.) But my Jesus was there with me and my operation was successful. The doctor had given hope and I was under medication. Read more

Necessity is the mother of all inventions. Prior to the discovery of anaesthesia in the 19^th century surgery was looked upon as a last and desperate resort. Conscious and without pain relief, it was beset with unimaginable terror, unspeakable agony and unmitigated risk. The experience and emotions of a patient undergoing surgery before the discovery of anaesthesia was perhaps best captured by the vivid description of Fanny Burley an English novelist who underwent surgery in the early 18^th century.

“When the dreadful steel plunged into my chest, I needed no injunctions not to restrain my cries. I began a scream that lasted unintermittently during the whole time of the incision, so excruciating was the agony, I then felt knife scraping the bone”. Read more

It looked like any other retirement party at the office. Only it wasn’t. Robert, or Rob to his colleagues, was only 40 years old!

Robert had been working for a large IT company for the past eight years. Throughout his tenure, he scaled meteoric growth and won several promotions to become the Vice President of the Service Delivery function. His colleagues and superiors were equally perplexed at Robert’s decision to put down his papers, once and for all.

“Are you kidding? Robert, you have been performing so well, there’s much to achieve. Also, you are so young! Why do you want to waste your life, and how will you survive without a regular income?” Read more

Jesus came to this earth

To show us how to live.

How to put others first

How to love and how to give.

Read more

Mogall Firgozkaramno,

Hea 2021 vorsan amkam sobar avhanam haddleant. Tim sangpak ani mezpak fursot soit nam. Dor disa ami ek novem jivit jietat kai dista. Novem/dusrem jivit (second life) mellop mhollear ek vhodd bhag. Punn tem koxem jieunchem tantunt vhoddponn asa.

Ek pautt pausant ek render maddar choddttalo. Vhoir chodda astanam tacho hat nisorlo ani to render vhoir thaun sokla poddlo. Punn tachea borea noxiban to vattoulo. Dusri vost zali ti hi. To poddlo mhonn bhielo ani maddar choddpacho vavr tannem tea disa thaun soddlo. To anik maddar kednanch porot choddlo nam. Read more

My dear friends

As is customary, after the three Kings’ Feast on 6^th January, it was time to bring down all the lights, the Christmas tree and all the glitzy decorations, adorning our homes & the streets. The children carried out this exercise with a tinge of sadness, more so when Baby Jesus had to be wrapped up and remain boxed till the next Christmas. Read more

Dear Reader,

I wish you and your family all the graces and blessings that Jesus can ever shower upon you through the intercession of St. Sebastian.

You are holding a very festive issue of PORMOLL, power-packed with the warmest wishes, blessings and prayers from and to all parishioners. Added to this are the useful and handy advertisements to support and perpetuate PORMOLL. In the air is also the aura of Carnival, which marks the end of all festivities and the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Read more

Dear friends,

On 11^th February, every year the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette between February 11 and July 16, 1858, at the age of 14. She had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary in the nearby Massabielle grotto. Mary revealed her identity with the words “I am the Immaculate Conception” and gave her the message “Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners”. By saying penance three times, our Lady stresses on the conversion of heart and mind of humanity. Read more