Pormoll

When the topic “Tilling of Fields” was suggested for our monthly Church Magazine, I accepted it with great enthusiasm. This subject holds a special place in my heart, as I have some personal familiarity with the process. During my younger days, I often accompanied my mother to our fields and witnessed firsthand the various stages of farming from the tilling of the soil to the eventual harvesting of crops. These experiences left a lasting impression on me and helped me appreciate the dedication, patience, and hard work involved in cultivating the land.

Over the years, I have also observed that the process of farming has undergone significant transformation. What was once largely dependent on manual labour and traditional methods has now evolved into a more mechanized and efficient system. Despite these advancements, the core principles of tilling preparation, nurturing, patience, and joy in the outcome-remain unchanged.

Message from the President

The President of the Parish Pastoral Council Rev Fr S. N. Fernandes, spoke about the need for peace in the world. He expressed concern over the fear of a possible third world war, which could affect everyone and urged all to pray for peace and for an end to war. He also mentioned that although the Pope has been criticized by Donald Trump, he remains firm and unafraid, continuing to uphold the values and principles of Jesus Christ.

The PPC President further expressed concern about the lack of dialogue by Donald Trump with other countries before the start of the war, stating that it was initiated without prior discussion. He also spoke about the immense expenses involved in purchasing arms and ammunition for the war, as well as the destruction and loss of lives-both young and old.

He concluded by encouraging everyone to pray with hope for peace in the world.

Prezidium: Saude Saibin, Aquem 

Legio Mariae 
Comitium: Ekvottachea Arka Comitium Margao-Goa (18/06/1967) 
Zomaticho Dis, Mungllar, Vell 5.30 p.m. ani suvat: St. Sebastianvachea firgojechea vosreant. 
Vakeacho Khall: December 2024 to November 2025 
Firgoz: St. Sebastian Church, Aquem 
Vangddiponn: Vaddloleancho presidium 
Vaddlole vaurpi vangddi: 27 vangddi, 
Adari Vangddi: 24 vangddi 
Lhanache vaurpi vangddi: 17 

On the occasion of the 48th anniversary of his ordination, we celebrate the extraordinary journey of Fr. Simpliciano N. Fernandes, whose ministry has spanned over four decades with unwavering dedication and remarkable contributions to the Church and community. Ordained on April 21, 1978, during a challenging time for the Archdiocese, Fr. Simpliciano’s early years in the priesthood were marked by resilience and devotion. 

Fr. Simpliciano has always sought to expand his knowledge and skills to better serve his community. His decision to pursue higher studies at St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa, led to his involvement in religious journalism. His contributions to the field earned him the prestigious Fr. John Barret Journalism Award, and he was selected as the Young Catholic Journalist of India for the Summer University in Europe. He received diplomas in Journalism from Fribourg University (Switzerland), Gregorian University (Rome), and Université de Lyon (France). 

The Susegad Christ metaphor can be taken as a sacrament. This metaphor is never a mere flourish of language but it explains the structure of reality and, at the same time, evokes a lived response and becomes a symbol, a doorway through which meaning and experience pour together. The Susegad Christ of 

Goa is exactly such a symbol. The image of a calm, smiling Saviour, arms open in unhurried welcome, is not a decorative label pinned into Jesus. It is a sacrament of words and wood and pigment that communicates both the meaning of revelation and the experience of Goan peace! 

The Susegad Christ explains how the Gospel does not show ordinary Goans why the ancient law of love reaches its fullness not in heroic defiance but in prudent day-by-day fidelity. The fisherman mendung net at dawn, the grandmother lighting lamp at duskeach discovers that their ordinary rhythm is already inside the divine rhythm. The metaphor explains without lecturing; it simply lets the eye rest on the wooden statue in the village chapel and whispers: “This is how the divine looks when it wears your own face.” 

Every year, when Good Friday arrives, we remember the suffering and death of Christ. The church grows quiet. The altar is bare. The liturgy slows us down and invites us to sit with pain, silence, and sacrifice. Good Friday is not only an event in the life of Jesus; it is also an experience in our own lives. 

Each of us encounters moments that feel like a personal Good Friday, don’t we? Times when plans collapse, relationships strain, health falters, or uncertainty clouds the future. These are the times when life feels heavy and answers are not easily found. During a recent retreat at the Xavier Retreat Centre in Baga, I was reflecting on the Ignatian spiritual exercises which helped me see these moments in a different light. 

A tribute to my friend Mr. Tony Dias 

As always, those early morning calls that come outside of normal hours carry with them a quiet sense of unease feeling that something is not right. That Tuesday morning was no different. The ringing of the phone shattered the stillness, and in that very moment, an unspoken fear settled in. And then came the news… news that would weigh heavily on our hearts, leaving us in disbelief and sorrow. 

For the past few months, we had already lost a couple of our dear friends. Just as we were beginning to come to terms with those scars, this loss has come upon us like a wound that will not heal easily. Today feels like a sunset that came far too soon as though the sun that lit our lives has quietly slipped beyond the horizon, leaving behind a sky heavy with darkness and silence. There is an emptiness in the air, a stillness that echoes the pain in our hearts. It feels unreal… almost impossible to accept… that someone who meant so much, someone who was such a constant in our lives, is no longer with us. 

What Is the new Commandment? 

The “New Commandment” is a central Christian tenet from John 13:34- 35, where Jesus instructs his disciples to “love one another as I have loved you”. 

Why did Jesus call it a NEW commandment? Why did He not simply say, ‘You already know this old commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. Now just make sure that you apply it’? How is this commandment to love our fellow man in v.34 a new commandment? From studying this passage and comparing it with other passages of scripture, we can suggest at least 5 ways in which this commandment is new. 

Easter is often celebrated as a single moment in history-the triumphant rising of Christ from the tomb but It is not confined to a day in history; it is a rhythm. It is the “Easter of life”-a continual rising that unfolds within each of us, day after day. 

Life, in its deepest truth, is a cycle of dying and rising. Every disappointment, every failure, every moment of darkness is, in its own way, a kind of Good Friday. We encounter loss, we face rejection, we wrestle with doubt, and at times, we feel buried under the weight of our struggles. But Easter whispers a quiet yet powerful truth: no tomb is final. Within every ending lies the seed of a new beginning. As we are reminded in Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season… a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4). 

Messenger of the Gospel 

“Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation.” -Gospel of Mark 16:15 

Among the four Evangelists who gave us the Gospel accounts of the life and mission of Jesus Christ, Saint Mark the Evangelist, holds a special place in the history of the early Church. His Gospel is widely believed to be the earliest written account of Jesus’ ministry and has helped Christians throughout the centuries understand the message of salvation. 

St. Mark, a Libyan, is also known in the Scriptures as John Mark, he belonged to the early Christian community in Jerusalem. His mother Mary owned a house that became an important meeting place for the first Christians. In those early days of the Church, believers gathered in homes for prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread. Coptic tradition also holds that Mark the Evangelist hosted the disciples in this house after Jesus’s death, that the resurrected Jesus came to Mark’s house, and that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost in the same house. Furthermore, Mark is also believed to have been among the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine. Growing up in such an atmosphere, Mark was closely connected with the Apostles and their mission of spreading the Gospel.