St. Sebastian Church

Melissa was just 14 years old, yet she was acutely aware of her humble background. She lived in a quaint coastal village in an old mud house with her parents and two younger brothers. Her father worked on a fishing trawler and her mother, Evelyn, worked in a departmental store near the tourist hub. The household had a meagre income, but there was love and care in abundance. And how thankful Melissa was for being born in such a loving family!
Although she was generally happy and easy going, Melissa had secret ambitions, hidden deep inside her heart. She wanted to become a doctor – a surgeon, to be precise. From her friend, Rose, Melissa had heard several heroic stories of her aunt Leona who was a successful and renowned cardiac surgeon in London. Rose would tell Melissa how Aunt Leona saved a life when every other doctor had lost hope, or about the awards she had won, or about the lavish lifestyle she had. Read more

My warmest wishes to you and your family – that the Love and Peace of Jesus may reign in your homes always.
We have spent 5 weeks of the Lenten Season, dwelling on the sufferings and death of Jesus on the cross. The next subject for reflection is His Resurrection! It would be something difficult for us to believe today, if Jesus did not appear to His own. My firm belief is that He appeared first to His Mother, to confirm to her that the promises made to her at the Annunciation had come true…. “That His reign will have no end”. Read more

We all know that by praying the Rosary every day, either at home with your family members or in a public place like Chapel or Church, we can obtain quite extraordinary benefits. The benefits are manifold but generally these can be listed as Spiritual, mental and physical benefits. These benefits are in addition to the 15 promises the Rosary provides, to all those who recite it. Read more

We are midway through the season of Lent and very shortly we will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter is round the corner. Presently most of us, if not all, do practice some of the known ways of doing penance, fasting, giving alms, in keeping with the Lenten Spirit. In the words of Pope Francis, we can Fast from Read more

Dev Kakutichem bhoktiponn Faustina Kowalska he Poloni Madri-bhoinnin survatek aplea ganvant porgottlem. Bhagevont Pap Saib Juanv Paulu II hannem Madr Faustina-k altaracho man favo kelo ani Dev-kakutichi porob Igorjent sthapunk formailem. Hi porob Jezunuch Madr Faustina kodde magloli. Read more

FAITH

F – aith in God and confidence in oneself will take you a long way.

A – dore only God for He is the Source of strength and grace.

I – mmaculate in thoughts and deeds is the helm of life. Read more

We will Recognize Each Other after Our Resurrection
Family members and friends, our facial features/appearance, after our Resurrection will be the same what it looked prior to our death. Our identity is maintained. Our body will be in perfection, glorious and will not suffer corruption again.
Let us examine in a prayerful reflection, whether the statement given above, can be accepted or not, based on the reasoning, verses from the Bible, explanations and inferences given below. Read more

After a period of 40 days in Lent, we come to a day called Easter Sunday, a day when we all Christians celebrate it as a Joyous day of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, which is written in New Testament. According to the Gospel of John 20, 1-9; Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning where Jesus was buried and found the tomb empty. Read more

The morning of 3^rd March, is different for the parishioners of Aquem-Alto, Margao. It’s time to celebrate as all roads lead to St. Sebastian Church, Aquem, to witness the feast of its Patron Saint, St. Sebastian. The preparatory nine days’ Fama & Novena has finally culminated in the grand feast in honour of a saint who is looked upon as a healer of major sicknesses. Many of the Churches and Chapels in Goa, especially in South Goa, are dedicated to St. Sebastian as many years back, people who were infected with a plague were saved due to the intercession of St. Sebastian. Even the hymn of St. Sebastian mentions the deadly disease of small pox to be cured through his intercession. This only proves how powerful St. Sebastian was and continues to be. Read more