HISTORY : This Magnificent Church was built in the 17th Century and to be precise, was thrown open to the public on 26th July 1676. The Franciscan fathers were the ones who nurtured it with faith. Frei Carlos da Conceicâo, the then first Parish Priest supervised the building of the church that was initiated in 1670. As per records, according to Rector Antonio da Graçia dated 4th December 1720 there were only 615 Catholics. So, one can see that the village of Nachinola was a very small village but had a vibrant faith legacy. Today the number of parishioners stands at 680.
This church that was built and constructed with the help of an aid from the Franciscan Provincial Pedro da Purificaçâo as the people were very poor. The Comunidade of Nachinola also gave their land as well as financial support.
As one enters the church, eyes will be drawn to the beautiful Mannerist Neo-Roman Architectural style. It has three bays and three stories and the main door has Bracketed Arc. The frontispiece has rococo curves flanking a broken pediment that frames a relief of the Sacred Heart. Spear finials top the frontispiece. Twin bell towers with balusters and filials are of the urn type. What draws you spiritually as you enter the church is the warm love that emanates from the Crucified Jesus Christ on the Main Altar. This love is what natures the faith and sends each one out with hope and love to share with all.
350th CELEBRATION: The Bom Jesus Parish of Nachinola came together in harmony as they celebrated 350 years of its church. The theme chosen for this 350 years celebration is “Let us live in faith, hope and love”.
The Parish prayed along with our parish priest and our Cardinal for the gift of the 65 priest, (two of which were from Nachinola), who served as parish priest as well as the call to priesthood of more than 60 sons of the soil. After welcoming his Eminence Archbishop Patriarch Felipe Neri Cardinal Ferrâo, a short prayer service before the closed door of the church was held after which the door was blessed.by with the call to accept Christ as the true door to external life and saying “Go within His gates giving thanks, Enter His courts with songs of praise” and he opened the church door. After him followed the 6 somudhai flag bearers and the entire parish.
The inaugural mass was presided by his Eminence Archbishop Patriarch Felipe Neri Cardinal Ferrâo and concelebrated along with our parish priest, Rev. Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues, Rev. Fr. Mario Leitâo the dean of the Aldona deanery, Rev. Fr. Biju (PSDP), Fr. Jerard (MSFS) congregation and Rev. Fr. Domnic da Cruz.
During his homily, his Eminence Archbishop Patriarch Felipe Neri Cardinal Ferrâo, the main celebrant of the inaugural mass, shared an instance from the life of St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Mother Teresa along with her sisters, had once visited a man who was full of hopelessness, living in terrible conditions. His home was full of darkness and unclean, so she along with her sisters decided to clean his house but the man protested and told them not clean his house. On cleaning she found a beautiful old lamp covered in dust and dirt. She asked him, “Do you not light the lamp?” The man replied, “For whom? Nobody cares about me, I’m all alone. Nobody comes to me. I don’t need to light the lamp.” Mother Teresa then asked if he would light the lamp if the sisters visited him, and he agreed. As the lamp remained lit by the sisters, the man’s life began to change. He was seen to be happy.
Later as time passed, he told the sisters not come to his place and asked them to deliver a message to Mother Teresa: “Tell that sister, that the light she lit in my life is still burning brightly!”
This instance showcases Mother Teresa’s ability to bring hope and light to those in darkness, not just through physical acts but also through spiritual presence. It also highlights Mother Teresa’s dedication to serving the poor and marginalized, demonstrating her profound understanding of human suffering and her commitment to spreading love, kindness, and compassion.
We need to begin a new life style of serving and caring for others. By ushering in this kind of life style of faith and concern for others we will then become pilgrims of hope, and in this way we will able to build a new relationship with God, with one other, the world and his creation.
In addition to the solemnity of the occasion, the choir raised our prayers in melodious voices trained by our very own Deacon Dion Rodrigues under the guidance and leadership of the Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues.
The 350th logo was conceptualized by a team of some youth, catechist, fabrica and PPC members and finally picturised by Jasmine da Rocha our own parishioner.
After the Eucharistic celebration, the church website was launched by His Eminence, followed by a touching scene that goes beyond examination scores and helps students find meaning was the felicitation of our 15 successful students by his Eminence. Often only the rankers receive recognition but here all who passed irrespective of their grades were felicitated. This message of hope and love was shown in action as envisioned by the parish priest Rev. Fr. Romualdo Robin Rodrigues. The celebration concluded with, the final Hymn “BAPACHEA JEZULEA” composed by Fr. Francisco Miranda that was sung. This was like the first time we all sang the hymn, which is dedicated to “BOM JESUS” with all honour and glory.
Report by: Mr. Robert F. De Mello
Master Hillary Fernandes
