By Fr. Joaquim Rebello SFX
The Feast of SACRED HEART OF JESUS at Curdi was celebrated on Sunday, 31st May 2026 at the ruins of Curdi Chapel. The Holy Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Lawrence Fernandes, SFX, Superior of Pilar Pilgrim Centre, Pilar, as the main celebrant. The Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Savio Cabral, Parish Priest, Fr. Michael Rebelo, SFX, Assistant Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Parish, Vaddem-Sanguem, Fr. Joaquim Rebello, SFX, Provincial Superior of the Pilar Fathers, along with several other priests and religious sisters. The celebration was attended by over one thousand devotees who gathered in prayer and devotion at the historic site.
THE SUBMERGED VILLAGE OF CURDI — A FAITH THAT REFUSES TO DROWN
In 1961, the Pilar Fathers heard a cry from the heart of Sanguem Taluka. The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman had entrusted them with this land. And in Curdi, they saw people hungry for God and for learning.
So they built.
A chapel rose on the red soil — Sacred Heart of Jesus. Beside it, a school — a humble _xalla_ — where children learned to read, to pray, and to dream. For a while, Curdi thrived. Bells rang. Lessons echoed. Lives were formed.
Then came the dam.
The Selaulim waters rose to quench the thirst of South Goa. And Curdi went under. Homes, fields, footpaths, memories — all submerged. The Government gave new land. The people of Curdi rebuilt their lives in Vaddem, Portem.
But they did not forget.
Every year, on the last Sunday of May, Curdi _comes alive_.
The waters recede in summer, and the ruins breathe again. Thousands return — sons and daughters of Curdi, pilgrims, tourists, neighbours of every faith. They walk barefoot on the cracked earth of their ancestors. They kneel before the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, salvaged and enshrined anew. They touch, they kiss, they weep, they pray. Candles flicker. Flowers pile high. The air is thick with incense and with longing.
And then — laughter.
Community lunch under the open sky. Children run where their grandparents played. Stalls offer _doce_, _bebinca_, and stories. For one day, Curdi is not submerged. It is _risen_.
The original chapel collapsed beneath the waters. But faith did not. A new chapel stands today — a sign that what is built on love cannot be drowned.
Curdi is not a lost village. It is a living parable.
Of people who lost their land, but kept their soul.
Of Pilar Fathers who planted more than buildings — they planted hope.
Of a feast that refuses to be interrupted.
Because some places don’t live on maps. They live in hearts.
Curdi comes alive — every May, and every time we remember.