Padre Agnelo:

Venerable Father Agnelo de Sousa: Son of Goa *Dr.Ivo da Conceicao Souza Introduction: We seldom think of our own sons and daughters living a saintly, holy life, with the power of God. Goa has produced marvelous people. We think of Venerable Father Agnelo de Sousa and of Blessed Father Joseph Vaas. Yes, there are many who have not been, and will not be, canonized. Our parents will surely be among the chosen. In spite of our strenuous efforts, Father Agnelo de Sousa is still on the way to he altar. Father Agnelo revealed himself as a shepherd, a preacher, a confessor and an administrator. We shall reflect on his human existence within the Goan context: Anjuna, Rachol and Pilar. His Family: Faith… Rachol: Pilar: Born on January 21, 1869 at 7 p.m. in the ward of Ganvaddi of Anjuna, in the taluka of Bardez, to Miguel Arcanjo Mariano de Sousa and Maria Sinforosa Perpetua Magalhaes, he had to be baptized privately at home soon after his birth, as there was danger for his life. Then on February 13, 1869, he was solemnly baptized with the name of Agnelo Gustavo Adolfo de Sousa, by Fr.Joao Baptista de Sousa, Asst.Parish-priest of Anjuna, with the permission of the Vicar-in-charge, Fr.Valentim Constantino Fernandes. His god-father was Gustavo Adolfo de Frias, from Mapusa, through his proxy, Esmeraldo Felicissimo Jesus de Sousa, from Anjuna, , and the god-mother was Ana Piedade Angelina de Brito, from Anjuna. Since he was born on the day of the feast of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, the child was given the name of Agnelo, a “little lamb”. There is much in the name: Agnelo was gentle, peace-loving, humble, obedient, lover of silence. From among nine children, eight boys and one girl, he was the sixth child of his parents. The atmosphere of faith and love, in which Agnelo grew together with his parents, instilled in him apostolic spirit. His mother would give catechetical instruction to the children of neighbourhood. Agnelo lost his father, when he was only eleven years old (on May 6, 1880), and his mother, two years later, on May 22, 1882. On her deathbed, his mother summoned her children round her and, pointing out to the picture of the Mother of Jesus, told them: “My darling children, I am about to leave you for good. From now onwards your true Mother is our Lady, to whom you should turn in all your needs”. Agnelo grew in his great devotion to the Virgin Mary. Agnelo studied in the government primary school in the village of Anjuna, where he learnt Portuguese from Fr.Inacio Valeriano Rebelo with flying colours. One of his uncles, Fr.Lazaro Fortunato Sousa, seeing his zeal in the catechism classes, prophesied: “Agnelo will one day be a virtuous Priest and a renowned Preacher”. He was an angel of peace among his classmates. Sensing his priestly vocation, his eldest brother, Fr. Manuelinho, asked him regarding priesthood, to which question Agnelo answered affirmatively. Therefore, Fr.Manuelinho sent him for Latin classes, conducted in the parish of Anjuna by Fr. Luis Jose Pais. After two years, he joined the “Aulas Filiais” (Affiliated Classes) of Rachol Seminary at Mapusa; and, later on, he went to the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol for studies in Theology. He was a proficient and a well-disciplined student. After completing the Theological Course on March 22, 1893, he was invited by Fr.Jose Joaquim Lourenco de Sousa, from Khobravaddo, Calangute, Bachelor in Theology (on 13.3.1897) and his erstwhile professor at Rachol Seminary (1883-1901), to tutor to his nephews at his own house at Calangute. For three years he taught Latin and Portuguese to several children in and around Calangute, without any remuneration, until he moved into the house of his cousin, Felicio Santana de Sousa, at Gauravaddo in Calangute, and continued to teach there, where in August of 1896 he had twenty-five students—ten for Latin from the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol, two for Latin from the National Lyceum and thirteen for primary instruction in Portuguese. Only one of them was a girl, studying Latin for Lyceum. He was muttering prayers, whenever he had to address her…(and there is a tradition that he would cover his eyes with umbrella when he had to teach girls…) After teaching for four years in Calangute, Agnelo received the Minor Orders on December 22, 1895, and was ordained Sub-deacon on December 19, 1896. As the Portuguese Government forbade religious societies in Goa, but he ardently desired to join a Religious Order, Agnelo made up his mind to seek admission in the Society of Missionaries of St.Francis Xavier at Pilar. After being admitted as a candidate in the Society of Pilar on July 17, 1897—the feast day of Our Lady of Pilar, patroness of the Convent and of the Society—he was ordained Deacon on December 18, 1897, by the first Patriarch of the East Indies, Archbishop Dom Antonio Sebastiao Valente (1882-1908), at the Convent of St. Monica, Old Goa, and five months later on May 22, 1898, he made his first profession as a member of Missionary Society of Pilar, in the presence of the Superior, Msgr.Lucio Vaz, the successor of Fr.Bento Martins, the Founder and first Superior of the Society in 1887. Agnelo was ordained a Priest on September 24, 1899—the feast of Our Lady of Merces—by the Patriarch-Archbishop Dom Antonio Sebastiao Valente, at the Cathedral See of Goa. He offered his First Eucharist at the Monastery of Pilar, in the presence of the Members of the Society, friends, relatives and people from the surrounding villages. The Missionary Society of St.Francis Xavier: In 1759 the Marquis de Pombal, Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo, suppressed in Portugal and its colonies the Jesuit Society, till in 1835 all religious orders were banished from Goa. All foreign missionaries had to leave their religious houses, their properties were confiscated to the State, their institutions left without personnel. At this juncture, the Goan Diocesan priests stepped into the breach, till in 1882 Dom Antonio Sebastiao Valente came to Goa as Archbishop and became the first Patriarch of the East Indies. A charismatic Goan priest, Fr.Jose Mariano Clemente Bento Martins, from Orlim, offered his services and threw the seeds of the Missionary Society of St.Francis Xavier. The Society was founded on September 26, 1887, and Fr.Bento Martins was appointed its first Superior for a term of five years. Fr.Bento and his companions worked in Valpoi, Satari, and in the chapel of Agonda, in the taluka of Kanakon. By a Decree of February 4, 1890, Dom A.Sebastiao Valente transferred the residence of the Missionaries of the Society from the district of Kanakon to the Old Monastery of Pilar. His Priestly Ministry: Fr.Agnelo spent the first ten years of his priestly life, almost buried in the recesses of the Monastery at Pilar. Like a hermit, he lived in an atmosphere of faith and silence, and grew in the virtue of love. On September 8, 1908, the day of the Nativity of Our Lady, Fr.Agnelo made the solemn promise of perpetual dedication to the service of the Society, on the steps of the altar of Our Lady of Pilar, in the presence of his Superior and brother-members of the Society. Soon after his perpetual profession, Fr.Agnelo was appointed Confessor of the students of the Seminary of Rachol on August 18, 1908, by Dom Teotonio Manuel Ribeiro Vieira de Castro (1931-1940), Bishop of Mylapore and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Goa. Meanwhile, he resided in the church of Siroda, as an Assistant to fellow-members of the Society of Pilar, to Fr.Jose Nicolau Sousa, and later to Fr.Possidio Gracias, who were successively Vicars of Siroda. A Missionary: By the Decree of December 10, 1909, Fr. Agnelo was appointed as Missionary Vicar of Kumpta in North Kanara (now in the diocese of Karwar), by the new Patriarch of Goa, Dom Matheus de Oliveira Xavier (1909-1929), and took charge of his post on January 6, 1910. He served the missionary parish of Kumpta, for a short period of seven years, till May 21, 1917, when he was transferred to Sanvordem in Goa, as an Assistant to the Parish-priest, Fr.Alcuino da Costa. Very little has been recorded about his work among the people of Kumpta, but there is a tablet on the walls of the church of Kumpta regarding his work. As a shepherd, Fr.Agnelo built a community of faith and a community of love. A Preacher: Fr.Agnelo was known as a saintly preacher throughout his priestly life through is sermons, retreats and missions. During his preaching ministry, from the year 1908 till 1927, he covered almost every parish of Goa. He became a “martyr to preaching”—proclaiming the Word of God, even in his acute physical suffering, until he died—that was his last sermon on the day of Vespers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—his greatest devotion—in the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol. He died at his post as a preacher. Through preaching he drew men and women to God, to his Son, to a renewed life. He would preach with unction, what would render his preaching effective. What was attracting others was that he had within his heart what he wished to share with others. His sermons at Kumpta were simple, like sparks of fire. He touched the hearts of the people. He preached what he lived. He would pray before the Blessed Sacrament or lean on his bed with the Cross in his hands as a preparation for his sermons and spiritual talks. Prayer would give him courage to preach the “crucified love” (cf.1 Cor 2:2; cf. Ga 6:14). He was preaching frequently in Calangute, particularly for the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Once my father, Bernardino da C.Souza, retained and reproduced in an article what Fr. Agnelo preached: “Bhavando, Tumi rabonakat ki dusro vaurtolo mhunn tumchea pasot hea sonvsarant ani tumkam vhortolo mhunnon sorgar. Vortota pisai, bhavando, pisai. Apapnnem vauronk zai sorgincho mokutt zoddcheak”. His voice in the pulpit was like the roar of a lion (particularly when preaching on Death and Final Judgment), by contrast with the gentleness and humaneness, like a lamb (“Agnellus” that he was), in the confessional, as he himself explained it: “We are fishermen in the pulpit—we splash the waters in order to drive the fish into the net; when in the confessional, we gather them”. He was devoted to the Eucharist, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Mary, Mother of Sorrows, and to the Guardian Angel. Spiritual Director: Fr.Agnelo was appointed Spiritual Director of the “internal” students (“internos”) of Rachol Seminary on May 20, 1918, at the request of its Rector, Msgr.Ganganelli da Piedade Rebelo, when he was serving as Assistant to the Parish-priest of the Mission of Sanvordem, and appointment that was confirmed by the Patriarch of Goa, Dom Matheus de Oliveira Xavier. On April 15, 1920, while he was confirmed as Spiritual Director of the Seminary, he was also appointed Director of the Apostleship of Prayer in the same Seminary, where he served till the end. Fr.Agnelo was a “model” in his times, depending on his temperament and mentality. There was a consensus in assessing him as “humble, prayerful, self-denying and saintly”. He was a father, teacher, friend and guide to the seminarians, entrusted to his paternal care, to whose training he devoted himself wholeheartedly. They would hang on to his lips, without getting tired of listening to him, since he was clear, sincere, convinced of what he was saying. Road to perfection for the seminarians was, according to him, to be enamoured of their duties as students and as priests-to-be. “As seminarians, so will the priests be”. He was devoted to the Sacred Heart and would say: “We have to burn ourselves somewhere, either in this world with love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or in the next life in hell”. He would inculcate in them love for the Apostleship of Prayer, as an efficacious means of “winning souls to God”. It is to be on records that by 1920 Fr.Agnelo placed a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the upper corridor of Rachol Seminary, near the staircase, where the professors would come together on Fridays, to pray the prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He would walk through the Seminary corridors, with downcast eyes, with hands in the pocket, praying the Rosary. Fr. Agnelo impressed one and all as being “gripped by God”, leading the students by the force of his example. He would inspire and influence in a charming way all those who came in contact with him. He would console the seminarians and render stability to their priestly vocation, as well encourage those who would like to embrace the religious life. He would recommend them to read the “Imitation of Christ” of Thomas A Kempis. Fr.Agnelo would be concerned, not only with the “spiritual” life of the seminarians, but also wit their holistic well-being, including their material wants. He would help them even financially, chiefly those coming from less privileged families. Once he told one of the Seminary professors to “be scrupulous in failing him (the student), for thereby he suffers the loss of his money, of his energy and of the year of the priesthood”. He lived as an example and died a good death, which was the “apotheosis of his saintly life”. His Death: He was feeling weaker in spite of medical care provided by Dr.Victor Dias, the “beast of burden” (“mon’zat”, as he would call his body) could not stand any longer the strain of his work, austerity and vigils. He had already a presentiment of his death drawing near. While he was preaching the Novena of the Sacred Heart , having reached the last day, at Vespers of the Feast, on November 19, 1927, Fr.Agnelo could not continue to preach, ended it earlier, knelt in the pulpit for a final thanksgiving prayer, lost balance, was borne away in a helpless, but conscious state. Laid on a bench in the corridor of the church at his request, Fr.Agnelo received with folded hands the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. He had suffered a cerebral thrombosis with paralysis of the left arm and leg. While the Seminary physician, Dr.Joao Filipe Figueiredo, was urgently summoned and medical treatment at once imparted, the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick was given by Fr.Bruno de Menezes, Professor of Liturgy and Gregorian Chant. He received from him also the Holy Viaticum and then lapsed into a coma, on the day of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, at 5 a.m. on November 20, 1927, as he had already during his life expressed a desire. Seminarians were near his bed, two by two, trying their best to attend to him throughout the night. Some of them spoke to me about his death: Fr.Walter Mathias, SJ, my Spiritual Father in Rachol Seminary, and Fr.Ludovico A. Figueiredo, my friend who was a Parish-priest in Ribandar church. He did not have even a shirt in his box for the burial. Such was his self-annihilation and his love towards the poor. One could hear everyone saying: “He was a saint; a saint has died!” He was regarded as “illuminated”. The solemn funeral revealed the admiration of people from all walks of life and from all corners of Goa for him. Everyone would agree with the Parish-priest of Rachol, Fr.Manuel Albuquerque, who after the last rites, exclaimed: “ I have just laid a saint to rest”. On January 10, 1939, after twelve years, his bones were transferred to the Monastery of Pilar, which since then became a renowned pilgrimage centre, from where Fr.Agnelo is radiating his powerful message to the world. Man of Faith and Love: I remember having heard during my Seminary days about two episodes of his priestly life. Once when Fr.Agnelo was in Panjim together with his relatives, a young urchin came to him, lifted up his cassock, and exclaimed in fun: “I wanted just to see whether you are a man or a woman”. Fr.Agnelo remained calm and silent, amidst protests on the part of his companions. Another time, when he was Vicar in the missionary parish of Kumpta, at dead of night some drunk troublemakers from the parish knocked at his door and demanded the parish accounts. They had taken to the court a previous Parish Priest over the accounts, but the Judge had acquitted him. Now they had decided to harass Fr.Agnelo. But being mild and gentle by nature, he received them like a gentleman and asked them: “Would you like to see the accounts? Well, that is but fair and proper. The money is yours and you have every right to examine the accounts. Here is the account book”. The poor drunkards were flabbergasted. With apologies, the trouble-mongers went away. Fr.Agnelo was a model of accountability, he revealed his acumen as an able administrator. When his colleagues spoke to him about the decline of vocations for their Society, Fr.Agnelo assured them: “Be not afraid. The Society is not going to die. The finger of God is here!” His Physique and Character: Being gaunt of frame, frail, weak in health, melancholic look, with downcast eyes, eating frugally for God’s love, Fr.Agnelo would not “impress” through his physique, but he would influence through his keen sight and spiritual looks. He would look lovingly at his seminarians, like Jesus (cf. Mk 10:21: “And Jesus looking upon him loved him—the young man”). Simple, humble, unassuming, austere by nature, obedient to the Superior, even if it be a stick (or of wood), not photogenic, never hitting the headlines nor facing the floodlights, he had stubborn courage of his convictions in action. In the Vineyard of the Lord all are, in the ultimate analysis, “unworthy servants” (cf. Lk 17:10). Fr. Agnelo was cultivating the presence of God, finding him in every person and place (cf.Acts 17:28: “In him we live and move and have our being”). He would repeat some of his short, pithy maxims, full of simplicity and wisdom. Let me quote some of them: “We ought to be saints in order to attain our goal”. “There is nothing better than to be a saint, even the bones of saints are venerated”. “By amusing ourselves we cannot reach heaven, the saints were not fools to do penance”. “Holiness does not consist in hearing Masses, in receiving Holy Communion many times, in reciting many Rosaries, but in this: turn from evil and do good”. “Trust in God and rest like a dog at the feet of the Master”. “We ought to obey our Superiors, even if they were of wood”. “One must not leave off a good action on account of the criticism of others”. Very few readers will know that Fr.Agnelo was smoking “beedi” (canudo, Indian cigarrette), which he was jocularly saying that it is his “vice”… Conclusion: His Process of Beatification is going on in full swing. Miracles have been recorded from the beginning. In the past, the reports were given by the physicians who have treated the patients. Now, for a long time, they are given by the patients themselves. Let us walk in his steps without losing our own individuality, but by incarnating the Gospel values, which our Venerable Agnelo lived and proclaimed: faith and love… *Fr.Ivo da C.Souza is Professor of biblical exegesis and sociology in the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol. He has delved deeply into the life of Fr.Agnelo de Sousa. As a seminarian, Father Ivo was writing for India’s Call on subjects for young folks: “Hi! Young Folks”. We thank him and hope that he will continue to write for our review…

Dr.Francisco Luis Gomes:

September 30, 2009

REMEMBERING DR. FRANCISCO LUIS GOMES.

30th September will go down in the history of Goans as one of the darkest days since on this date in 1869 a great son of Goa hailing from Navelim breathed his last while sailing from Portugal to Goa. He was none other than the great Goan Parliamentarian Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes. Physically a frail in body but intellectually a mighty personality, Dr. Gomes was just a genius. He went to Lisbon to attend the Parliament session as a representative of Goa. People in Goa were making preparation to welcome him back at home when suddenly news flashed saying Dr. Gomes is no more in this world as he expired on board the ship shortly after his ship left the port of Lisbon. It was a saddest day among Goans because such a genius Goa has never produced and unlikely to produce again. When his ship decked at Bombay, people lined up in big number to welcome Dr. Gomes knowing not that he already died on his way to Bombay and his body was already consigned to the high seas. Incidentally, when the same ship in which he was travelling back home reached Porbandar in Gujarat, on 2nd October 1869, another Indian genius was born in Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi. Though both travelled in Europe, Dr. Gomes more exhaustively than Gandhiji yet our Goan brother Dr. Gomes propounded the cause of India and Goa in particular more than Gandhiji and that too much before Gandhiji was born. Gandhiji learnt more from Dr. Gomes. When Dr. Gomes was asked where did he come from? Dr. Gomes replied saying “I come from a country that gave to the world great epics in Ramayana and Mahabharata and game of Chess”. He was proud to be an Indian and a Goan in particular. Dr. Gomes was born on 31st May on the same date when Abbe Faria another Candolim born Goan genius was born. In Portuguese Parliament Dr. Gomes fought against the cruel taxes imposed on Goans namely Marriage Tax and Toddy Tappers Tax. Though he was a bachelor yet he demanded in Lisbon Parliament in strong words the removal of Marriage Tax. Regarding Toddy Tappers Tax, since it was subjected only to a certain class of poor Goans, the Government of Portugal and Goa gave less heed to it since poor class of Goans’ voice was less audible. But as a supporter of poor class of Goans and justice for them, Dr. Gomes made a point to raise this issue directly in the Portuguese Parliament. As a matter of interest, a century back approximately, this Toddy Tappers Tax was a big botheration for Goan Toddy Tappers. Even during my younger days I saw Portuguese Government of Goa how the Coconut Trees used to mark with white paint for tax purposes. Toddy Tappers all over Goa showed their resentment for this cruel tax and when Government failed to listen to their grievances, Toddy Tappers from Agacaim stopped extracting Toddy as a mark of protest. When this happened, Goa Government alerted its machinery to put a halt to this protest coming from Agacaim Toddy Tappers. During those days, people from Agacaim were considered as a bit militant. In fact even today they are very daring and challenging. During the agitation of Konkani movement in Goa they fought very gallantly and produced 6 Martyrs in their sons. Even I noticed their challenging factor when I personally participated with them in Morchas, Rallies and Meetings at Panjim during Konkani agitation. Regarding their protest at Agacaim of boycotting Toddy Tapping, everyone agreed except one Toddy Tapper who by flirting with Government officials and defying his other striking colleagues started Toddy Tapping. One fine evening, when he was on top of the Coconut Tree, one of the protesting Toddy Tappers with a Double Barrel Gun fired at him on top of the coconut tree killing him instantly. Then all the Toddy Tappers from Agacaim were taken to Panjim Police Station for questioning where all remained firm without disclosing the name of the person who fired those deadly gun shots. This incident was recorded in the song which was rendered in Candolim soon after this tragic incident. One verse and one chorus of that song go like this: JASeptember 30, 2009 REMEMBERING DR. FRANCISCO LUIS GOMES. 30TH September will go down in the history of Goans as one of the darkest days since on this date in 1869 a great son of Goa hailing from Navelim breathed his last while sailing from Portugal to Goa. He was none other than the great Goan Parliamentarian Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes. Physically a frail in body but intellectually a mighty personality, Dr. Gomes was just a genius. He went to Lisbon to attend the Parliament session as a representative of Goa. People in Goa were making preparation to welcome him back at home when suddenly news flashed saying Dr. Gomes is no more in this world as he expired on board the ship shortly after his ship left the port of Lisbon. It was a saddest day among Goans because such a genius Goa has never produced and unlikely to produce again. When his ship decked at Bombay, people lined up in big number to welcome Dr. Gomes knowing not that he already died on his way to Bombay and his body was already consigned to the high seas. Incidentally, when the same ship in which he was travelling back home reached Porbandar in Gujarat, on 2nd October 1869, another Indian genius was born in Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi. Though both travelled in Europe, Dr. Gomes more exhaustively than Gandhiji yet our Goan brother Dr. Gomes propounded the cause of India and Goa in particular more than Gandhiji and that too much before Gandhiji was born. Gandhiji learnt more from Dr. Gomes. When Dr. Gomes was asked where did he come from? Dr. Gomes replied saying “I come from a country that gave to the world great epics in Ramayana and Mahabharata and game of Chess”. He was proud to be an Indian and a Goan in particular. Dr. Gomes was born on 31st May on the same date when Abbe Faria another Candolim born Goan genius was born. In Portuguese Parliament Dr. Gomes fought against the cruel taxes imposed on Goans namely Marriage Tax and Toddy Tappers Tax. Though he was a bachelor yet he demanded in Lisbon Parliament in strong words the removal of Marriage Tax. Regarding Toddy Tappers Tax, since it was subjected only to a certain class of poor Goans, the Government of Portugal and Goa gave less heed to it since poor class of Goans’ voice was less audible. But as a supporter of poor class of Goans and justice for them, Dr. Gomes made a point to raise this issue directly in the Portuguese Parliament. As a matter of interest, a century back approximately, this Toddy Tappers Tax was a big botheration for Goan Toddy Tappers. Even during my younger days I saw Portuguese Government of Goa how the Coconut Trees used to mark with white paint for tax purposes. Toddy Tappers all over Goa showed their resentment for this cruel tax and when Government failed to listen to their grievances, Toddy Tappers from Agacaim stopped extracting Toddy as a mark of protest. When this happened, Goa Government alerted its machinery to put a halt to this protest coming from Agacaim Toddy Tappers. During those days, people from Agacaim were considered as a bit militant. In fact even today they are very daring and challenging. During the agitation of Konkani movement in Goa they fought very gallantly and produced 6 Martyrs in their sons. Even I noticed their challenging factor when I personally participated with them in Morchas, Rallies and Meetings at Panjim during Konkani agitation. Regarding their protest at Agacaim of boycotting Toddy Tapping, everyone agreed except one Toddy Tapper who by flirting with Government officials and defying his other striking colleagues started Toddy Tapping. One fine evening, when he was on top of the Coconut Tree, one of the protesting Toddy Tappers with a Double Barrel Gun fired at him on top of the coconut tree killing him instantly. Then all the Toddy Tappers from Agacaim were taken to Panjim Police Station for questioning where all remained firm without disclosing the name of the person who fired those deadly gun shots. This incident was recorded in the song which was rendered in Candolim soon after this tragic incident. One verse and one chorus of that song go like this: JANERACHEA PIRMERAK DHORUN VELET RENDRANK ANI PONJE VORON PIREZ KELET KHUIM TEAM AGXIKARANK, HE BAXEN VINCHAR KELO TANCHE LAGUIM SERKARAN KI HI BUDH KONNE DILEA TI SANGAT MUNNON JURAMENTAN Ch. AGXIKARANI SANGLEM AMI AZIR MUNN MORNANK PUNNI ZAMNNO KEDINCH GALCHENAUM MADDANK AGXI EKLEAN MADD DOVORLOLET TAKA JITOCH MARLO FARAN TACHO DEMAN CHOLTA ATAM PONJE SERKARAN. Coming back to Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes, he also fought against the death tax from Portuguese Parliament. He was a very successful Parliamentarian of which type Goa will never produce again. Besides Parliamentarian, he was a human rights activist, economist, orator, writer, doctor, philosopher and a thinker. A very versatile genius. May his soul rest in peace. A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait. NERACHEA PIRMERAK DHORUN VELET RENDRANK ANI PONJE VORON PIREZ KELET KHUIM TEAM AGXIKARANK, HE BAXEN VINCHAR KELO TANCHE LAGUIM SERKARAN KI HI BUDH KONNE DILEA TI SANGAT MUNNON JURAMENTAN Ch. AGXIKARANI SANGLEM AMI AZIR MUNN MORNANK PUNNI ZAMNNO KEDINCH GALCHENAUM MADDANK AGXI EKLEAN MADD DOVORLOLET TAKA JITOCH MARLO FARAN TACHO DEMAN CHOLTA ATAM PONJE SERKARAN. Coming back to Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes, he also fought against the death tax from Portuguese Parliament. He was a very successful Parliamentarian of which type Goa will never produce again. Besides Parliamentarian, he was a human rights activist, economist, orator, writer, doctor, philosopher and a thinker. A very versatile genius. May his soul rest in peace. A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait.

30 septembre 2009 SOUVENIR DR. LUÍS FRANCISCO GOMES. Le 30 Septembre restera dans l’histoire des Goanais comme l’un des jours les plus sombres depuis cette date en 1869, un grand fils de Goa originaire de Navelim est décédé quand il se rendait du Portugal à Goa dans la navire. Il était nul autre que le grand Goan Parlementaire Dr. Luís Gomes Francisco. Physiquement un frêle, mais intellectuellement une personnalité puissante, le Dr. Gomes était juste un génie. Il est allé à Lisbonne pour assister à la session du Parlement, en tant que représentant de Goa. Les habitants de Goa étaient en pleins préparatifs pour l’accueillir de nouveau à la maison quand, soudain, la nouvelle comme un un éclair, annonçant que Dr. Gomes n’est pas plus dans ce monde, comme il mourut à bord du navire, peu après que san navire a quitté le port de Lisbonne. Ce fut un triste jour parmi les Goanais, car un tel génie ne s’est jamais produit en Goa et Goa ne produira vraisemblablement pas de nouveau. Quand son navire ponté à Bombay, les gens alignées en grand nombre pour accueillir le Dr. Gomes, ne sachant pas qu’il est déjà mort sur son chemin vers Bombay et son corps était déjà expédié vers la haute mer. Incidemment, quand le même navire, dans lequel il se déplaçait à la maison, atteint Porbandar dans le Gujarat, le 2 Octobre 1869, un autre génie indien est né dans le Gujarat, le Mahatma Gandhi. Bien que les deux sont voyagés en Europe, le Dr. Gomes plus exhaustivement que Gandhi pourtant, notre frère, le Dr. Gomes étant un Goanis a défendu la cause de Goa en Inde, et, en particulier plus de Gandhi et cela aussi bien avant Gandhi était né. Gandhi a plus appris sur Dr Gomes. Lorsque le Dr. Gomes a demandé d’où vient-il? Le Dr. Gomes a répondu en disant: “Je viens d’un pays qui a donné au monde les grandes épopées de Ramayana et du Mahabharata et le jeu d’échecs“. Il était fier d’être un Indien et un Goanais en particulier. Dr. Gomes est né le 31 Mai à la même date, lorsque l’Abbé Faria, un autre genie goanais né en Candolim. Dans le Parlement Portugais Dr.Gomes s’est battu contre les taxes cruelles imposées sur le people goanais: le mariage d’impôt et Toddy taraudeuses de l’impôt. Bien qu’il était célibataire, il a exigé au Parlement à Lisbonne en termes forts la suppression de l’impôt du marriage. En ce qui concerne “Toddy taraudeuses impost”, dès lors, il a été soumis seulement à une certaine classe de Goanais pauvres, le gouvernement du Portugal et de Goa a accordé moins d’attention à elle depuis classe pauvre de la voix Goans était moins audible. Mais en tant que partisan de la classe pauvre de Goanais et la justice pour eux, le Dr. Gomes a fait un point à soulever cette question directement au Parlement portugais. Comme une question d’intérêt, un siècle environ, cette “Toddy taraudeuses taxe d’entrée” était grande “botheration” (soucis) pour des Toddy taraudeuses goanais. Même pendant ma jeunesse, j’ai vu Gouvernement portugais de Goa comment les arbres de noix de coco utilisées pour marquer à la peinture blanche à des fins fiscales. Toddy taraudeuses partout dans Goa ont montré leur ressentiment de cette taxe cruelle et lorsque le gouvernement a échoué à écouter leurs doléances, Toddy taraudeuses de Agaçaim ont cessé d’extraire “Toddy” comme un signe de protestation. Lorsque c’est arrivé, Goa gouvernement mis en garde ses machines à mettre un terme à cette protestation venant de Agaçaim “Toddy taraudeuses”. Pendant ces jours, des gens de Agaçaim ont été considérées comme un peu militantes. En fait, même aujourd’hui, elles sont très audacieuses et stimulantes. Au cours de l’agitation du mouvement pour Concani à Goa, ils ont lutté vaillamment et ont produit six martyrs parmi leurs fils. Même moi, je remarque leur facteur difficile quand j’ai personnellement participé avec eux à Morchas, rassemblements et des réunions au Panjim pendant l’agitation pour le Concani. En ce qui concerne leur protestation contre le Agaçaim de boycotter “Toddy Tapping”, tous étaient d’accord, sauf un “Tapper Toddy” qui en flirtant avec des responsables gouvernementaux et de défier ses autres camarades grévistes commencé Toddy Tapping. Un beau soir, alors qu’il était sur le dessus de l’arbre de la noix de coco, l’un des protestaient Toddy taraudeuses avec un fusil à canon double tiré sur lui au-dessus de l’arbre de noix de coco le tuant instantanément. Ensuite, tous les taraudeuses Toddy de Agaçaim ont été pris pour Panjim poste de police pour interrogatoire où tous restés fermes, sans divulguer le nom de la personne qui a tiré ces coups de feu mortels. Cet incident a été enregistré dans la chanson qui a été rendue dans Candolim peu de temps après cet incident tragique. Un couplet et un refrain de cette chanson se présentent comme suit: JANERACHEA PIRMERAK DHORUN Velet RENDRANK ANI PONJE VORON PIREZ Kelet KHUIM TEAM AGXIKARANK, SE Baxen VINCHAR KELO PERCHE LAGUIM SERKARAN KI HI Budh Konne DILEA TI Sangat MUNNON JURAMENTAN Ch. AGXIKARANI SANGLEM AMI AZIR MUNN MORNANK PUNNI ZAMNNO KEDINCH GALCHENAUM MADDANK AGXI EKLEAN MADD DOVORLOLET TAKA JITOCH MARLO Faran TACHO DEMAN CHOLTA ATAM PONJE SERKARAN. Pour en revenir à M. Luis Francisco Gomes, il a également lutté contre l’impôt sur la mort du Gouvernment portugais au Parlement. Il était un parlementaire très réussi de quel type Goa ne produira jamais plus. Outre parlementaire, il était un militant des droits humains, économiste, orateur, écrivain, médecin, philosophe et penseur. Un génie très polyvalent. Puisse son âme repose en paix! Veronica A. Fernandes, Koweït.

 

 

A Goan: Dr.Froilano de Melo

Froilano de Mello was born on May 17^th 1887 in Benaulim, the eldest son of lawyer Constancio Francisco de Mello, and Delfina Rodrigues, daughter of Dr. Raimundo Venancio Rodrigues, a Goan mayor of Coimbra, member of the Cortes in Portugal, and one of the first directors of Goa Medical School – the Escola Medico-Cirurgica de Goa.

Tragedy struck the life of Froilano early. An orphan at the age of 12 years but single minded and determined, young Froilano worked while he studied. There was some funding available from the family properties which were not competently managed by the caretaker. Consequently, it was quite an austere and difficult childhood for Froilano. But despite all the difficulties, he graduated in Panjim as a medical doctor, completed his doctorate in medicine in Oporto, and was appointed a professor at the Escola Medico-Cirurgica de Goa in 1910, at the age of 23.

He was also appointed an assistant professor at The Sorbonne, Paris (1913-14), a visiting Professor at Oporto , Portugal in 1921 and served as the director of the Bacteriological Institute in Panjim, Goa, from 1914 – 1945. He undertook a postgraduate course in Parasitology in Kaiser Willhelm Institute fuer Biologie, Berlin, and at the Max Planck Institut, Potsdam, Germany (1922-23). His published works in the fields of medicine and science have been published in the Archives of Goa Medical School (1941) and appear in scientific reviews in Paris, Lisbon, Oporto, Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Patna, Madrid, Berlin, Budapest, Orense, Montreux, Jujuy ,Cairo, Luanda, Johannesburg, Rome, Turin, Bucharest, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, The Hague, and Shanghai. ⁽³⁾

His contributions to Public Health in Goa : He established the TB Sanitarium in Margao in 1928 and founded the 1st Leprosarium in Asia in Macazana, Goa, in 1934. Dr. Froilano is well known for efforts to help eradicate malaria in Goa. In 1926, with the help of one of his pupils, Dr. Luis Bras de Sa, he carefully mapped the site of Old Goa and found more than 4800 wells in the old city, which were breeding grounds of anopheles mosquitoes. This important information led to the closure of these wells. This, in turn, led to the reduction of the mosquito breeding sites, and played a significant role in the control of the raging malaria problem in Goa in the 1920s.

Dr. Froilano was the founder of following medical journals in Goa:
Boletim Geral de Medicina, Arquivos Indo-Portugueses de Medicina e Historia Natural, and Arquivos da Escola Medico-Cirurgica de Nova Goa.

He represented Portugal at thirty seven international medical congresses, including the All India Sanitary Conference in Lucknow (1914) and the Third Entomological Meeting in Lucknow (1914) where, at the invitation of the Viceroy of India, he lectured on Medical Micology. Among other international conferences he attended were the ones held at: Lahore(1918) Coimbra (1925), Calcutta (1927), Cairo (1928), Allahabad (1930), Algiers (1930), Padua (1930),Oporto ( 1931 ), Jujuy ( 1931), Bangalore ( 1932 ), Bucharest ( 1932 ), Lisbon ( 1935 ), Amsterdam (1935 & 1938), Orense (1935) , Budapest (1935), Lausanne (1935), Paris (1937), Lourenco Marques (1938), Johannesburg (1938), Havana (1949) and Petropolis ( 1950 ).

He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal; the Indian Academy of Sciences; Societie de Pathologie Exotique – Paris; Sociedade de Ciencias Medicas (Lisbon); Sociedade de Etnologia & Antropologia; Sociedade de Geografia (Lisbon) and Societie de Biologie de Paris.
In 1926, he was elected as a Member of Parliament to represent Portuguese India in Lisbon. Unfortunately, that year also saw the Carmona-Salazar coup d’etat. The elections were nullified and not held again for the next 19 years.

Dr. Froilano was the Director of the Escola Medico-Cirurgica de Goa from 1927-1947, and Chief of Public Health for Portuguese India for the same period. He was a Colonel in the Portuguese Army Medical Corps, at age 35, achieving the highest rank in the medical military hierarchy of that time.

He authored “A la Veille du Centenaire” (1941), a book listing all the achievements of the first hundred years of the Goa Medical School and “O Cantico da Vida na Poesia Tagoreana” (1946) – “The song of life in the poetry of Tagore” .

As mayor of Panjim (1938-45), Dr. Froilano de Mello cleansed the city’s stables of mismanagement and fiscal deficits and is credited with the urbanization of the city of Panjim. He organized the ballustrade on the river Mandovi, from the centre of town up to Campal, lining the riverside avenue, and planted trees in many of the streets of Panjim, with seeds of tropical trees from Cuba (sent by his colleague Prof. Hoffmann in Havana). These jacaranda and acacia trees , whose seedlings were planted in 1940, have now yielded the big 56 year old trees, giving shade to the streets which were originally lined only with coconut and ficus trees.

During the Second World War anti-rabies vaccine was scarce in Goa but rabies was prevalent along with the widespread problem of stray dogs. Dr. Froilano ordered the elimination of all stray dogs, offering a reward per stray dog. This resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of cases of rabies . A similar reward was offered for the capture or destruction of poisonous snakes. The number of snake bites which needed treatment was also reduced..

In 1945 Froilano was elected once again as a Member of Parliament to represent Goa in Lisbon. Using his superb oratoric skills he worked assiduously to eliminate the discriminatory Acto Colonial of 1930, which made Goans, second class citizens in Goa. In 1950, after a sustained struggle and against many odds and doubters and opposition, even in Goa, he succeeded in obtaining a new Political Statute for Goa. He was the only independent M.P. for the period 1945-49; all the others being members of Salazar’s UNIAO NACIONAL party.

The dictatorial Dr. Antonio Salazar did not take this independent-minded Goan too kindly. The Portuguese government had ” a knife at Dr. Froilano’s bosom ” ever since he began his fight for the rights of Goans. The repeal of the discriminatory Acto Colonial was welcomed by many Goans. But, Froilano, was now fighting for an independent ‘Goa, Damao e Diu’ , within the framework of a Commonwealth with Portugal; an idea akin to the status of the British Commonwealth. This publicly proclaimed dream of an INDEPENDENT GOA, however, did not fit-in too well with the Salazar government in Lisbon which was totally opposed to any talk of independence for Goa, a prized historical possession, that was ‘part and parcel of Portugal for centuries’.

In 1950, Dr. Froilano, was, for the first time in his tenure, not nominated as delegate of Portugal to attend the medical congress in Quitandinha, Petropolis, Brazil. But he did go to Brazil, nevertheless – but at the invitation of President Dutra of Brazil and his minister of education, Pedro Calmon. Dr. Froilano was accorded a very warm welcome in Brazil, quite a contrast to the ostracization he faced in Goa.

As a consequence, the disappointed but unbroken Dr. Froilano emigrated in 1951 to Brazil where three of his children lived. He had also been there the previous year to attend an international medical conference, at the invitation of the Brazilian Government. He settled in Sao Paolo where he continued his scientific activities and studies of parasites, and in the process identified various new species of parasites. His works were published posthumously by the Instituto Ezequiel Dias of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. After a painful struggle with lung cancer, Froilano passed away on January 9, 1955 in Brazil, far away from the land he loved so much and fought so valiantly for – GOA.

Dr. Froilano de Mello received medals of honour from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands ( 1938 ), from Pope Pius XII ( 1947 ) on the occasion of the canonization of St. John de Brito, from President Grau de San Martin of Cuba (1949 ) and from President Dutra of Brazil in 1950. He also held the following Portuguese honours: Grande Official da Ordem de Aviz, Comendador da Ordem de Sao Tiago and Comendador da Ordem de Benemerencia. Sao Paulo, Brazil, has a street named Froilano de Mello, while The Sao Paulo Medical College has named one of its halls in Froilano’s honour .

Froilano was married twice. His first marriage was to Marie Eugenie Caillat, an aristocratic young lady from Geneva, whom he had met in Paris in 1910. They returned soon thereafter to Goa and built a magnificent chalet up on the hilltop of Altinho, Panjim. Eugenie was the first person to translate the works of the poet Rabindranath Tagore into French. In December 1921, returning to Oporto from a visit to her parents in Geneva, she contracted the dreaded Spanish flu and tragically passed away. This was devastating for Froilano who was at the time, a visiting professor at Oporto. Eugenie and Froilano did not have any children.

On September 15, 1923, Froilano married Hedwig Bachmann, a young Swiss school teacher from Diessenhofen. ⁽⁴⁾ They had 6 children: 3 boys and 3 girls. The de Mellos returned to the chalet up on Altinho and had a zestful and close family life at the Villa do Monte. The determination and guidance provided by Hedwig and Froilano is manifest in the achievements of the children. As if Froilanos’s achievements are not enough, those of the children give added significance to the well known and age-old adage ” if you want to know about the parents, look at the children “.

Alfredo Froilano, chemical engineer, entrepreneur and writer lives with his family in Montevideo, Uruguay. Maria Eugenia teaches English language and literature at the American High School in Sao Paulo, Brazil where she lives with her family. Victor Froilano, one of the world’s most renowned civil engineers and his family live in Brazil, when he is not trotting the globe problem-solving. Francisco Paulo, electronic engineer and entrepreneur, is based in Burnt Hills, New York where he and his family reside. He still travels the lecture circuit. Maria Cristina is a physician who now lives in Kauai, Hawaii, where she had moved with her family and has since retired. Maria Margarida , a nurse, lives with her family in Faro, Algarve, Portugal, where she is presently the Chief Nurse and Health Administrator for the province.

Goa has been struggling with its part in honouring this great patriot and son of the soil. After distancing themselves from the very son who had done so much for them and their self-respect, Goans and Goa are attempting to correct, even though belatedly, the unfortunate injustice to Froilano. In February 1987, a solemn ceremony was held at the Institute Menezes Braganca in Panjim to honour Froilano, in the year of the centenary of his birth. On the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary on May 17, 1987, several of Froilano’s former students from Escola Medica de Goa gathered to celebrate the occasion. The then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Eduardo Faleiro, placed a plaque in Froilano’s honour at his place of birth, in the ancestral home in Benaulim. One of the roads from Benaulim to Margao as well as the street passing in front of the Lar de Estudantes, Panjim ( the site of the former home of Dr. Froilano ) were named after him. A. Froilano de Mello Scholarship for the most deserving medical student at the Goa Medical College has also been established. It took time and the efforts of stalwart Goans like Dr. Joao Pacheco de Figueiredo, the former Dean of the Escola Medico-Cirurgica de Goa to begin this process of restitution. Sadly however, Portugal, the country, Froilano represented at so many international scientific meetings, has yet to recognize the contributions of this intellectual giant.

The posting of this biography is one additional attempt to ‘give Froilano his due’. It is also a part of an overall effort to record the magnificent careers and deeds of the great and as yet unsung, sons of Goa’s soil. For our sake, for the sake of our children and for the sake of record itself.

Goan Personalities

Bernardo Peres da Silva, from Neura, Deputado;

Francisco Luis Gomes, from navelim, Deputado, author of “Os Brahmanes”;

Bernardo Francisco da Costa, from Margao, advocate, politician, Member of Partido Ultramarino, Deputado;

Raimundo Venancio Rodrigues, from Britona, Deputado;

Isidoro Emilio Batista, from Loutolim, physician;

Agostinho Vicente Lourenço, from Margao, “petit savant portugais”;

Ernesto Jose Soares, from Salvador do Mundo, Deputado;

Jose Antonio Vas, from Saligao, Indian Civil Service;

Claudio da Gama Pinto, from Saligao, ophtalmologist;

Jose Custodio Faria, Abbe Faria, from Candolim, son of Caetano Vitorino de Faria,  author of hypnotism;

Deputados de Goa em Portugal:

Pe.Baptista Cana, from Benaulim;

Canon Estevao Jeremias Mascarenhas, from Bastora;

Canon Castilho Serpa do Rosario Noronha, from Neura.

Dr.Alvaro de Loyola Furtado

IN MEMORIAM By Eduardo Faleiro We commemorate this year the twentyfifth death anniversary of an illustrious son of Goa, Dr. Alvaro de Loyola Furtado. He passed away on August 21, 1982. Dr. Loyola Furtado was a leader of the United Goans Party and a senior member of the first Legislative Assembly of Goa Daman and Diu. He was an outstanding parliamentarian. His learned interventions and impeccable dignity and decorum are recalled to this day. I met him barely two months before his demise. He had then spoken to me on the need to introduce some amendments to certain pieces of Central legislation which, he felt, were defectively drafted and I had to admit that there was much substance in his studied arguments. He asked me to take up the matter in Parliament. This was typical of the man. His concern was the concerns of the people. Not once, in the decade and half of our acquaintance, did I ever find him seeking personal advancement. His integrity and total involvement in the welfare of the community could never be questioned. He was the epithome of the gentleman – politician. Dr. Loyola Furtado left behind a plethora of scholarly writtings. His two major publications relate to issues that continue to besiege us. In ” O Direito na Propriedade Rustica das Comunidades Aldeanas” he dealt with the status and problems of our Comunidades. The Report of the Goa Land Reforms Commission (1963) states that some centuries ago, long before Goa came successively under the domination of Hindu, Muslim and Portuguese rule, a large number of families from across the Western Ghats abandoned their original homesteads on account of war, epidemic or famine and settled in Goa. They formed themselves into cooperative associations governed by heads of family who were known as gaunkars. These gaunkars reclaimed and brought under cultivation marshy and other village waste lands. The foundation of the Comunidade (or gaunkari, its original name) is based on collective ownership of land by a group of villagers. From the total produce a certain portion was earmarked for village welfare. The Government share in the produce was kept aside. The balance was distributed among the members as dividend (“jono” in Portuguese). Over a period of time, the Comunidades lost their original characteristics and declined into mere societies of rights holders (gaunkars) who are members only by accident of birth. The non-gaunkars who came subsequently and also contributed to the development of the village have no say in the Comunidade. The “jono” is paid to the descendants of the gaunkar even when they no longer reside in the village, are not concerned with the working of the Comunidade, nor render any service to it or to the village. It is estimated that at present over fifty percent gaunkars reside outside the jurisdiction of the Comunidade from which they take “jono”. Furthermore, the right of membership does not extend to the women in the family. The Comunidades have ceased to be collective farming societies. The village development activities once the preserve of gaunkaris, are now entrusted to the gram panchayat. The opinion as to how our Communidades should be reformed differs. Dr. Alvaro de Loyola Furtado wanted the autonomy of the Communidades to be fully restored and that Government should cease to interfere in their administration. Dr. H. D. Halarnakar, who has done extensive research on the subject, recommends that the Comunidades should be reorganized as agricultural cooperative societies. Whilst experts might differ as to the solution, there is agreement as to the need to review the Comunidades system so that they may truly fulfill the objectives that justify their existence. In “Os primordios do jornalism em Goa e no resto da India”, Dr. Loyola Furtado recalls the saga of the Konkani language. The offensive of the maratha troops led by Sambhaji on Santo Estevao, Salcete and Bardez almost put an end to the Portuguese rule in Goa. But for the sudden arrival of the mogul army which attacked the maratha territories elsewhere and impelled Sambhaji to return and abandon Goa, the history of this land would have been quite different, says Dr. Loyola Furtado. To prevent further challenge to the Portuguese “Estado da India”, the Viceroy D. Francisco de Tavora, conceived a two pronged strategy – transfer the capital to Marmagoa and lusitanise Goa completely, suppressing the local languages so that a linguistic barrier was created to separate Goa from the rest of India. In this frame of mind the Viceroy issued the decree (alvara) of June 27, 1684. The purpose of the decree was to eliminate the local languages from Goa and to replace them with Portuguese. The decree required that within three years Goans should abandon the use of local languages and take to the use of Portuguese. The decree was ratified by a royal decree dated March 17, 1687. The statement of its objects and reasons reads, “for reasons of political expediency including the preservation of Portuguese India, the decree (of the Viceroy) is approved”. Eminent Portuguese orientalist Cunha Rivara asserts that the religious order of the Franciscans had suggested the ban of the local languages. Jesuit historian Delio de Mendonca in his erudite book “Conversions and Citizenry” remarks that “the missionaries are often held responsible for the decadence of Konkani in the sixteenth century…The knowledge of the local language had became necessary to assume ecclesiastical posts, such as those of the parish priest during the last quarter of the seventeenth century. This exigency proved to be too serious an obstacle to the ambitious plans of the missionaries who, for too long, had assumed the reins of power without the knowledge of the local language. The missionary solution to this new and unpleasant situation was nothing short of demanding the suppression of the local languages. Then, in 1684, a decree issued by the Viceroy D. Francisco de Tavora, and soon after ratified by a royal decree suppressed Konkani in Goa and the local languages in other territories under Portuguese control. Later, some blamed only the Franciscans for the decree on suppression of local languages. This accusation, however, is questionable since the reading of events and context appears to be vitiated. But going by facts, all the religious orders seemed to have profited from this obnoxious decree”. The error of the Catholic Church in foisting an alien culture on the peoples of Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas is sought to be atoned in our time. Several Asian Episcopal Conferences have decried the foreigness of Christianity and urged a systematic inculturation of the Christian faith in all its aspects, from worship to theology, to priestly formation. The Catholic Bishops Conference of India seeks to find ways and means “so that the Church becomes truly Indian and Asian”. At the Asian Synod of 1998 some participating bishops asserted that “the Asian bishops are not branch secretaries waiting for instructions of the Vatican. We are a communion of the local churches”. Shortly after the Asian Synod, Joseph Ratzinger suggested as “the task for the future,” the decentralization of the power of the papacy and of the Roman curia so that the Asian Churches discover their own identity. In this scenario, it is surprising that in Goa, even in our villages with hundred percent Konkani speaking population, there are masses and other religious services in English. At the time of his death, Dr. Loyola Furtado was working on a treatise on the “Loyola Revolt” of September 21, 1890. On that fateful day, thirteen supporters of the “Partido Indiano” were killed by the Police forces of the then Government. The celebrated Jose Inacio de Loiola, the founder of the “Partido Indiano” and many others sought exile in India outside Goa. Dr. Alvaro de Loyola Furtado is no more. Yet, his memory lives and should endure to light up the path of the generations ahead. (The writer is a former Union Minister. He is presently Commissioner for NRI Affairs with a cabinet minister rank in the Government of Goa.)