Hindus and Catholic celebrate feast of Our Lady of Miracles
Panaji (AsiaNews/Ucan) The third Monday after Easter marks the feast of Our Lady of Milagres (miracles), and is the object of devotion for Catholics and Hindus alike who regard the statue at St. Jerome Church in Mapusa, 12 km north of the state capital Panaji, as a source of grace and supernatural favors. Hundreds of Hindus pilgrimaged to the site in Goa April 26th and 27th, alongside Catholics, offering flowers and wax figures at the foot of the statue, expressing their devotion and gratitude for such things as being cured of a sickness, or blessed with a child.
Father Carlisto Coelho, assistant pastor of St. Jerome's, explained that Hindus especially attribute the feast as being a source of miracles. The date is related to the conversion of many regional Hindus during Portuguese colonial rule (1510-1961). "Devotees believe that a long time ago, the statue protected the town and its people from the plague," he added.
For a week before, vendors and roadside stalls lined a full kilometer of the way to the shrine, creating a fair-like atmosphere. Catholic and Hindus alike gathered on Monday to attend novena prayers and even the feast Day Mass, though even more Hindus arrived Tuesday, regarding it as their own special celebration of the feast.
The popularity of the feast had politicians panicked about a low-turn out at the polls. Parliamentary elections were scheduled on the same Monday, April 26th. One party even appealed to the Election Commission to change the date of the vote because of the event, though the request was denied. A special evening Mass was offered then for faithful who participated in the elections in the afternoon.
One Hindu pilgrim who visited the statue this year was 62-year-old Samir Dessai. He said that his grandmother took him to the feast as a child. "She used to say that Our Lady of Miracles was the converted sister of a Hindu goddess," he said. "Today, my children make it a point to attend the feast."
According to local legend, Hindu goddess Devi Kelbai and her seven sisters once toured Goa. Attracted by the natural beauty of the area, they each decided to stay, one in every region. Some now claim that Our Lady of Miragres is one of them, Mahalaxmi, who chose to stay in Mapusa, informed Hindu journalist Prasanna Shirodkar.
A common Hindu practice is to honor a smaller statue of Our Lady of Miracles by bathing it with oil from a copper vessel at its base. The devotion goes on for a month after the feast, pointed out Cruzinho Pinho, the parish committee treasurer.
Some Catholics also join the custom of pouring oil on the statue. Cynthia Rosario admitted that she didn't understand the meaning behind it, but offered, "Maybe it's a way to express our ancestor's faith in Our Lady." Pinho said that parish authorities wanted to forbid the practice by Catholics, but instead have decided to educate people on appropriate expressions of piety.
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