Pilgrimage on foot to Sancoale opens Lent in Goa
From five different places on a penitential walk through the night in the footsteps of St Joseph Vaz. Card. Felipe Neri Ferrao: "A gesture to put in first place God, who gave us life, and to live selflessly for the good of others".
Goa (AsiaNews) - On the first Sunday of Lent, the Indian archdiocese of Goa and Daman experienced the annual pilgrimage on foot to the historic church of Sancoale which, since 2019, opens the path towards Easter.
Known as Bhavarthachi Yatra (Pilgrimage of Faith), the pilgrimage unfolds along 10 kilometer itineraries from different parishes of the archdiocese: the faithful set out at 2 in the morning, reaching Sancoale by 5 for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament , followed by a solemn Eucharistic celebration.
Sancoale - the pilgrimage destination - has a special significance for Goans because it is from here that Saint Joseph Vaz, after his encounter with God and Mother Mary, began his journey on foot to serve God and others in 1677. Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and then Sri Lanka.
The theme of this year's pilgrimage was "Let us walk together on the path of penance and be heralds of hope". The pilgrimage is a help for the faithful to begin the season of Lent with penance and sacrifice, reflecting on the love of God and our response to this love.
The card. Felipe Neri Ferrao, archbishop of Goa and Daman, personally participated in this pilgrimage on foot together with priests, religious people, many faithful and also some people of other religions.
Underlining the penitential aspect of the gesture, Cardinal Ferrao reminded those present that we are all pilgrims in this world. “We take nothing with us when we are born,” he said, “and we take nothing back after we die. The important thing is to put God, who gave us life, first and live selflessly for the good of others."
The faithful came to the sanctuary from three centers in the south and two in the north; the archbishop walked with the people from Bambolim to Sancoale. People of other religions also participated in this event praying to Our Lady for good health and blessings upon them and their loved ones, thus bringing out the ancient unity among the Goans.
At the end of the Mass, Father Ligorinho D'Costa, organizer of the event, thanked the Holy Trinity for her blessings and the Madonna della Salute, patron of the ancient church of Sancoale, for the success of the initiative.
The archdiocese asked those who were unable to participate in the pilgrimage to recite the rosary, pray personally and reflect on their lives during the journey to their parish church. A special Via Crucis and the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation also took place in all communities as preparation for the pilgrimage on foot.
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13/01/2022 15:17
14/01/2019 14:02
