MELBOURNE
Masses and other religious services may have been occasionally recited in Konkani in the past, but the Goan community in Adelaide-Australia have now been granted permission to celebrate Masses in Konkani.
The Goan community congregated at the Sacred Heart Church, Hindmarsh, for its second regular Mass in Konkani at Adelaide on June 11.
Fr Santosh Pereira, MSFS, celebrated the Mass and spoke on the importance of understanding the celebration of the feast of The Most Holy Trinity. Interestingly, the prayers of the faithful were read by some who had never read Konkani before. The Konkani choir led by Blaise Fernandes included a rendition of a Christian bhajan 'Namo, Namo' by accomplished vocalist Juliet Gouveia with self-composed lyrics.
Even though it is the winter season, the faithful attended in large numbers and even gathered outside the church in the cold to fellowship with tea, coffee and a light supper.
The joy of worshipping the Lord in Konkani was an uplifting experience especially because this is a new experience in the country for many.
The next mass will be held on September 10 at 10 am at the Sacred Heart Church, Hindmarsh, South Australia.
The first Mass in Konkani was held on March 13, following a meeting with Archbishop Patrick O’Regan by representatives of the Goan community and being granted permission in December 2021.
The Mass on March 13 began with a short video on the gift of the faith and its arrival to Indian shores, which was the background theme. The joy of being able to praise and worship the Lord, God in the vernacular was apparent on the faces of the mass attendees.
Fr Lancy D'Silva CSC and Fr Santosh Pereira MSFS celebrated the Mass and Fr Lancy said in his homily that attempting to preach in the different Konkani dialects can become a challenge.
As March 12 was the celebration of the 400th year of the canonisation of St Francis Xavier, a petition was also included to make the faithful staunch witnesses of the faith like him.
The choir stirred a devout and emotional response from the congregation as the nuances of the devotional lyrics and music in Konkani resounded within the fine acoustics of the Sacred Heart church. Doyenne pianist Alice Ferrao accompanied the choir which was led by Blaise Fernandes.
Basia Gebski, who heads the Archdiocesan Multicultural office, was present and complimented the Goan community on the well-attended and enthusiastic turnout. She urged the Konkani community to attend the St Thomas Mass in July too, with a greater involvement in order to make the Indian Catholic community more vibrant. While the Goan Catholic community was represented at the St Thomas Mass since 2006, the wider Konkan community of Adelaide was included only since 2018 due to efforts by community representative Blaise Fernandes.
