PANAJI
Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao presided over the eucharistic celebration and Fr Joaquim Fernandes, Rector of SVD seminary Damon, Raia along with other concelebrants celebrated the high mass at the SVD Mission in Damon, Raia. In his homily, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao stressed on Fr Peter Verhaelen's work as a priest as well as his efforts to help others. He said that Fr Peter was the worker in the vineyard of the Lord, worked with dignity of labour, with excellent talent. Thursday marked an important day for the SVD Mission which came alive for the centenary birth celebration of its founder late Fr Peter Verhaelen. Fr Peter started SVD seminaries in Kerala, Mangalore too. Together with starting of the seminaries he started farms to sustain them. He was the first one to introduce rubber in south Goa, innovative ways in cashew harvesting and crushing and till date the SVD seminary in Raia is famous for its cashew juice Nira. He worked along with the workers in the fields transplanting, harvesting etc. He bought the place which was a complete jungle and systematically converted it into plantations of rubber, nipper, mango groves etc.
