For THE GOAN
At the heart of every priest’s vocation lies a profound call to love, to serve, and to reflect Christ to His people. Fr Leonard Correia, who turns 90 on Sunday, is a living witness to this call ” a priest whose life of prayer, charity, and missionary zeal shines with the very heart of Jesus.
His missionary journey to Venezuela revealed a man burning with zeal for the Gospel. Despite health challenges that could have slowed him down, his enthusiasm for life and his dedication to the mission exceeded all limitations. He was willing to serve, even in the face of trials.
What most inspires those who know him is his deep and contagious prayer life. His faithfulness to the Breviary, the prayer of the Church, has been majestic and unwavering. In him, one sees not just a priest who prays, but a man whose entire life has become prayer.
Fr Leonard is deeply loved by his family in Cansaulim, and the bond is mutual. His devotion to the Holy Cross, especially the one erected at Shiroda, stands as a testimony to his living faith. He was instrumental in having it placed, and the Cross has inspired countless faithful.
I had the privilege of seeing him closely ” first as my parish priest in Majorda when I was still a seminarian, later as his assistant at the Cathedral of Sé, Old Goa, and then again as a priest when he stood by me during my ministry as Parochial Administrator at Vagator. In each of these stages, I saw not just a leader but a father, guide, and true servant of God.
Now serving in Borim, Fr Leonard shows us that age is no barrier when the heart burns for Christ. At 90, his pastoral zeal remains alive, and this itself is a miracle: that his health has not failed his good and pious intentions to serve the Church. On his 90th birthday, the Church of Goa lifts its heart in gratitude and prayer for him.
(The writer is assistant professor at St Xavier's College, Mapusa.)
