Sessions for seminarians from today
MARGAO
The Global Konknni Forum announces the commencement of a Konkani language course in Roman script for the seminarians of St Pius X College Archdiocesan Seminary under the Archdiocese of Bombay, beginning on March 30.
GKF Secretary Salvador Fernandes said the initiative represents a significant step toward strengthening the presence and functional use of Konkani in the Roman script within ecclesiastical and community contexts. Structured on modern, scientifically grounded linguistic methodologies, the course will emphasise spoken fluency, reading proficiency, and grammatical accuracy – ensuring practical and effective language acquisition.
He said the course will be conducted by Jose Salvador Fernandes, Editor of the Roman script Konkani weekly ‘Fuddari’. A postgraduate in Konkani and an experienced academic, he has taught at Carmel College for Women, Nuvem and Fr Agnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar. A noted writer and language advocate, he has served for over a decade as Secretary of Dalgado Konkani Akademi and currently serves as Secretary of the Global Konknni Forum. Earlier, he has also collaborated with noted linguist and researcher Dr (Fr) Pratap Naik in conducting Roman script Konkani courses.
The intensive, full-day course will be conducted over three weeks at the Pilar Pilgrimage Centre.
The initiative reaffirms the Forum’s commitment to promoting Konkani in Roman script while equipping future clergy with essential linguistic competence for effective pastoral communication and deeper cultural engagement, he added.
