THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
With Goa yet to receive the much-awaited monsoon rains, devotees of St Anthony from Navelim took out a candlelight procession on Saturday evening, praying for the early arrival of rain.
The procession began at St Sebastian Chapel in Dongorim and passed through the Ravora and Mandopa areas of Navelim, drawing devotees who joined in a collective appeal for divine intervention amid the prolonged dry spell.
Leading the prayers, Fr Seville said the faithful had gathered to seek the intercession of St Anthony and pray to God for timely rainfall.
“We believe in the power of prayer. St Anthony is the patron saint and one of the most beloved saints among the people. Our ancestors would organise similar processions whenever the monsoon was delayed, and their prayers were answered with rain,” he said.
Urging devotees to participate with faith, Fr Seville expressed hope that God would answer their prayers. He also reflected on environmental degradation and its impact on nature.
“We have destroyed our hills, mountains, plants and vegetation and have invited nature’s wrath. Let God have mercy on His people. We need water, and our farmers need water for their paddy fields,” he added.
A woman devotee recalled that Dongorim’s roads would normally be flooded with rainwater at this time of the year.
“Today, there is hardly any rain and the fields are drying up. We pray to God, through the intercession of St Anthony, to send us rain,” she said.
Among those who participated in the procession was Dongorim resident and activist Pratima Coutinho, who prayed for early rains to safeguard paddy cultivation and support the farming community.
The procession reflected the growing concern among residents and farmers over the delayed monsoon, which has raised fears of water scarcity and damage to agricultural crops.
