The Our Lady of Remedios Chapel at Ribandar
The small chapel at Pattiar at the end of the Panaji-Ribandar river causeway is dedicated to Nossa Senhora de Remedios (Our Lady of Remedios). Catholics of this ward usually celebrate the feast on the first Sunday after the Feast of Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the temple. This year, it will be celebrated on February 4.
According to the present elders of the place, the chapel was constructed in the 18th century by the Portuguese; some give the precise year as 1760. Down the years, there has not been major changes made to it and due to its timely maintenance and regular repairs, it has stood intact down the centuries.
On the outside walls of chapel are two white marble plaques on which are names of those who helped by way of donations for its maintenance and purchase of chairs. On either side of it are two wings, one is used to store the chapel accessories and the other as sacristy. At the end of the chapel inside at the back is a staircase that leads to the choir loft. Eucharist is celebrated here only during the Novena days and on the Feast Day, wherein additional chairs are put in the portico of the chapel to accommodate all the devotees.
On Good Friday when the image of Jesus is taken from the church in procession, a halt is made here and the scene of the ‘Veronica wiping the face of Jesus’ takes place and the priest gives a homily. Then the procession moves forward making its journey back to the church,
The chapel has only one altar, which is dedicated to the patroness, Nossa Senhora de Remedios (Our Lady of Remedios), whose statue is encased in glass in the centre. On one side is the statue of St. Theresa and on the other side is that of St Joseph. The chapel has three others statues, St Roque, St Francis Xavier and of Our Lady of Fatima.
The feast of Nossa Senhora da Remedios is celebrated with great religiosity by Catholics of this ward. It is preceded by the Maddi and the nine-days thematic Novena, which are held in the evening so that all the Catholics can participate in them.
The St Anthony Chapel at Guirim
The small chapel in St Anton Vaddo in Guirim, about 500 metres from the Church, is dedicated to St Anthony. Catholics of this vaddo celebrate the Feast this year on February 4. The front wall of the chapel, just below the bell states that the first chapel was constructed here in 1780, to meet the spiritual needs of the first Catholics here.
A little over a century later, in 1889, this was pulled down, probably it was found to be too small and a new one was constructed in its place. The Chapel that stands today has a new look, the tiles of the floor of the chapel and so too of the sacristy and the wing for the choir have been replaced.
Eucharist is celebrated here on Sundays either by the priests of the parish or by the Capuchin priests who have a school and a residence in Guirim. The chapel has only one altar, which is dedicated to St. Anthony, the patron, who statue is high above. To its right is the statue of Our Lady and to its left that of St. Sebastian.
The Catholics of this vaddo celebrate the Feast with great zeal; prior to it is the Maddi and the 9-day thematic Novena, which are held in the evening so that all the faithful here can take participate in them.
(The writer is Superior at Casa Professa, Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa)
