CHRONICLES OF GOAN CHURCHES
The Church in Mapusa is dedicated to St Jerome and though the feast of the patron is on September 30, parishioners celebrate it on the following Sunday (October 6). The Church is popularly known as the Church of Our Lady of Miracles, whose feast is celebrated on the Monday after the second Sunday of Easter.
THE ORIGIN
The historians F. X. Costa and Clement de S. Ira state that the Church at Mapusa was founded by the Franciscan missionaries in 1594 during the tenure of Frei Jeronimo do Espirito Santo, Custodian of the place and it was dedicated to St Jerome. Its construction was funded by Catholics of the village and donations collected by Fr Jeronimo. The three villages that came under it were Mapusa, Cunchelim and Khorlim.
As the catholic population increased, the church was found to be small, and it was reconstructed during the period of Fr Manoel da Paixao (1674-7) with financial help from Catholics of the three villages. By 1720, the church building was extended again.
On April 27, 1838, on the evening of the Vespers of Our Lady of Miracles, the church caught fire and the Feast Mass was celebrated in the newly constructed cemetery. The church was reconstructed on March 10, 1839.
During Liberation, part of the Church was damaged, but it was repaired and blessed on May 5, 1965 by Auxiliary Bishop Francisco da Piedade Rebello.
THE CHURCH
The Church’s façade is simple, it does not have the image of the patron, like other churches of the time. It has three storeys with three doors and three windows with round balustrade balconies on each story. It has a solitary tower at the back, behind the chancel.
The tower has three bells, probably from Old Goa. The big bell has the image of Mae de Deus Saibin; the smaller bell has the image of Our Lady standing on a half-moon, and the third is another small bell.
THE ALTARS
The main altar is dedicated to Our Lady with the statue of Infant Jesus in her left hand. People call it Milagr Saibinn (Our Lady of Miracles). The altar to the right is dedicated to St Jerome while the altar on the left has the image of St John the Baptist. It has an extraordinary pulpit, which was brought from the Franciscan church of the Convent of the Mother of God at Daugim after it was demolished and pillaged. It must have been installed after the 1838 fire that devastated the church.
The chapels under its jurisdiction are Our Lady of Carmel Chapel (Camarcasana), St Sebastian Chapel (Khorlim), Holy Cross Chapel (Angod) and St Joseph Chapel (Ansabhat).
(The writer is Superior at Casa Professa, Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa)
