OLD GOA: The feast of St Francis Xavier will be celebrated on December 4 this year as December 3 falls on a Sunday.
Speaking to reporters, Basilica of Bom Jesus Rector Fr Patricio Fernandes informed that during the Advent season, the Sundays are dedicated to Jesus and hence the feast of St Francis Xavier is scheduled on December 4. Fr Fernandes also informed that Baroda Bishop Fr Seby Mascarenhas will be the main celebrant of the Feast Mass along with other co-celebrants. The theme for the feast is ‘Like St Francis Xavier, let us do what Jesus did’.
Prayer schedule
Due to the change in the date of the Feast Mass, the Maddi will be held on November 24 at 6 pm and the Novena will begin from November 5. Other changes at this year’s Novena include the change in the timing of the early morning Masses.
“This year the Novena Masses will begin at 6 am followed by Masses at 7.15 am, 8.30 am, 9.45 am, 11 am, 3.30 pm, 5 pm and 6.15 pm,” Fr Fernandes said. On the feast day, however, the Masses will start at 3.45 am followed by Masses at 5 am, 6.15 am, 7.30 am, 8.45 am, 10.30 am (Feast Mass), 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm (English).
Another change will be that there will be four Masses allotted to the deaneries. They are at 8.30 am, 9.45 am, 11 am and 5 pm. “There was input that some deaneries are big and that they should be divided into two groups,” Fr Fernandes informed.
The 3.30 pm Masses will be celebrated by the Diocesan Centres like Bible Apostolate (Nov 25), Social Apostolate (Nov 26), Youth Apostolate (Nov 27), Lay Apostolate (Nov 28), Family & Sick (Nov 29), Priests & All Consecrated Men (Nov 30), Faith Formation (Dec 1), All Consecrated Women (Dec 2) and Liturgical Apostolate (Dec 3).
Timings for mass in other vernacular languages
Masses in other languages will also be celebrated on November 26 with Tamil Mass at 11 am, Malayalam at 12.15 pm and Hindi at 2 pm. On December 2, a Mass in Kannada will be celebrated at 12.15 pm and on December 3 Mass in Portuguese at 11 am. Also the Mass for the pilgrims will be celebrated on December 3 at 12.15 pm. There will be no Mass at 9.45 am on November 25 as the feast Mass of St Catherine will be celebrated at Se Cathedral at 10 am.
Also due to the inter-religious meet on November 30, there will be no Mass at 9.45 am. The meet will be held at 10 am followed by the Mass at 12 pm.
Meanwhile, the work on installing the pandal has already begun outside the Bom Jesus Basilica.
