Replica of St Francis Xavier’s body was made in the 1930s and placed in a casket in the crypt of the Christ the Monument in Karachi
The replica of the Relic of St Francis Xavier restored by a team of workers led by John D’Souza in 2013.
The Feast of St Francis Xavier, fondly known as ‘Goencho Saib’, is celebrated globally by Goans with much reverence and fervour.
In another part of the world, where Goans made a significant impact, there is a beautiful story of the presence, bonding, and preservation of a replicated body of St Francis Xavier in a casket in the crypt of the Christ the Monument in Karachi.
“He protects and keeps us in his care from the day his replicated body was placed inside the monument,” once said by the late Fr Robert (Robbie) D’Silva (1925-2015), who had been in the forefront of celebrating Mass, preaching in Konkani, and organising special events.
Fr D’Silva will always be remembered for keeping alive the significance of the Feast and implanting the lyrics of the hymn ‘Sam Fransisk Xaveira’ in the minds of Catholics in Karachi.
THE REPLICA
Artistically curated by a talented artist/sculptor (name unknown), who was brought from Goa to Karachi in the 1930s, the replica is a ditto-copy of the incorruptible body as preserved in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.
Placed in a casket of teak wood, the replica of the body is laid and preserved under the main altar of the crypt. The altar (pre-Vatican II frontal outlook) itself is an astonishing piece of art and craftsmanship, as magnificent as the entire marble structure of the monument.
The “relic” of the revered saint has been preserved since the monument was opened on October 17, 1931, but unfortunately due to time, decay and neglect, the casket and the statue was left abandoned for many years.
When the monument was taken up for a complete overhaul in 2013, it was pertinent that this ‘special and symbolic part’ of the monument inside the crypt had to be restored and given its due importance.
The monument, after all, was dedicated to St Francis Xavier, Patron of the Missions, and Apostle of the East by those who were in the forefront of planning, designing, and constructing the monument. Indeed, it is a ‘Gift of Benevolence’ by the Goans of Karachi.
THE CELEBRATION
Four special occasions connected to the celebration of the Feast of St Francis Xavier are held in Karachi. First and foremost is the Holy Mass, Benediction and Blessing on the Christ the Monument, presided by the Archbishop of Karachi, Most Rev. Benny Travas and con-celebrated by numerous priests and attended by hundreds of worshippers.
The other three are organised traditionally by the Karachi Goan Association (KGA) and the Goan Union Karachi at their respective clubs’ premises, and of late also by the Goenkars’ Own Academy (G.O.A) group at the Cathedral grounds.
All members of the clubs, their families and the entire Catholic community are invited to attend the Mass, which is followed by a reception and presentation of skits and songs in Konkani.
THE PILGRIMAGE
St Francis Xavier holds a special place in the hearts of Goans wherever they are located, in Goa and in the diaspora. Karachi Goans too have been an integral part of this phenomenon since 1952, when pilgrimages were organised to Goa for the Exposition of the Relics of the revered saint.
Every year, hundreds of Goans from Karachi travelled freely onboard large passenger vessels such as the old warships “Saraswati” and “Sabarmati”. It was an epic occasion.
“Hundreds sailed to Goa on the pilgrimage, a big crowd of relatives and friends came to bid bon voyage to the pilgrims, it was an unforgettable sight,” as I recall my late mother telling us about the first pilgrimage in 1952 and how my dad and she managed the journey with three young children, four, two and a new-born - three of my older siblings (RIP).
Fr Robbie was a ‘go-getter’ priest as I knew him. His dream was to re-launch the pilgrimages. Through grit and determination, he succeeded in the mid-1980s in a collaborative effort between authorities concerned, to take groups of up to 300 people on the pilgrimage to the shrine of St Francis Xavier in Old Goa. This annual feature continued up to the mid-1990s.
In 2004, the year of the Exposition, Fr Robbie, assisted by Peter Mendes, took a group of 400 people from Karachi to Goa.
Mendes continued to take groups of 100-plus people up to 2014, before it was discontinued. Can this be revived? There are approximately 6,000 Goans still living in Karachi and many would like to take the pilgrimage to Old Goa, come face-to-face with their ‘Goencho Saib’, and meet relatives, at least once in their lifetime.
A replica of the Relic of St Francis Xavier is placed under the main altar at the Crypt of the Christ the King Monument in Karachi (Photo: Ignatius Sequeira, 1931 – MR-Archives)
(The writer is a Toronto-based communications consultant, Karachi Goan community/city historian and author.)
