An age-old tradition among the Catholic community in Goa is now being followed in the UK with the same fervour and enthusiasm. LUI GODINHO provides details of this faith-enriching tradition among the Goans communities in Wembley and Edinburgh
Fr Patrick D'Souza, sfx, blessing two statues of Our Lady in the St Joseph's Church at Wembley.
When Goan Chaplain Fr Patrick D'Souza, sfx, recently blessed two statues of Our Lady in the St Joseph's Church, it brought much joy to the large Goan community keen to keep a Goan tradition alive in Wembley.
Fr Patrick explained the desire among Goans to continue the tradition of taking Our Lady to their homes in Wembley.
“Goans have strong values and traditions. They carry on with these to the places they dwell. The strong devotion to Mother Mary is one of them. In Goa, the statue of Our Lady visits very home starting from September,” said Fr Patrick.
“Feeling the absence of this Goan tradition in Wembley, Goans wants to bring the statues to their homes on their birthdays and special occasions, inviting family and friends in reciting the Rosary and distributing the traditional boiled grams.”
The two statues of Our Lady were blessed in the St Joseph's Church at Wembley.
The need to have more statues of Our Lady was felt given the large Goan community in Wembley.
There is one statue of Our Lady in circulation which is privately owned by a Goan family. With repeated requests from Goans in Wembley, Fr Patrick in consultation with the St Joseph's Church decided to introduce more statues to meet the demand from the Goan community.
“One of the Goan Chaplaincy volunteers was visiting Goa and very kindly volunteered in the task of getting two enclosures along with statues from Goa. The enclosures were specially designed and crafted by hand using teak wood,” said Fr Patrick.
Transporting the two enclosures from Goa to London was no easy task.
Both enclosures were packed well in bubble wrap and tagged as fragile luggage, while the two statues were hand carried to avoid any breakage.
Both enclosures and statues reached the Wembley Parish and were blessed by Fr Patrick during Thanksgiving Mass on the Feast of Assumption and India’s Independence Day at the St Joseph’s Church in Wembley on August 15.
When asked how and when these statues of Our Lady would be visiting homes in Wembley, Fr Patrick replied: “People have already started reserving dates and are presently taking the statues of Our Lady from the Church to their homes. The plan is to eventually have the statues move from house to house like we do in Goa.”
Fr Patrick said he is happy that this Goan tradition is being promoting among the Goan community in Wembley.
“The Goan Chaplaincy always supports and encourages Goans to practice these faith-enriching traditions,” said Fr Patrick.
The small Goan community has been faithfully following the Goan tradition of welcoming the statue of Our Lady into their homes with fervour in Edinburgh for over two decades.
According to Sharon Gomes, this practice in Edinburgh began in 2001, when her husband, Anthony, introduced her to the Missionaries of Charity sisters in Edinburgh.
“When I moved to the UK, Anthony and I would volunteer in the open kitchen run by the sisters six days a week, where they provide food for the homeless and continue to do so till date,” said Sharon.
“The sisters visited me at home one day with the statue of Our lady of Fatima, and it all started from there. I continued to bring Our Lady home every year and eventually my family and friends also joined in the age-old tradition of bringing Our Lady home.”
The statue of Our Lady at the home of a Goan family in Edinburgh.
We continued to stay close to our mother, praying for one another and singing praise and worship in our own mother tongue Konkani, as we strived to keep this age old Goan tradition thriving and alive.”
An enclosure to house the statue of Our Lady, which is donated by Peter Terence Pereira from the Goan community in Edinburgh, was designed and crafted in Goa. The frame was specially crafted by a renowned Goan craftsman Stanley Barros Pereira of ‘Woodstock Carpenters’ in Utorda with intricate designs and a glass window.
The enclosure was initially a flat pack and was transported by Peter from Goa to Edinburgh, where it was later assembled.
Sharon said new prayer and hymn books were printed for the occasion.
“We usually start the Our Lady visits to homes during summertime, and it takes about four months to complete, before the statue is then returned to the Missionaries of Charity sisters,” said Sharon.
Added Anthony: “It is always a delight to welcome Our Lady into our homes and in our hearts. It also gives us a great opportunity to bond with our fellow Goans. Despite being miles away, this small tradition makes us all feel closer to home. We continue to pray and trust that the younger generations of Goans born in the UK will continue to take this tradition forward.”
