Members of the Milton Keynes Goan Community socialise at a coffee meet.
LONDON
They may have set up a community for Goans residing in Milton Keynes, near London, less than two years ago, but the Milton Keynes Goan Community (MKGC) has been busy with a number of social and religious activities to foster a sense of unity, preserve and promote Goan culture, traditions and values.
THE VISION
According to details provided by MKGC President Othelia Fernandes, the MKGC has a vision to actively promote and preserve Goan culture through cultural events, festivals, workshops, and other activities in the Milton Keynes area.
The MKGC aims to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for its members residing in the Milton Keynes area, contributing to the cultural diversity, prosperity, well-being and vibrancy of the wider community.
Efforts are also afoot to promote the Konkani language by having regular Konkani Masses at Milton Keynes through the Goan Chaplaincy.
At present, the MKGC committee comprises Othelia Fernandes (Chairperson), Arshi Colaco (Vice-Chairperson), Rositta Lawrence (General Secretary), Melissa Fernandes (Asst. General Secretary), Ligori D’Mello (Treasurer), Simon Varella (Events & Cultural Coordinator), and Jennifer Menezes (Social Coordinator).
Committee members and support members of the Milton Keynes Goan Community.
THE BEGINNING
The community came into being on October 8, 2023, with a group of eight persons taking the initiative to start the MKGC.
The Mangalorean community along with a few Goans had been celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Vailankanni for a few years.
In 2023, the Parish Priest permitted the Goans to celebrate Mass in the church for the feast and they had a good turnaround for the Mass.
The families who were hosting the Novenas for nine days decided to have dinner for the community and had a really good time meeting a lot of Goans over dinner at the church hall for the first time.
The Goans then decided to celebrate the Feast of St Francis Xavier with a similar celebration. With many people at the event, they decided to create a WhatsApp group and a Facebook page, to manage regular communication and share important communication.
The core group then hosted a coffee meet with fellow Goans to discuss the possibility of a setting up community in Milton Keynes.
At the meeting, they decided to call the group ‘Milton Keynes Goan Community’. They went ahead on October 8, 2023, to set up the community and have the constitution registered.
Within a very short time and through social media, the community managed to gather approximately about 60-80 Goan families in and round Milton Keynes. Majority of the community hails from Milton Keynes and are associated with the Bletchley Parish of St Thomas Aquinas Church and All Saints Church.
THE ACTIVITIES
The MKGC has been involved in a number of religious and social events.
The community celebrated the Feast of St Francis Xavier in December 2023 after setting up the community and they had their first Christmas Dance event that year and it was a success.
The community has since celebrated various Masses to commemorate the feasts of St Francis Xavier, St Anthony of Padua, St Joseph Vaz, Venerable Fr Agnelo de Souza, Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Vailankanni.
The MKGC has also conducted the 9-day Novenas of Our Lady of Fatima with the statue of Mother Mary moving from home to home in May, which has engaged the Goan Community.
The Parish Priest permitted the MKGC to have the statue of St Francis Xavier installed in the church along with St Partick on March 10, 2024, donated by a member well-wisher. This was a huge achievement for Goans of Milton Keynes to have their very own Patron Saint in their very own Parish.
The Milton Keynes Goan Community organised an outing last year at the Haven Wild Duck Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth on August 2, 2024.
The MKGC was also successful in adding Milton Keynes to the Goan Chaplaincy and now, a Konkani Mass is celebrated every quarter.
This Konkani Mass has also been welcomed by the local parish priest, who is happy to see the Goan community very proactive is encouraging such Masses and gathering people to the church.
The MKGC organised an Easter dance in 2024 for the first time and there are plans to have another Easter dance this year on April 21.
During the summer last year, the MKGC organised an outing last year with 5 families driving to Great Yarmouth at the Haven Wild Duck Holiday Park.
They are also planning another trip this year sometime around August and hope many more families can join in.
The coming together of the MKGC through Facebook and WhatsApp led the Goan men to form the ‘Goenkar Men’s Sports Group’ in Milton Keynes.
This group has encouraged the younger generation into sports event like football and badminton, pushing the youth and younger children to come together over selected weekend to have a match or just for fun and entertainment.
The Goenkar Men’s Sports Group hosted the Sao Joao feast event at one member’s backyard last year, which was also a memorable event for the Goenkars of Milton Keynes. There is a plan to celebrate Sao Joao this year as well.
Activities are held based on the feedback the MKGC receives from community members and after approval by the core team members.
THE FUNDS
The MKGC relies totally on personal funds. The core members put money from their own to set up the community and raising funds when the bank account was set up. All fellowships conducted after the Mass events in the church hall are personal contributions from core members and well-wishers, who may wish to contribute in adding an item to the table.
The MKGC has no membership fees and since the association is still in the infancy stage at the moment, it is purely charity and personal contribution from core members and others in the group, who willingly come forward to assist and help the community.
MKGC is hoping for more families to join the community and engage in their activities to help promote and preserve the Goan Culture.
