The statue of Our Lady of Pilar placed on the pedestal in the Church at Pilar was brought from Spain in 1952.
On October 12, the Pilar Fathers of the Society of the Missionaries of St Francis Xavier (Society of Pilar) celebrate the feast of their patroness, Our Lady of Pilar.
ORIGIN OF FEAST
The word ‘pilar’ in Spanish language means pillar. According to an ancient Spanish tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to James, one of 12 apostles of Jesus, on October 12, 40 AD, at Zaragoza in Spain while she was still living in Jerusalem. This is the first and the only apparition of Virgin Mary while she was still alive.
While she appeared to James on a pillar of Jasper, the angels held the pillar in their hands. They left that pillar at the place of the apparition as a symbol of protection and to mark the spot where she appeared.
In 40 AD, James built a chapel over there and placed the apparition pillar in it. Devotees of Our Lady of Pilar began revering this pillar. Later, the chapel was raised to the status of a church and came to be known as ‘Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar.’ In 1930, Pope Pius XI granted this church the status of a basilica, known as ‘Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar.’
DEVOTION IN GOA
The Franciscan Capuchins brought this devotion to Our Lady of Pilar to Goa in the 17th century. In 1613 on a hillock in the vicinity of Goa Velha, they built a monastery and a church attached to the monastery which was dedicated to Our Lady of Pilar. Since then, the hillock came to be known as Pilar.
The Franciscan Capuchins found Pilar hillock conducive for prayer and meditation. The Church attracted the Catholics living below Pilar hillock to climb up and spend time in prayer and attend Mass.
The statue of Our Lady of Pilar placed on the pedestal in the Church at Pilar was brought from Spain in 1952. After venerating this statue in the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar at Zaragoza in Spain for three days, it was brought to Pilar and kept in an honourable place in the church.
Archbishop-Patriarch of Goa Dom Antonio Sebastião Valente gifted the monastery to the Society of Pilar which was founded by Fr Bento Martins in Agonda.
After shifting the headquarters of the Society from Agonda to Pilar on February 4, 1890, the Society adopted Our Lady of Pilar as its patroness and thereafter, the Pilar Fathers began celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Pilar every year on October 12 with great fervour.
On the day of Vespers preceding the feast, a procession with the statue of Our Lady of Pilar is organised from the Minor Seminary at Batim to the Mission Seminary on Pilar hillock, followed by Vespers. On the way, Catholics and people from other faiths living below the Pilar hillock garland the statue of Our Lady of Pilar with flowers and some of them incense it devoutly.
In Goa, there are two Churches dedicated to Our Lady of Pilar, one at Pilar and the other one is at Seraulim, built in 1630 and raised to a full-fledged parish on May 28, 1635.
[The writer is Director of Apostolic School and Assistant Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier Church at Hisar in Haryana]
