PANAJI
Archbishop Emeritus Raul Nicolau Gonsalves (95), a prelate who led the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman for 37 years and deftly steered the archdiocese amid various political, administrative, religious and cultural changes in the State, passed away on Friday morning.
In a statement, the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media (DCSCM) stated that Archbishop Gonsalves, who was a bishop for 55 years, passed away at JMJ Hospital, Alto Porvorim, where he was ailing for the last 10 days.
In his condolence message, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao expressed his grief and said he was saddened with the death of his revered predecessor.
“Archbishop Raul had been for long years a zealous and a courageous Pastor to the Church in Goa and Daman. He had also made a very significant contribution to the life and the mission of the Church in India.”
“The entire Church in Goa and Daman joins me in thanking the Heavenly Father for gifting Archbishop Raul to us and in praying for his eternal repose in the arms of our Risen Lord, Whom he served so faithfully and generously,” said Archbishop Ferrao.
The mortal remains of Archbishop Emeritus Raul Gonsalves will be kept in the Chapel of the Clergy Home, Alto-Provorim, till the funeral day. Those desiring to visit and pray for him are allowed to do so between 8 am and 8 pm.
The DSCSM stated that Archbishop Gonsalves was called to serve the Church in Goa as a Bishop at a time when it was still facing the effects of Goa’s integration into the Indian Union. “He was a man of tremendous endurance, fortitude, humility, loyalty to the Church, devotion to duty and ability to absorb, calmly and serenely, various types of shocks and difficult situations; he had the willingness to do what he could and leave in the hands of the Lord what he knew he could not do, qualities which kept him going where a less gifted leader would have perhaps succumbed to serious breakdown, physical drainage of energies or even despair.”
“He faced and handled controversial problems taking his own time to decide, spending hours in prayer, discussion, evaluation of pros and cons, before deciding and remaining faithful to his decisions even amidst misunderstandings and menaces,” the DCSCM added.
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Funeral to be held on July 4
PANAJI: The Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media has announced that the funeral of Archbishop Emeritus Raul Gonsalves will be held at Se Cathedral Church, Old Goa, on July 4 at 4 pm.
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Churches, chapels toll bells
PANAJI: Parishes Churches and Chapels in the archdiocese tolled bells as a mark of respect and call to prayer for the eternal repose of Archbishop Emeritus Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, who passed away on Friday.
In a notice issued on Friday, Chancellor of the Archdiocese Fr Romeo Monteiro stated that the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman “thanks to the Lord for the gift of an Admirable Pastor to the Church in Goa and Daman, in the person of Most Rev Raul Gonsalves.”
“All Parish Churches and Chapels are to toll the bells as a mark of respect and call to prayer for the eternal repose of the deceased. Every parish is also to offer a Mass in suffrage of the departed Archbishop,” the notice adds.
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KEY MILESTONES IN LIFE
* Born in Bambolim on June 15, 1927
* Ordained a priest in Rome on December 21, 1950
* Doctor in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of Propaganda Fide and Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University
* Appointed Professor of the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol on August 16, 1954
* Appointed Rector of the Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Saligao-Pilerne on June 18, 1956
* Secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi, India from 1962 to 1964
* Elected Bishop Auxiliary to His Excellency the Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Francisco da Piedade Rebello, on January 5, 1967
* Ordained Bishop on March 5, 1967
* Appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Goa Daman Diu on June 28, 1972, taking charge of his office on June 30, 1972
* Appointed the first Goan Archbishop of Goa and Daman and Patriarch of the East Indies on January 30, 1978
* Took charge as Archbishop-Patriarch on March 5, 1978
* Was Archbishop of Goa and Daman until March 2004, when his resignation was accepted by the Holy See
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
* A sound Financial Reorganisation of the Archdiocese, giving it the economic stability it enjoys today, after the uncertain waters the Church in Goa sailed on for a few years after the Liberation of Goa in 1961
* The constitution of the first Diocesan Pastoral Council
* An historic Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese, with a focus on the establishment of Parish Pastoral Councils and Small Christian Communities
* Established the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media on March 28, 1979
* Established the Vocation Commission for the Diocesan Clergy of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in 1984
* The visit of Pope John II to Goa from February 4-6, 1986
* Inaugurated Museum of Christian Art, at Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol on January 23, 1994, along with then President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma
* The convocation of the Diocesan Synod 2002
* The promulgation of the revised Constitutions of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman
