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ST. FRANCIS
DAY |
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Celebrated In
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Throughout Goa |
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Centre of
Activity :
The Church of Bom Jesus |
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Day of
celebration :
3rd December |
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The body of St Francis Xavier lies in a silver
casket in the Church of Bom Jesus in Goa. Ceremonies to honor his death are
performed on December 3, the day he was buried. St Xavier was a great Catholic
missionary, who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Asia.
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Born in Spain on April 7, 1506, he came to
India with the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa in 1543, and immediately undertook the
task of influencing the Goan people. He went from street to street with a hired
town crier, asking people to attend his meetings and listen to his sermons.
Though he did not master the local language, he took the help of Goan scholars
and translated the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Ave
Maria. |
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He baptized the inhabitants of 30 villages.
Xavier commanded awesome political power. He was able to secure pensions, even
for the petty princes who converted to Christianity, from the King of Portugal.
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To spread the message of Christ, he sailed to
the Spice Islands in 1545, and then went on to Japan in 1549 for a year. His
greatest success is recorded in Japan, where he converted hundreds to
Christianity. After returning to India for a brief 15months, he proceeded to
China, against the wishes of the Portuguese viceroy. It was in the Sancian
Island, about 10-km from the mainland of China that he died of fever on
December 2, 1552.
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Legend
According to legend, some Portuguese merchants found him just before he
breathed his last. They performed his last rites on the following day, and
buried him in a box partly filled with unslaked lime. A few months later, a
Jesuit brother disinterred the body and discovered, to his surprise, that it
had not decomposed at all. He cut a finger from the body and was astonished to
see blood ooze out. When this was reported to the Vatican, the title of Saint
was conferred upon Xavier. |
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The body was interred in a cemetery in Malacca
for about two years before it was brought to its final resting place in Goa.
Until then, even though the body had not been anointed, it was found to be only
slightly affected by death. Before the mortal remains of the saint were placed
in a silver casket in the Church of Bom Jesus, one hand was cut off from the
body.
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The Healing Power
Pieces of the hand were distributed to various parts of the world, under orders
of the Pope. Every ten years until 1994, on the anniversary of his death, St
Xavier's body would be brought out and kept in a glass case, with the feet
exposed, for all to see and worship. For the exposition, people from all over
India would flock to the church for a glimpse of the saint.
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The last exposition was held in 1994. Since
the condition of the body had deteriorated visibly, it was decided by the
church that the body would not be displayed anymore. There are many stalls
selling trinkets and souvenirs in the fair that is held on the occasion. A wide
variety of food and drinks are also available. The pilgrimage turns into a
picnic for quite a few families, as they shop in the little lanes decorated
with streamers. The ambience of the church site is happy and festive. |
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