The portrait of the Saint is from the "Vida" of Orazio Torsellino S.J.(1596) and is reported to compare well with a drawing made in 1859 after an examination of his body by a committee of medical men in Goa. - (From Chapter XXXII -Vasco Da Gama and His Successors 1460-1580 by K.G. Jayne pub 1910).

Edited excerpt from this book The figure of Francis Xavier, as it appears in the Jesuit histories, is larger than human. But the true secret of his mastery over men seems to have lain less in his prestige and ability than in a certain sweetness of temperament, as impossible to recapture and dissect as the vanished scent of a flower…. It was this charm which made him more than a great Churchman and a saint - which won him the hearts of children, lepers and pirates.

Newsline Canada

This issue of Goan Voice Canada focuses on Saint Francis Xavier's feast, which is in reality an assertion of our Goan Catholic heritage. Early December finds every Goan community, be it in Goa, or in wintry Canada, coming together to celebrate the feast of the Saint.

The Events section of this newsletter lists the Goan Community feast celebrations in North America and UK. Mementos of past feast celebrations are also displayed in the "Friends of St. Francis Xavier Web Site".

All one could possibly want to know about the Saint, and the institutions that carry his name can be found on the Internet. On http://www.google.com after typing Saint Francis Xavier, it takes the search engine less than 0.2 seconds to list more than 80,000 articles and references!

The Goan community here in Toronto dates back to more than thirty years. However, only since 2001 were we able to hold a celebration in a church named after the Saint. This tradition will continue this year at the Church of Saint Francis Xavier in Mississauga founded by Father Terence D'Souza. The celebrations will take place on Saturday December 7, 2002, at 11:p.m. with High Mass followed by a full day of festivities at the nearby School of Saint Francis Xavier. More details of this event can be found in the Events and Announcements of this Newsletter. A flier is also on display at http://www.goanvoice.ca/frsfx/website/flier.html.

Happy Feast - See you all there.

Letter from Goa

ST FRANCIS XAVIER - Pearl of the Orient

Goa is preparing for the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the death of "Goemcho Saib", St. Francis Xavier on December 3 at Old Goa pilgrim centre. The theme is "Francis, the path setter of building communities around Jesus". The church hasn't organised a grand celebration, preferring to lay more stress on spiritual preparation rather than on ostentatious, outward festivity.

Thousands of devotees attended the first novena on November 24. The massive shamiana erected in Bom Jesus Basilica compound was practically packed for every Mass from 6.00 am to 6.15 pm. Thousands more will attend this year's feast, to be celebrated on December 3, as ordered by Pope Alexandre VII on September 22, 1663.

Nearly 15 Archbishops and Bishops from different parts of the country will be present for the concelebrated High Mass on the day of the feast, the most patronised one in Goa. Cardinals Simon Pimenta and Ivan Dias, both from Mumbai, will be present too, while the main celebrant will be Goa's Archbishop Raul Gonsalves, for the last time because he will retire in March next on achieving the age of 75 years.

Under the guidance of Fr Delio Mendonca, the Xavier Centre of Historical Research will release a souvenir containing plenty of photographs and pictures of postage stamps issued during the Portuguese rule depicting St. Francis Xavier. Moreover, a special exhibition or a museum is likely to be set up by the Jesuits at Porvorim.

For a brief biography go to http://www.goanvoice.ca/2002/issue3/features.htm#sfxbiography

SECURITY: After the bombscare at the Bom Jesus Basilica, which sent the police into a tizzy recently, the security at OId Goa, particularly around the Basilica, has been beefed up.

SEMINAR ON ST FRANCIS XAVIER: The Jesuits of the Goa province, in collaboration with the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Alto Porvorim, have organised a seminar on "In the Footsteps of Francis Xavier: Jesuits in India", at the Centre on December 7 and 8.

TRAFFIC DIVERSION: In view of the ongoing novenas for St Francis Xavier's feast at Old Goa, the stretch of the road from the main junction at Old Goa upto Old Goa Police station will remain closed for all vehicular traffic. The vehicles proceeding towards Ponda on reaching the main junction, shall take a left turn to take the road behind Se Cathedral-Arch of Conception-Petrol pump. The vehicles coming from Ponda towards Panaji on reaching Old Goa police station, shall take a left tun so as to proceed via Neura junction-road behind Bom Jesus Basilica church-main junction and further to their respective destinations.

Editor: Joel D'Souza

In the Goan Voice UK [St. Francis Xavier Feast Events in UK]
See the Goan Voice UK

Sun. 1 Dec. 12.30pm. Goan Association (UK). Feast Of St Francis Xavier at Archbishop Lanfranc School, Mitcham Road, Croydon:

Tue.3 Dec.7.00pm. Feast of St Francis Xavier celebrated at the Goan Community Centre, Keston Rd. N17.

Tue. 3 Dec. 7:45pm. The South East Goans Sports & Social Club will be celebrating the Feast of St. Francis Xavier. St. Thomas More Church, Long Lane, Bexleyheath, Kent. .

Tue. 3 Dec. 7:00pm. Special Holy Mass to commemorate the 450th anniversary of St. Francis Xavier at the Holy Family Church, Trelawney Avenue, Langley, Slough.

Go to http://www.goacom.com/goanvoice-uk

From Goan Voice UK (formerly Goanet-UK)
Editor: Eddie Fernandes

Events

Friends of St. FX: Calling all Goan to celebrate in the feast of St. Francis Xavier on 7th of December.

December 3, 2002 - 7:15 p.m. Feast of St. Francis Xavier
Sons and Daughters of Goan Tailors Society Celebration

Mass ar Merciful Redeemer Church, Mississauga, (Glen Erin/Erin Centre)
followed by social gathering in Church Hall.

On December 7, 2002 - 6:00 p.m. Dance
Royal Banquet Hall, 185 Statesman Drive, Mississauga

Tickets: Adults/seniors: $20.00 Children 6-12: $10.00

Contacts: Fatz Fernandes: (905) 824-6418 Babush Barreto: (905) 607-2143 Rosy Cabral:(416) 494-4594

People Places and Things

BOOK REVIEW:
Courtesy of Goan Voice UK

'A Girl From Zanzibar' by Roger King is the story of Marcella D'Souza -- a naive, ambitious and beautiful young illegal immigrant.

The book was published on 15 Nov., 2002. $14.95, 320 pages. ISBN: 1885586604.

Excerpts:

Entertaining novel about postcolonial migrants trying to survive in Margaret Thatcher's Britain.

Marcella's life, as she looks back on it, is a case in point. Born from the ruins of three major empires -- the Portuguese, the Arab, the British -- she is, as a friend puts it, a ''Goan Indian Portugese Arab African of Catholic Moslem parentage.'' ''You're from everywhere,'' this friend (an earnest British aid worker who serves as the novel's deus ex machina) tells her. She corrects him: ''I'm from nowhere.''

Arguing with her forceful Aunt Stella, a pillar of the local Goan community. Aunt Stella, a Dickensian eccentric for sure, insists that Goans are ''really Europeans in disguise.'' ''We have European names, some of us have European blood. We've been European
for 400 years. We eat beef. We drink alcohol. We ballroom dance. We're European.''

Naughty Marcella disagrees: ''Just because our ancestors were the first to jump into bed with the Portuguese when they arrived in India, doesn't make us European.''

PATRICIA ROZARIO IN TORONTO

What God must sound like, through a composer's filter at St. Michael's Cathedral [Toronto], assembled masses indulged a standing-room audience to a feast of new music.

British (Goan) soprano Patricia Rozario repeatedly soared and shone. Toronto Star 20 Nov.

SERAPHINO ANTAO HONOURED
(From Goan Voice -UK)

Kenya will honour more than 400 athletes during their 50th Anniversary celebrations on December 7 officials announced yesterday. Seraphino Antao who has since migrated to Britain will also be feted. Antao won the 100 and 200 yards at the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games. From The East African Standard 21 Nov.

http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/cg.htm
100 yards GOLD 1962 Seraphino Antao KEN 9.50 secs.
A new generation of athletes has since succeeded Kenya's pioneer athletic giants Maiyoro, Seraphino Antao, Arere Anentia and Silas Boit, among others.

FROM: CANADA AT THE MILLENNIUM - A TRANSCULTURAL SOCIETY

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume7/countries/goa.html

Goa
THE POPULATION of modern Canada includes immigrants with Indo-Portuguese history and culture. Goan settlement in Canada is relatively recent, the founding generation of Canadian pioneers coming in the 1960s from several parts of South Asia and East Africa.....

Founded in Toronto in 1970, the Goan Overseas Association (GOA) now stands at the head of the ethno-community's cultural and social life in the Greater Toronto Area. Each year, the Association organizes and orchestrates a full calendar of events including horseback riding, field hockey tournaments, track and field events, soccer matches, ballroom dances, symposia, and musical productions. Moreover, Goans in Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver can participate in the life of similar Goan organizations that together form a loose confederation.

WHITE OUTSIDE, BROWN INSIDE: LIFE AND TIMES IN COLONIAL KENYA

Mervyn Maciel sees himself as a Kenyan-born Goan. This septuagenarian loved the African bush, and had a "particular fascination" for the tribes. Some years back he penned 'Bwana Karani' (Merlin, UK, 1985), a personal narrative of two decades in East Africa. The title literally translates to 'Mister Clerk', the humble capacity in which he started his working career in Kenya.

Fred Noronha interviews Mervyn Maciel.
For complete interview see http://www.goacom.com/news/news2002/nov/msg00060.html