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.