St. F.X. Feast in Mississauga, Canada
By: Tim de Mello
December 4th 2004 saw the celebration of the St. Francis Xavier Feast at the St. Francis Xavier Church in Mississauga. This is the fourth year that the Friends of St. Francis Xavier have hosted this celebration. The hard work of the President, Francis (Frank) Fernandes and his wife Lucy together with the whole committee paid off. The whole event was well organized.

This year's celebration was special for three reasons.
1) It combined the efforts of the Friends of St. F.X. with the Sons & Daughters of the (Nairobi) Goan Tailors Society. An excellent way to bring the community together.
2) It coincided with the Fifth Anniversary of the church - the only one in Canada to have the privilege of being blessed with a holy relic of the Saint.
3) It was Monsignor Terence D'Souza's - the Pastor's - birthday.

Before the celebration commenced new red satin sashes bearing the embroidered emblem of the Friends of St. F.X. were blessed and presented by Mnsgr. Terence D'Souza to all present and past officers of the Friends of St. F.X.

The celebration began with a Solemn Procession of the relic of the Saint around the parking lot of the church. The President of the Friends of St. F.X. carried the holy relic. The Konkani Choir, located behind the banner of the Friends of St. F.X. in the procession sang hymns to the accompaniment of a guitar. The day was very cold with very cold wind gusts. No a day to
drag one's feet!

Once in the warmth of the church, the choir took its position beside the altar and in good voice, sang the entrance hymn. The High Mass was con-celebrated by Mnsgr. Terence D'Souza and Rev. Fr. Lazlo Nagy together with Deacon Cannon and Deacon Goes.

The choir led by Romeo Remedios was nothing short of fantastic - accompanied by piano and guitar. It felt like being in Goa - except for our warm clothes.

The Mass was well attended by local Goans and others. It had its share of pomp provided by the Knights of Columbus - 4th Degree - led by Commander Sir Anthony X. D'Souza together with the Knights and wives of the Holy Sepulchre. Mnsgr. D'Souza's homily focussed on the life of St. F.X. and on the need for family values - especially in today's world which seemingly
celebrates individuality - to the detriment of the family. He spoke at length on the subject of unity and how important it was for the community to be united. This is what St. F.X. wanted and that is what we should be aspiring to.

Following the Mass, the President of the Friends of St. F.X., Frank Fernandes went up to the pulpit and addressed the congregation. He thanked Mnsgr. D'Souza for his support and formally welcomed the Son & Daughters of the Tailor's Society as joints hosts. He finished by asking the congregation to joining him in the traditional "Bessao" song dedicating it to Mnsgr.
D'Souza.

Following the Mass, the holy relic of St. F.X. was exposed to the congregation. Each came up and kissed the holy relic. The congregation then adjourned to the Fr. Terence D'Souza Hall where the celebration continued where traditional Goan food, snacks and other articles with a Goan flavour were on sale.

An enjoyable day. Next year, December 3 falls on a Saturday and this means (hopefully) a bigger nad better celebration. Next year's President is Francis D'Souza. I am sure that he and his wife Vikki will do a splendid job!

A final word to the tower of strength - and indefatigable - Mr. Lazarus Pereira. Without him, none of the celebrations to date would have taken place.

Toronto Goan Seniors Holds Their Inaugural Christmas Dinner Dance By: Uvy Lopes
Click on the picture to enlarge
The Toronto East Goan Seniors Assn. held their first ever Christmas dinner dance on December 4th. It was a resounding success with about 200 members in attendance. The president, Claude Gomes, in his speech stated "what began as a somewhat tentative concept has, in seven short months, blossomed to a splendid reality. Todayover 280 of our members are now bound by a common vision …and we stand ready to individually bring forth our gifts, talents and our dreams so that our new born Assn. can emerge as the vital, vibrant institution we all know it can be." The organizing committee worked diligently to ensure that all the events went off without a hitch and thanks to the large number of donors it appeared that everyone walked out with a prize. The master of ceremonies was the very capable and humorous Hubert Pereira who carried the festival spirit with immense gusto throughout the night. Fredricks one man band provided scintillating music that had everyone on the floor for most of the evening and amazingly everyone knew the words to sing along with those beautiful yester-year tunes. The general feedback was that the music was great, the food was exceptional and the people and atmosphere very friendly ….what more could anyone ask for. Uvy Lopes

Toronto Star To Present South Asian Entertainment Trade Show
Original Publication Date: Saturday December 4, 2004
The first annual South Asian Arts & Entertainment Industry Trade Show presented by Toronto Star will take place on May 1, 2005, as a kick off to South Asian Heritage Month at the Marriot Airport Hotel.
"It has been born out of a need to create a professional space for those affiliated with the arts and entertainment industry to network and connect with each other," says one of its main architects Abhishek Mathur. He says very often, he has been approached by a mainstream band to find a tablachi or an actor trying to breakthrough into mainstrea. "There is a need for us to connect the people in the creative field and this would be one place they can meet," he says. He feels that as South Asians make rapid strides in mainstream and ethno-specific areas of the arts, their representation, and presentation needs to take on a professional image thus allowing for better knowledge creation, evaluation and assimilation in these very competitive industries.
This one day event will be an eye opener to those interested in networking with musicians, vocalists, film makers, entertainment lawyers, venue providers, graphic artists and others.
So if you are an singer or musician looking to find a CD manufacturing company, or an audio equipment supplier in need of a website designer, or someone looking for an acting or dancing school, this trade show will connect you to the right person. It is rare that so many people come together under one roof from one industry, and this annual event will be a
catalyst to making this happen.
* SAAE Website - an interactive tool featuring all exhibitor and artists details allowing attendees to research and review information both prior and post the South Asian Arts and Entertainment Tradeshow www.southasianartsindustry.com
For info, call Abhishek Mathur (Trade Show Chairperson) 416.910.5057 or Sumeeta Kohli (Event Planner) 416.802.5996