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The Goan Archives Canada Steering Committee has released a report of its Phase I collection. The purpose of this effort was to gather printed material issued by Goan organizations in Canada for subsequent archiving in a national institution.

The report findings are explained in an interview with the Chair of the Steering Committee.
Click to read Interview.

History made in Toronto - Pray the Rosary Service in Konkani the first of it's kind

On April 11, 2010, more than 220 people from all parts of the Greater Toronto Area, came to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Scarborough for a service appropriately termed "Ektaim Zavum Ters Korumya". The service was held to recite the Rosary in Konkani, and sing the Ladainha in Latin. The entire service was videotaped for subsequent post-processing and display on the Internet at www.konkanirosary.org

The service commenced with a resplendent array of Honour Guards from the Knights of Columbus, Bishop Greco Assembly- 2113, and Infant Jesus Assembly –2692, who led the procession into the Church. The service was officiated by Fr. Edwin D’Souza, with Artimizia Tellis organizing the recitation in Konkani, and Felix Remedios conducting the Choir.

Following the service a reception was held in the Church Hall for all to socialize and enjoy light refreshments, which included boiled grams, with fresh coconut – a Goa tradition.

Organizing the event was a full team of organizers, volunteers, choristers, ushers, altar servers, and others, over fifty in number. Click here to see list at end.

Interestingly the man who spearheaded the effort, Michael Pinto, was not in the congregation, but in Winnipeg from where he directed the effort. In fact very few of those who were part of the planning teams have ever met Michael - showing what can be done using the telephone and email!

The vital link between Michael and Toronto was Uvy Lopes – they are both alumni of Britto’s- Mary’s- Xavier’s Schools in Goa , BMX for short. Uvy, a professional videographer, offered his services pro bono and made the event a possibility. Francis D’Costa firmed up the event by sponsoring the Internet website, the rosaries handed out at the service, and the reception that followed. Through a network of contacts of those involved in various Goan organizations, a team was assembled to do all the work. They seem to have done the work well based on responses from those who attended the service..

Further services are being organized, in San Francisco, the Gulf States, and Goa, in the months that follow. Each service, featuring a different mystery of the rosary will also be recorded.

The following is a selection of email messages received following the service:

Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:48:38 -0400
Subject: Re: Konkani Rosary
To: panjim@hotmail.com
From: joe@xxxx.com

Dear Michael,
Heartiest Congratulations to you and your entire Committee from BMXers, their families and friends. What a unique, enlightening and joyous experience. The addition of the Knights of Columbus and their ceremonial entry/exit with the Statue of Our Lady was a marvelous idea. A few had tears of joy in their eyes after the final hymn. It was a moving event for many of us.

Your committee is commended for the pains and sacrifice they endured to put up such a brilliantly executed completion of your dream idea. The choir under Felix Remedios was amazing. It took us back to Goa in a matter of seconds. The crowd was all passionately engaged in prayer and song. It was a totally elite accomplishment - synonymous to the BMX culture of premier leadership and realization of goals.

I am sure the next time your committee organizers the next Rosary ( and there was an overwhelming request for one), it will canvas their efforts more at the younger generation and those who are not familiar with the Konkani language. Sufficient booklets should be made available to ensure the participation of everyone in Konkani.

Once again - kudos to your leadership and to your entire Team.

Joe Nunes
BMX - Toronto

From: Santano Rodrigues (santanolrodrigues@xxx.com)
Sent: April 11, 2010 11:02:37 PM
To: mikepinto1@xxxx.com; …

Hello everyone !
I wish to congratulate all of you guys for the wondeerful job done in connection of Konkani Rosary and the Ladain. Everything was just perfect and worked like the clock-work. Claude deserves my kudos . Roque barreto's speech was just fitting. Michael Pinto deserves our appreciation for coming up with this wonderful idea.

Congrats again,
Lourdino Rodrigues

Hi Uvy,
I was very honoured and happy to be present for the Rosary of which I was very impressed that it was in our Mother tongue and for that the credit goes to the organizers. As we are the only Community that prayers were never said in our own language here in Canada, but as the saying goes its better late than never.

I for one would like the Rosary done more frequently or else even twice a year, as this also will encourage all the younger generation to follow in our footsteps.The idea of the booklet was fantastic as one can follow the prayers well, and I for sure will definitely treasure mine, as I never had prayers in Konkani before.

Before I come to my conclusion I thank all the Committee members and the ladies for the hard work involved.

Felicia Alvares

T'was the Day we prayed the Rosary in Konkani, organized by the Toronto Konkani Rosary committee, at the Holy Rosary Church, Midland Ave, a beautiful well lit church with hugh stain glass windows fitting for the occasion. We all came together to honour our blessed lady and to pray the Rosary in our mother tongue, Konkani, everyone was able to follow the rosary with the received booklet , the Rosaries were held up during Ceremony and Fr. Edwin D'Souza did the 'Blessing of the Rosaries'  The Statue of Our Lady was carried into the Church by the Knights of Columbus who were dressed in their Grand Attire, they placed the statue at the foot of the Altar and all began 'The praying the rosary'.

Felix Remedios the choir master got the choir to play and sing beautifully. The rest of the attendees blended well with the choir. This day we gave Honour in song and prayer, reciting the Rosary in Konkani to Our Lady and we all felt proud to be Goans.

Video taping was carried out by none other than Uvy Lopes and his crew. Claude, John and Uvy must be commended for arranging this wonderful and very special occasion. This will enable our children and great grand children when watching the program to follow in our footstep and not to forget to pray the rosary as Goans in Konkani.Roque Barreto the founder of the GOA club made a wonderful speech at the end of the service, thanks to a generous donor who gave generously, made it possible for eats, coffee, tea and juice to be served to all.Dora, Bridget and their helpers carried out a fabulous job of catering, thank you ladies.Thank you Claude, Uvy, John & the whole Committee for arranging this eventful occasion. You all will go down in History for being the first Goans to arrange the recital of the Rosary in konkani.

In conclusion I sincerely wish that Goans in all the continents celebrate the rosary in Konkani to our Blessed Lady who deserves to be honoured always.

Natalina Carvalho

Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 09:30:29 -0700
From: cressybaptista@xxx.com
Subject: Rosary
To: fernandesalzira@xxxl.com

I was very excited to be there for such a nostalgic celebration of the Konkani Rosary. The organisers did a excellent job speaking high class Konkani. I felt good like most others and had the feeling of being in Goa in a chapel I used to go to when I visited Goa where young childrenused to sing the litany so beautifully like they did at the Church in Toronto.I honestly think they should make this a yearly event to keep past memories alive for many people here in Toronto.

Cressy Demello

Here are a few of my pointers.

• We need our kids to learn and say the Konkani Rosary as much as possible.  It will keep our Goan trandition going amongst our future generation  and someday the future generation will thank us for publishing it so everyone can have access to the Konkani rosary on the internet.

• It would be nice if we can meet again maybe in 3-4 months to say the Konkani Rosary and bring our children to this event. It will be an eye opener to our future generation.

• The Konkani Rosary was a blast and very well organized and we are really very proud to have a broadcast done in our mother tongue Konkani. And I must say I am really very proud to be a Goan.
  
  Cheers
  Maggie Abreu

From: Alzira Fernandes <fernandesalzira@xxxcom>
Date: April 22, 2010 2:43:57 PM GMT-04:00

Hi Uvy,
I refer to the "Goan Konkani Rosary" held in Mother Mary's name at the Holy Rosary church in Scarboro. This special was well organized and by a small team consisting of members that spoke the Rosary decade in Konkani and the choir band. Our Goan priest Fr. Edwin D'Souza from St. Martha & Mary Parish officiated during this event, held 11 April 2010.

This date and event will go down in the Goan cultural history as it is being  aired on the internet worldwide for all nations to view. Our future generations will be proud to acknowledge their heritage in years to come.

This Konkani Rosary Day has brought back nostalgic memories during myyounger days in Kenya, when as a child 5yrs onwards we as a family would gather around the statue of Blessed Mary and recite the rosary, my parents in Konkani language, and we children in English.  I wish to thank the team for the hard work and time spent in organizing this event and suggestions have been requested for a Konkani Mass by a Goan priest at a church either in Scarboro or Mississauga. We should encourage our youth (the next generation) to participate for any future events, and we the Goan congregation should play a major role in promoting and funding any such future events.

Alzira Fernandes

On behalf of my mother and wife, I want to take this opportunity to ask you to forward our thanks and gratitude, to the organizing committee for doing a super excellent job in putting together the first konkoni rosary in Toronto.

The choir led by Felix was simply amazing and the event took me back to the rosary sessions I attended when on vacation in Pilerne, Goa. The rosary participants did a wonderful job and although at times I had a hard time keeping track, (as my konkoni is limited) the entire experience was simply beautiful.  Hopefully, when it is next held my father will be in a position to attend. This was indeed a nostalgic event and one that will be long remembered.

Great work to all concerned and thank you!
Isaac Fernandes

Pray the Rosary – Toronto April 11, 2010

Message of Thanks from Michael Pinto for the Congregation and all who participated in the Event In Konkani there are many quotations that very appropriate to express ones thoughts. One that was constantly used in my family was: Mog asslear unn vodde ghantar pavtat - (If there is a will, there is a way ).

That is what happened in Toronto on April 11, over 220 Konkani loving people gathered, to say the Rosary in Konkani very devoutly and sing with pride the Ladainha in Latin.

This event would not have succeeded without the dedicated efforts of few people who worked tirelessly in a very short span of time.
 

In addition there are many who contributed generously with cash donations for the Church service but wish to remain anonymous

Tumchea mogachea korubani tumi SaibinmicheAshirwad zoddle, ani tem sodanch tumechem sovoyem assum, munon hanv magtam. Dev Borem Korum tumkam sogleank

Your deeds of love have earned the blessings of our Lady, may they always be with you all, it is my sincere prayer. Thank you all

We appreciate people who contributed to the donation box Sondanch Mogan Ravuya

Michael Pinto, Winnipeg

1st Black Priest in US Might Be Recognized a Saint
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulf-goans/message/29201

Archdiocese of Chicago Opens Cause for Father Tolton

CHICAGO, MARCH 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- After being born into slavery and living a priestly ministry overshadowed by racism, the first U.S. priest of African descent might become one of the Church's canonized saints.

Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, announced at the beginning of this month that the cause for canonization of Father Augustine (also called Augustus) Tolton has been introduced.

“We need his prayers and his help, especially to become a more united Church," Cardinal George said in Catholic New World, the archdiocesan paper. "Secondly, his example of priestly dedication, his learning and preaching, are great examples for our seminarians and priests and should inspire the laity.”

Suffering with Jesus
Augustine Tolton (1854-1897) was 9 years old when his mother escaped slavery with him and his two siblings. The family went to Quincy, Illinois, where he was eventually enrolled in St. Peter's Catholic school. It was there that he began to feel God was calling him to be a priest.

However, he was rejected by every seminary in the United States, and was eventually sent to Rome for his studies. It was thought he would be a missionary priest in Africa. He was ordained at St. John Lateran in 1886, but the day before his ordination, he was told he would be sent back to the States.

Father Tolton knew the sacrifice this would imply but united his sufferings to those of Jesus. He returned to Quincy, but racism inhibited his ministry and he appealed to move to Chicago, a request that was granted in 1889. Father Tolton began ministering to the community of black Catholics there and soon they needed their own church. It opened in a storefront in 1891, later to be known as St. Monica's.

During that time, Father Tolton corresponded with the future St. Katharine Drexel, and her community provided financial support for his new parish. He worked exhaustively for his parish, and at just 43, died from a heat stroke while returning from a priests' retreat.

Collecting data

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry is organizing Father Tolton’s canonization cause. Though the cause is considered "ancient" because there are no living witnesses, Bishop Perry said in the diocesan newspaper, "I think we have enough material for Rome’s initial examination." “Father Tolton worked valiantly in this city and in Quincy and through it all remained a faithful and dutiful priest and Catholic,” the bishop said. “He didn’t leave. He stuck with it. [...]

“His quiet witness is a challenge to our prejudices and narrow mindedness that keeps us insulated from the variety in the kingdom of God."

On the Net: A biography of Father Tolton: Click here

Tallest Divine Mercy Shrine In The World
http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=3360

Divine Mercy Shrine in the Philippines (50ft statue of Our Lord) built 2008, Marian Fathers, MIC Divine Mercy Hills in the city El Salvador, Mindanao.

What is Divine Mercy?
Click Here

Meagan’s Walk honours Mother’s Day in a most special way.

Meagan’s Walk welcomes participants of all ages and abilities and ends with a human “hug”, as participants join hands in the “circle of hope” around Sick Kids, sending a clear and simple message of hope to the children and the parents within the hospital and beyond.

Brain tumours remain the leading cause of cancer related death in young people under the age of 20. With your support, Meagan's Walk: Creating a Circle of Hope will help researchers at Sick Kids in their efforts to find the cause or cures for paediatric brain tumours as well as continue in their efforts to provide excellent care to kids already afflicted by the disease. Sick Kids is the only facility in Canada with a program dedicated to paediatric brain tumour research and is also recognized throughout the world as a leader in children’s health care. With your help we can continue to make a difference in the lives of children here at Sick Kids, across Canada, and around the world.

If you would like to join our team Search for the team under "Brendon's 20th" click on it and you will see a link to join the team. Let me know if you have any problems.

You can help support me by making a secure online donation using your credit card. Click here ...

Click here for more information on how you can participate in Meagan's Walk 2010.
Thanks for your support