Gonsalo Garcia Feast Celebration

St Gonsalo Garcia holds the honor of being the first Indian to be canonised. He is the patron of the Diocese of Vasai and the second patron of the Archdiocese of Bombay. Every year St Pius College remembers and celebrates the life of this great missionary of Japan who like Christ died on the cross and became a shining beacon of discipleship. This year continuing the tradition we began the celebrations with a festive mass offered by our alumnus Fr Christopher Vaz from the Diocese of Vasai. In his thought-provoking homily he exhorted all of us to imitate St Gonzalo Garcia by proclaiming the word of God and also by reaching out to the marginalized. The brothers enthralled the congregation with a melodious and soulful choir. The meaningful liturgy combined with traditional decoration in the chapel raised our minds and hearts to a sublime experience which cannot be described by words. There was also a short East Indian cultural program by our Brothers which was followed by a speech by Fr Aniceto Pereira the Rector of the Seminary. In his speech he described St Gonsalo as the symbol of unity stressing on the common bond that both the Dioceses of Vasai and Bombay share. The celebration concluded with a traditional festive lunch.

Francis Crisler Perumbully