Goans celebrate the feast of St Anthony among families this year

If it wasn’t for the coronavirus pandemic, Goenkars all over would be celebrating the feast of their beloved patron St Anthony today in grandeur. Since churches are shut, many people have taken to online viewing of the feast mass, wishing family members was done through telephone calls and of course celebrated festache jevonn at home. Though Goenkars missed it this year, they are hoping and praying for a better year in 2021.
“I’m a great believer of St Anthony and I would never miss a single novena.We have a St Anthony Chapel near my house and it used to be a great feeling when people from the village would gather together and pray,” says Peter Fernandes from Vasco. While this year he has not stepped out of his house due to the virus, but has been praying at home with his wife and kids.
Savio Mendes from Margao decided to donate the money he had decided to spend on the feast to a NGO. “There are many people who are under immense pressure these days due to COVID 19 while many of us are at home.”
The specialty of this feast is that, it is celebrated by people from other religions too. “In our vaddo (village), we have a shine dedicated to St Anthony, and I used to send my children there every evening. This year, the kids missed the novenas but every time I cross the shine, I say a small prayer to heal people with COVID,” says Manisha Naik from Cansaulim.
Fr Bolmax Pereira of St Francis Xavier Church in Chicalim has been telecasting mass online. “The good thing about going online is that people from all over the world has the privilege of celebrating masses in the language they prefer. This is the new way of life and we have to accept it.”