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The decennial exposition of the sacred relics of Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa, will begin on Thursday (November 21), and go on till January 5 next year.
Pilgrims, especially from the Catholic community, and tourists will converge in Goa over the next 45 days to pay homage to the saint, whose mortal remains will be put on public display for veneration. Considered to be a time of spiritual reflection, devotion and celebration, the event will be marked by religious ceremonies including masses, prayer services, novenas, and processions.
The “incorruptible” mortal remains of the Spanish Jesuit missionary St Francis Xavier, one of the founding members of The Society of Jesus, have been housed at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa since 1624.
During the exposition, a four-century-old silver glass casket holding the relics will be lowered from its resting place in the mausoleum at the Basilica in a private ceremony. On Thursday, the relics will then be carried in a ceremonial procession from the Basilica to Se Cathedral, some 300 metres away, where they will be kept for the following 45 days for devotees to venerate.
Fr Henry Falcao, convener of the Exposition Committee of the Archdiocese, said, “The exposition is veneration of the holy relics of St Francis Xavier. It has been a tradition in Goa for many years. It is a miraculous relic and a sign of divine intervention… His body did not see corruption despite being buried several times and each time the body was exhumed, it did not see corruption.”
“The exposition is a spiritual event, not a commercial one. Over the years, it has also become an international event. For the Catholics, it is about renewal of our personal life and social life, it’s an event of faith… to strengthen our faith in God,” he said.
Although the decennial tradition is relatively new, the relics of St Francis Xavier have long been “exposed” to the public. The body of the revered saint has been looked upon as a miracle among the faithful, given that it showed minimal signs of decay.
It is believed that the body was “exposed” for veneration of the public on his death anniversary in 1554. After the saint was canonised in 1622, the tradition gained further prominence. The body was later put in a coffin due to fear of deterioration of the relics and to avoid untoward incidents.
In 1782, rumours circulated that the body of the saint was not in Goa, and had been replaced by another body. Following this, a public exposition took place to dispel these rumours. Subsequently, in the latter half of the 18th century, the sacred relics were exposed at irregular intervals on special occasions, which came to be known as the solemn exposition.
This became a more regular event after Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961, and has been held once every decade since 1964. Fr Falcao said, “This is the eighteenth exposition. We are expecting over 8 million people to visit this time. Though it is hard to estimate a number. During the previous exposition in 2014, over 5.5 million people visited.”
The Church authorities said the casket containing the relics will be carried in a specially designed electric carriage, instead of being carried on shoulders of groups of people, as has been the norm in previous expositions.
“We wanted to do this for solemnity and sanctity and to avoid chaos,” said Fr Falcao. “The inaugural mass will take place on November 21 at 9.30 am, followed by a solemn procession of the sacred relics from the Basilica of Bom Jesus to the Se Cathedral,” he said.
In a first, an 80-member brass band will be a part of the procession ceremony, to showcase the state’s culture and tradition.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that preparations for the 45-day spiritual event are nearly complete. “We have set up a unique pilgrim village. The village has been set up for the poor to provide them free accommodation. A special administrative office and secretariat has been set up to manage the event. A light and music show has been planned for December 27 at the Se Cathedral campus. For transportation, special buses will be run to ferry pilgrims from the main cities,” Sawant told reporters at a media briefing.
He said over 700 police personnel will be deployed for round-the-clock security and for movement of traffic.
In March, Sawant had announced that the state will request the Prime Minister’s Office to invite Pope Francis to Goa for the exposition. But this was never truly on the cards.
“This was not a possibility. The Pope’s schedule is decided at least two years in advance. There are certain protocols. The Pope has to be invited by the Central government, not by the state government. The state can only request the Centre. So, to my knowledge, I don’t think the invite from the Centre had gone,” Fr Falcao said.
St Francis Xavier, also referred to as “Goencho Saib” (Lord of Goa), arrived in Goa — then a Portuguese colony — in 1542. His primary mission, as ordered by King John III, was to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers.
He died in 1552 on Shangchuan island off China’s coast. He was first buried on the island. The following year, his body was exhumed and transported to Malacca, where it was housed in the Church of St Paul for several months. The saint’s body was shipped to Goa in 1554, and kept at St Paul’s college in Old Goa — the first building constructed by Jesuits in Goa. The body was later transferred to Casa Professa near the Basilica by 1613, and placed in the Basilica in 1624.
