Panjim, 30 Dec 2008. For the fifth consecutive year, since he took charge of the Archdiocese of Goa, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao invited the government and civil authorities in the State to a get-together at Archbishop’s House, Altinho, on the occasion of the Festival of Christmas. The get-together, which was held on Tuesday, the 30^th December, was organized in such a way that it would offer the invitees, more than anything else, a prayerful experience, "in solidarity with those affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and other places and keeping in mind the situation in Orissa and in other States that have borne the brunt of communal and other violence," to quote from the speech of the Archbishop.

The gathering --- which included, among others, the Governor of Goa, the Chief Minister with his Cabinet of Ministers and other MLAs, the MPs, the Members of the Judiciary and of the Central as well as State Administration --- heard the Archbishop say that "the feast (of Christmas) challenges us to find God in every human being, irrespective of caste, creed and colour," and that it "invites all of us to imbibe the attitudes of caring for one another, of sharing our time, our concern, our resources with others and of bearing the burdens of one another." Archbishop Ferrao expressed a fervent hope that we may all "work together, sincerely and selflessly, to face and to solve the various problems confronting us in our country and in our own State, thereby pushing forward the process of genuine human development and promoting a milieu in which every citizen can live in peace and harmony with other fellow-citizens and with the environment." He conceded that, sometimes, "the Church, as a divine institution made of frail human beings, may not always practise what it preaches and translate all its words into transparent actions. But," he continued, "that is hardly a reason for us not to dream dreams of a better Goa ... in which every citizen is called to become a participant in the process of genuine human development, and every religion can make its unique contribution to build and enhance the secular fabric of our Society."

His address was immediately preceded by a reading from the Holy Bible, which came at the end of a prayerful presentation of the Christmas story, scripted by Fr. Olavo Caiado and impeccably interpreted, in Bharat Natyam, by Mrs. Adelphina Abreu and her group of dancers. Fr. J. Loiola Pereira followed the Archbishop with a meaningful prayer, wherein, after referring to the communal terrorism in Orissa and other States and to the unprecedented terror attacks in Mumbai, he prayed that we may all "imbibe the attitudes of caring for the other, of sharing our time and our resources with the less fortunate, of bearing one another’s burdens, of preserving our environment and thereby transforming our state, our country and our world into a brighter, happier and a genuinely more productive place, where all can live in peace and harmony." While praying for a New Year filled with divine blessings, he said: "make us remember that we are all one, as we share the same world, the same air, the same golden sun and silvery moon and the same time in history, to be lived and walked together in peace."

The Choir of St. Xavier’s College helped enhance the prayerful atmosphere, by singing carefully chosen carols in English, Konkani and Marathi.