SEMINAR ON INTER- RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
A seminar on “Inter Religious Dialogue in the Mission of the Church” was held at Pilar Retreat Centre, on 26th and 27th January. It was organised by the Committee for the Apostolate of Inter Religious Dialogue, Archdiocese of Goa. About fifty lay faithful from the different parishes of the Archdiocese actively participated in this event. The purpose of this seminar was to form lay-leaders who eventually would promote Inter-Religious Dialogue in their respective parishes and deaneries, thereby collaborating in building a society of peace, love and harmony.
On the first day, a meaningful Inaugural Prayer session was initiated by Fr. Mario Costa together with seminarians of Rachol Seminary. Various representatives lit the Inaugural lamp and Fr Amandio Valadares, the Episcopal Vicar of North Zone, welcomed the participants and pointed out the relevance and need of such a seminar. Fr Ivon Almeida sfx spoke on the “What, Why and How of Dialogue.” In a lengthy discussion that followed, participants sought several clarifications pertaining to the topic.
The second day began with the Eucharistic Celebration which was presided over by Fr. Agnelo Pinheiro, the Convenor of the Committee. In the homily, Fr Ivon highlighted on “Mary as a model for Dialogue.” In the first session of the day, Fr Simiao Fernandes spoke on “Jesus the Dialogist” and pointed out that Jesus engaged in dialogue with persons of other faiths such as Samaritans, Canaanites and Romans. “Glimpses of CBCI and Synod Guidelines” were presented by Fr. Mario while Fr. Agnelo Pinheiro focussed on the “Catholic Church Teachings on Dialogue”.
The participants held discussions on the difficulties faced in having Inter Religious dialogue and the steps to be taken to strengthen relationships between people of different religions. Seminarians, John Fernandes, Oswin Gonsalves and Savio D’Silva assisted the Committee in conducting this seminar. At the concluding session Certificates of Appreciation were given to all the participants and Fr. Ivon proposed the vote of thanks.
Commenting on the seminar one of the participants, Eutemia Fernandes, assistant professor at Nirmala Institute of Education (Bed), said, “In fact, I was very reluctant to come for the seminar, but it was an eye opener how to deal with other religions. The little bias I had towards other religions was removed and now I have a much broader vision for India and the world. Another participant, Nirmala Andrade, a housewife, said, “ I found the inter-religious seminar was very relevant and need of the hour to promote harmony in society specially because there are people who are tearing apart religion and society.”
Monthly Meeting of Priests
The next Monthly Meeting of Priests for March will be held at the following venues:
St. Jerome’s Church Complex Mapusa,10th
"Lar de Estudantes" Panjim,17th
Clergy Home Margão, 24th