The Santo Estevam Blog

Here's wishing one and all a very happy and prosperous New Year 2011. I am glad to announce that my new CD of Konkani songs entitled Mogachi Kanni (Love Story) composed by Jackson Dias (that's me!) and sung by local singers namely Aloma, Alwyn Gomes, Antoneta Dias, Astria, Chiara Gomes, Joylita Silveira, Reiny, Snayha, Tania, Veleni and Xavier Gomes, and set to music by the talented Mukesh Ghatwal, was officially released on the auspicious occasion of St. Stephen's Feast on 26th December 2010. The CD costs Rs. 200/-. If you would like to avail of a copy you may contact me on my mobile no. 919657031787. You may also obtain the CD from "Jameel" - the residence of Mrs. Soccorina Dias in Marcel, Goa. The house is right by the main road in Marcel. I'd like to thank Joseph de Santo Estevam for posting a review of my CD on the Niz Goenkar blog. Here's the link to the review: http://nizgoenkar.blogspot.com/2011/01/jackson-dias-mogachi-kanni-konkani.html Viva Goa! ...

Lucas Mattos This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the International Youth Year. Pope John Paul II started the International Youth Year in 1985 and Pope Benedict XVI has taken the same theme for the jubilee year and he speaks of “Youth and Hope”. What does it mean to have hope? A person has hope is a person who has got eternal value, eternal life. We say that the young people are the hope of the world. But you must know that you are the hope not only of the world but of the church – the hope for us – the bishops, the priests and religious and the church at large. 25 years ago, under the able guidance of our parish priest Fr. Almir D’Souza, our parish youth got together and celebrated a 3-day Youth Festival in our village. I remember the banner with Thomas Hardy’s words, “Days of our youth are days of glory”. All our youth participated with full enthusiasm and by the charisma of our youth our elders, especially the seamen, showed the youthful charisma in them and rejuvena...

by Jaime Afonso From the 2006 Souvenir of St. Estevam Sports Club Late Prof. Luis Manuel Afonso wrote an article in the second last edition of this souvenir wherein he had given us glimpses of the earliest developments of our village to the present facade of our church and mentuioning about priestly ordination of his brother Late Fr. Antonio. He is no more among us as this edition unfolds today. He left for his heavenly abode on 4th April 2006. May his soul rest in peace. L. M. Afonso as he was popularly known among the teaching fraternity, obtained his educational degrees from the University of Bombay and served in Mumbai for some time before coming to Goa soon after liberation for which he had made his personal contribution and was later recognised as freedom fighter by the State and Central Governments. An honour to the village indeed! In Goa, he was first appointed as professor of English language in the prestigious Portuguese medium Liçeu Nacional de Afonso de Albuquerque, a leaga...

By Jackson Dias On 14th February, as everybody knows, we celebrate the feast of Saint Valentine. Yes, but which Saint Valentine? There’s not just one, but four of them, three Italians and one Spaniard. As for which of the four is supposed to be the patron saint of people who are in love, it’s a mystery. But the biggest mystery is why any saint, however romantic or sentimental, should protect young and not-so-young lovers. The most famous saint Valentine was from Terni, in the Umbra region of Italy. He was Bishop of the city, but on 14th Feb. 273 AD, he was executed (by decapitation) in Rome during the Emperor Aurelian’s persecution of Christians. The second saint, Valentine also had his head cut off, again in Rome and again on 14th Feb but this time no one is sure of the year. We only know that this Valentine was a priest and that his execution was ordered by the Emperor Claudius around the year 350 AD. The third was buried in a small village named after him, in the province of Salerno...