The heavy rains neither dulled the lights that added glamour to the St Francis Xavier Church in Chicalim, nor the faith of Fatima, for whom divinity is a sheath that absorbs her daily woes.
“I don’t have a house, but I live in a home provided to me my Allah,” she says.
“My husband works as a labourer, but spends most of his money on alcohol. We have four children and it is my faith that keeps us going,” believes Fatima, as the melodious tones from the church choir -- where the parishioners are celebrating 400 years of the Christian faith in the village -- waft through.
After the Mass, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop of Goa Rev Simiao Purificacao Fernandes ends, a young lad walks towards Fatima with boxes in hand.
“The rains must have kept your children away,” he says, as he hands the boxes to her. “Don’t get wet. Go home,” he adds, as he makes his way back to the church to join the parishioners for the remainder of the celebrations.
If, for many of the Chicalim parishioners, the mass celebrated by the Auxiliary Bishop of Goa was the beginning of the Quadricentennial celebrations, the act of the young lad, of sharing the boxes of snacks distributed to all attending the function, epitomised the rock on which the foundation of the 400-year-old church of St Francis Xavier was built and the way forward.
“Looking back is easy, but the essence, many times, is conveniently forgotten or buried by greed,” observes Piedade as she tries to escape the raindrops dripping from a soaked canopy.
"I grew up seeing this church develop physically and spiritually, and one lesson of parish priests of this church is of trying to be true. It is difficult to live by pretending to be what one is not,” she says.
“I was not born into a rich family, but I was taught to work from a young age. I used to help at home, and later, worked as a maid till I got married and my husband went abroad. My daughter has a good job now, and it is because God has always looked after us,” she believes.
To mark the quadricentennial, the Auxiliary Bishop lights a lamp, which according to Parish Priest Fr Bolmax Pereira will be lit everyday by two families, “to mark a sign of commitment to carry the love of Christ wherever we go.”
“Some people believe in God and some do not. Some think there is an energy around that guides us. I was born a Catholic in this church and the seed of caring has been planted here,” says Raymond, as he welcomes some members of the majority community to a place where the raindrops are less menacing.
“As I grow older, I realise that each individual’s journey with God is private. I cannot explain my God to you, nor can you, explains yours. It’s a waste of time. Instead, we should focus on good, positivity which itself is God,” shares Romano, his shirt now soaked.
The rains that started early in the evening show no signs of receding as after lighting the lamp, the Auxiliary Bishop inaugurates the newly-constructed grotto dedicated to Our Lady.
It is then that the image of Fatima flashes by – a woman with no financial riches, but a soul overflowing with the goodness of God.
As it is time to leave, the rains get heavier, but the parishioners of Chicalim seem unperturbed as their umbrella is being held for them, and for Goa, by their parish priest, Fr Bolmax Pereira, for whom goodness is a song of nature.
God, good, positive… call it what one may, one thing is clear in Chicalim – the sheep, trust their shepherd.