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padre aGneL
Ven. Fr. Agnel – Saint in the making (with a difference)
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BY Fr. tony
FernAnDeS, SFX
Each one of us has been created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:2627) and sent with a mission on earth, to make a difference. Jeremiah says, “Before you were formed I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jer 1:5) We know that we were in God’s mind and God has a purpose for each one of us - to be fully human, fully alive and marked with a unique thumb impression! We thank and praise God for our uniqueness which enables us to make a difference to our life. Somehow, somewhere, sometime during our journey on earth we interact with other fellow travellers. As I was reflecting on this I began to see its relevance to my life. I said Yes, very true. Then I remembered our Ven. Agnel, who made a difference by living his ordinary and priestly life in an extraordinary way. He made a difference in the lives of all those who came in contact with him. He continues even now to inspire us make a difference in the given circumstances of our lives.
We all know that each one of us has a purpose in life - to know God, and serve Him by pouring our lives in humble service of our neighbour – and be with Him forever. Fr. Agnel right from his childhood learnt the purpose of life from his pious parents, especially his mother. As he grew up he learnt more and more about God. This knowledge was not only intellectual but also knowledge of the heart. Over the years this knowledge changed him profoundly. He experienced the unconditional love of God. Browsing through his life one discovers nothing extraordinary or adventurous. But once we unwind the path of his life we realise that he experienced deeply within himself God’s love. Only such a person can be so serene, cool and calm, able to make a difference in the life of those who came in contact with him. God-experience is the most essential quality of a man of God.
As he silently walked the Paschal journey of his life, Fr. Agnelo made Christ the anchor of his life. Our Risen Lord became everything for him. He experienced being loved by God through Christ. It was a deep experience of Christ in his heart. He was positive in his mind and heart desiring like St. Paul to be with Christ, to live only for God and always at the service of his fellow beings, whatever caste, creed or colour they might be.
As a result, the then Patriarch Dom Matheus de Oliver Xavier saw in Fr. Agnel a Spiritual figure and appointed him Spiritual Director to the future priests, at the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol. This was in 1908. He was chosen from among a dozen Pilar Fathers. At the time of the study of his saintly life, for the process of his Canonization process, particularly the Theological and Cardinal virtues, all those who knew him in person gave the same testimony of his deep spiritual life. All of us are called to be saints; it is a universal call. To be a saint means to be perfect like the Father “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). The Father has sent the Son, so that all of us may look at Him and acquire perfection, be holy. Thus, Jesus Christ is the “model of perfection”. Those who followed Christ have become holy. They too are our models for perfection. The Church has consistently reminded us of this. Everyone is called to be a living witness of God’s unconditional love. Some do it in a heroic way, either by martyrdom or by the heroic exercise of the Christian virtues. We can infer that Fr. Agnel had a deep experience of God, which was the anchor of his life. Let us be inspired by his simple life of faith expressed in humble service of others. He could not but share this experience of his with people who approached him, and sought his advice. He shared his experience of God with people irrespective of their caste or creed.
He is a member of the Society of Pilar. He is the Rector of the Pilar Monastery and VicePostulator for the cause of Ven. Agnelo de Souza, Goa.
PAdre Agnel
Ven. Fr. Agnelo… A beacon of light and hope in these difficult times
In this crisis, many have turned to God and realised that only He can help us. Yes, it’s never too late to return to the Lord and if we haven’t done it yet, we need to do so and help others as well; as our God alone can help us fight this pandemic and the several problems that it has caused to the world today.
BY Dr. nelly
De SA
The month of November has been a time when devotees of Ven. Fr. Agnelo would look forward to come to Pilar, participate in his novenas and offer prayers at his tomb. People from all walks of life, far and near, old and young and even those of other faiths would come with deep devotion and hope that their prayers would be answered through the powerful intercession of this saintly priest. This year with the pandemic, things will be different. Disappointments, frustrations, hopelessness and struggles of all kinds have made life difficult. But in the midst of all this, can’t we make the best of this situation to pray even harder, increase our faith, persevere in prayer and make appropriate use of technology to participate in the novena masses and prayer services? Can’t we celebrate the life of Fr. Agnelo and his special day by reaching out to the needy, the sick and the suffering instead of having a festive meal by ourselves?
We had got used to a certain way of life before this crisis began. We took many things in our life for granted. We would be oblivious of those in pain and suffering around us. We even took our prayer life for granted as everything was going fine. Our God is a loving and merciful God. But if we fail to acknowledge His love and refrain from turning to Him in troubled times, how can we expect to find solace in our difficult times? In this crisis, many have turned to God
and realised that only He can help us. Yes, it’s never too late to return to the Lord and if we haven’t done it yet, we need to do so and help others as well; as our God alone can help us fight this pandemic and the several problems that it has caused to the world today. In fact, now we have plenty of opportunities to participate in online holy masses, Eucharistic adoration services and other spiritual programs. We have more time to read the word of God and pray together as a family.
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:16). This word of God gives us enough reasons to ask for the intercession of holy people and saints. Ven. Fr. Agnelo is one such holy priest whose intercession has helped thousands of people witness miracles and healings. Whenever I read testimonies of healings and favours granted through the intercession of Ven. Fr. Agnelo, I am touched to see the faith of people increasing and the fervour with which they continue to pray thereafter. I myself have witnessed miraculous healings in my own family by asking for Fr. Agnelo’s intercession and praying his novena prayer for healing every day. This shows that Fr. Agnelo was truly a saintly priest; his simple life being a testimony of his holiness and deep encounter with God. It is not just enough to come to seek the Lord whenever we have some sickness or difficulty. Human as we are, most of the times we do so. True love of God should bring us to love Him and worship Him at all times. If we have the love of God in our hearts, there would be no place for sin, worldliness, bitterness, strife and hopelessness. Fr. Agnelo had a heart which burned with love for God. This was seen in His desire to reach out to the needy, teach catechism to small children and youth, preach the gospel like a lion in the pulpit and be like a lamb in the confessional like God’s instrument of love and mercy. His name “Agnelo” means “little lamb”. This meaningful name reflected and portrayed his charactergentle, pure, peace-loving, humble, obedient and soft spoken. It sounds so Christ-like and that is what we too are called to be. That is what we too need to portray even in times of crisis because we have a loving and merciful God who is in control of the situation. We have a God whose protection is so great and so strong that no storm is difficult for Him. Rather, our faith in Him and our prayer life has to be strengthened more and more.
Fr. Agnelo is an inspiration to all of us. A lot has been spoken and written about his holy virtues, preaching and works of charity and mercy. When we foster a devotion to a particular saint, it is very important to know about his or her life, reflect upon our own lives and see what we need to change about ourselves, and draw inspiration from the life of the holy person. Each one of us has a call to holiness. The Lord says, “You shall be holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). If we only seek miracles and healings and fail to obey the word of God, we would be failing in our duty towards our God. If we do novenas and pilgrimages but fail to realise where we need to change our lives, our devotion would be futile. And if we love God, but fail to love our neighbour, we would seriously need a change of heart.
This November, we may miss coming to Pilar; we may miss buying those delicious savouries in the stalls outside or we may miss our parish community pilgrimage to Pilar. But we can celebrate the life of Ven. Fr. Agnelo in a much more meaningful way. Let us try to read more about his life. Let us propagate his devotion and share our testimonies with others. Let us try to do what he did. In this crisis, we have ample opportunities to do so. There are people who are jobless, sick, mourning and spiritually starving. If not material help, we can help them spiritually by praying for them, enlightening them in faith and teaching them to turn to God alone as our saviour and help in this crisis. While doing all this, we need to obey our authorities as Fr. Agnelo did. He always obeyed his superiors. Let us be responsible citizens by following social distancing, wearing our masks properly and sanitising our hands and enlighten those who do not follow rules. Only in doing this, we can effectively fight this disease. Ven. Fr. Agnelo is a beacon of light and hope to us. We need to seriously pray for his canonization. May his intercession help us in the fight against this pandemic and may we soon experience victory in the Lord.
She is a consultant Pediatrician, Santa Cruz-Goa.
Venerable Agnelo
Our great intercessor before God
Maria Fernandes (Loutolim): My daughter who was two months pregnant, suddenly started getting bleeding. We were very worried but had great faith in Ven. Fr. Agnelo and prayed for his intercession. And our joy knew no bounds, when she had a safe delivery. The baby too is doing well. I am deeply grateful to Ven. Fr. Agnelo and may he soon attain sainthood.
Rosy soares (Candolim): On 23rd July, my husband Agapito Soares, aged 76, was taken to G.M.C as he was seriously ill. After the tests he was found Covid positive and was immediately shifted to ESI (Covid Centre), Margao. Unfortunately, there, his sickness became worse and condition serious. However, I had deep faith in Ven. Fr. Agnelo and prayed unceasingly to him. My faith in Ven. Fr. Agnelo was so strong that I was sure he would intercede and my husband would get back his health and would safely come home. God heard my prayers and on 1st August, my husband was discharged from the hospital. I earnestly pray for his total recovery. I thank God and Ven. Fr. Agnelo and pray for his sainthood.
Agnelo Cardozo (Carambolim): As I was getting pain in my stomach, I consulted a doctor and he advised me to do CT scan. After seeing the report, doctor informed me that I had colon cancer and have to undergo surgery. In my distress, I came to Pilar at the tomb of our great intercessor, Ven. Fr. Agnelo and earnestly prayed for his intercession. I also drank water with his relic mud. And indeed! It was a great miracle. My surgery was successful. Doctor was surprised to see my post surgery report. He also told me that in most of these cases, patients have to undergo chemotherapy after the operation. But by the grace of God, there was no need for me to take chemo nor post-cancer-operation treatment. Now I am completely alright. God gave heed to my prayers which I put forth through the intercession of Ven. Fr. Agnelo. I pray Ven. Fr. Agnelo may soon attain sainthood.
Agnelo J. Fernandes (Varcondem, Ponda): My brother-in-law, George Marsal, works in Wembley, U.K. Suddenly he fell sick and had serious breathing problem. He had great difficulty in breathing. He called and informed me about this serious condition. I am a staunch devotee of Ven. Fr. Agnelo and every Thursday, I go to Pilar without fail. Immediately I sent Ven. Fr. Agnelo’s novena prayer to my brother-in-law and asked him to say it with devotion every day. On 4th April, he was taken to the hospital and was tested Covid positive. He was unconscious and was on ventilator for 35 days. We were continuously praying for his recovery through the intercession of Ven. Fr. Agnelo. My brother-in law too gave a tough fight keeping his faith in Ven. Fr. Agnelo. During this sickness, he had heart attack twice and had to undergo angioplasty and a stent was inserted. Indeed! Ven. Fr. Agnelo is a miracle worker. My brother-inlaw is discharged from the hospital and is completely alright. God gave him a new lease of life. We are very grateful to God and sincerely thank Ven. Fr. Agnelo for this miracle and pray for his early sainthood.
Translation credit: Golda Gracias
Prayer to obtain favours through Ven. Fr. Agnelo Almighty God, Our Heavenly Father, we gratefully acknowledge your plan for our salvation, even by working miracles through your chosen servant. We thank you for giving us your faithful servant, Fr. Agnelo, as an example of how to follow in the steps of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. With our whole heart, we pray that you may lead us through your Spirit to imitate his saintly life. Grant us also the favour we ask (mention the favour) as a sign that he now shares in the glory of our Risen Lord.
Prayer for the Canonization of Ven. Fr. Agnelo O God of infinite mercy, we humbly prostrate at Your feet, we beg of You, with whole hearted trust, that if it be Your Holy Will, and if it serves our salvation, grant Fr. Agnelo the honours of the Altar through the solemn declaration of Our Provident Mother, the Church. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Miraculous favours obtained through his intercession may kindly be reported to:
vice-Postulator, cause of Fr. Agnelo, Pilar Monastery, Pilar, Goa - India. 403 203 Mob.: 9322038791 email: vpagnel@rediffmail.com
Our Lady of Pilar - Pillar of Hope
Panel Discussion on ‘Research and Development’
The solemn procession and vespers of the feast of Our Lady of Pilar was held on 11th October 2020. Due to the ongoing restrictions, the seminarians were the only participants in the procession. They walked with lanterns in hand, devoutly praying the rosary. The people participated by praying from their homes. It was a Sacred moment, as our beloved Mother is a pillar of hope for us in these critical times. It was followed by solemn vespers in the Mission Seminary Chapel, presided by Rev. Fr. Jesuino Almeida. God has blessed the Mission Seminary, with an abundant harvest and with great gusto, the seminarians harvested the crop. These activities are an opportunity to build up a relationship with our mother Earth. It is also an experience of the hardships the poor people, who depend on farming, undergo. The seminarians enjoyed working as one community and rejoiced for the plentiful harvest.
PilAr neWs A Plentiful Harvest
On 25th September 2020 a panel discussion on ‘Research and Development’ was organised by Research Development & Consultancy Centre (RDCC) of Padre Conceicao College of Engineering (PCCE), in collaboration with Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration (CIBA), Verna. Dr. Mahesh Parappagoudar, Principal of PCCE welcomed the participants. The panelists for the event were: Dr. Bidyadhar Subudhi, Professor, School of Electrical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Goa. Dr. Sushil Thale, Professor, Fr. C. Rodrigues Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. Dr. Niyan Marchon, Associate Professor, ETC Department, PCCE, Verna, Goa.
Dr. Niyan Marchon presented the Vision, Mission and the objectives of the RDCC at PCCE, stressing on the focus of the RDCC in advancing interdisciplinary research in emerging areas among faculty and students.
Dr. Bidyadhar Subudhi spoke about research in academic institutions, types of research, the methodology of research. He gave the participants an idea on how to commercialize research outcomes.
Dr. Sushil Thali spoke about the relevance of R & D and Industrial Consultancy to private technical institutes and University affiliated institutes. He elaborated on the challenges in industry consulting assignments and shared his experiences in the journey of research.
Prof. Adarsh Handa proposed the vote of thanks. The event was hosted by Asst.Prof. Razia de Loyola Furtado e Sardinha.
PilAr neWs Jamuria unlocked amidst the lockdown
On 18 September 2020, the Society of Pilar took yet another bold step towards pioneering evangelization by taking up a new mission in the village of Jamuria, part of the Diocese of Asansol, located about 203 kms from our community at Andul Road in Howrah. This village is in a coal mining area and has a sizeable population.
Bishop Salvador Lobo, Bishop of the Diocese of Asansol, presiding over the Holy Eucharist, officially welcomed the Society of Pilar in the diocese and expressed his happiness over the presence of the missionary society in the diocese. Rev. Fr. Attley Gomes, the Provincial Superior, expressed his thanks on behalf of the society to the diocese for giving an opportunity to be part of God’s Plan that is to establish His kingdom, especially in the Santali tribal area. Fr. Deonis Kerketta and Fr. Renato Andrade will be shepherding the people of God in this New Mission.
GREEN Initiatives launched by Fr. Agnel College, Pilar
Aligning with Gandhi Jayanti, Swachh Bharat and Nitoll Goem, Fr. Agnel College, Pilar, commissioned its GREEN Initiatives Collegecum-Community Project at the distinguished hands of Chief Guest Gaurish Dhond. The launch of the initiatives commenced with the College Principal, Dr. Savio P. Falleiro welcoming the dignitaries. He outlined the purpose behind initiating the unique project - the same being awareness not only to the College Staff and Students, but to the local self-governments like Panchayats, students from various educational institutions, and others from the community.
The projects undertaken and commissioned pertain to three key areas: (i) Wet Waste Management; (ii) Water Conservation; and (iii) Energy Conservation.
The GREEN Initiatives Project has been implemented with the support of Rotary Club of Panaji, and its President Mr. Carlito Martins; with the technical support coming from Mr. Samruddh Hegde and his team at Alterenergyz.
Dr. Fr. Fredrick Rodrigues (Vice Principal) initiated the programme with a prayer, with the vote of thanks being delivered by Asst. Prof. Anita Fernandes, Coordinator of the College Eco-Wellness Club.
Sr. Pearl D’Mello makes a Definitive Commitment
The Definitive Commitment of Sr. Pearl Luiza Liberata Felicidade D’Mello, daughter of Manuel D’Mello and Perpetua D’Mello was held on October 12, 2020 in the Sacred Heart Chapel, Bishop House, Panjim.
Archibishop Filipe Neri Ferrao presided over the ceremony. Sr. Isabel De Souza the Superior General of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Pilar Orgao, Loutolim received the Definitive Commitment of Sr. Pearl D’Mello from Dandadi, Nerul; a parishioner of Our Lady of Remedious.
The theme of the Definitive Commitment was “Priti Mogachi Seva Korunk Tumi Mhoje Govai”
“During the mass I experienced that Jesus is on the altar to give life to all humanity” said Sr. Pearl D’Mello after the Definitive Commitment Eucharist.
She is a trained nurse with a degree in General Nursing -- mid wife. She served the Uguem community for three years. Sr. Pearl D’Mello is presently serving at the Formation House at Salvador de Mundo.
