Feast of Santana celebrated in Talaulim

According to the Catholic liturgical calendar, the feast of St Anne is celebrated annually in the seventh month of the year, and July 26 is considered as the day dedicated to the grandmother of Jesus.

Saints Anne and Joachim are the parents of Blessed Virgin Mary. The veneration of St Anne dates back from the sixth century in the East, and spread throughout the West in the tenth century; while that of St Joachim is more recent. St Anne is the patroness of Christian mothers and of women in labour.

Being aware of their vocation and remaining faithful to it made Sts Joachim and Anne the favoured ones of God. And, both equally shared the privilege of becoming the parents of the mother of God and grandparents of Jesus.

In Goa, the feast of St Anne is celebrated with great religious fervour at Santana, Talaulim church, in Tiswadi taluka. As you move towards Batim village, a little further to the right takes you straight up to the magnificent church dedicated to St Anne.

After the nine days of the novena preceding the feast (July 22-30), the solemnity is witnessed on the following Sunday, instead of the appropriate date (July 26) dedicated to St Anne. The feast popularly known as Touxeamchem Fest (feast of cucumbers) is also declared as the state festival, which was notified by the former Chief Minister of Goa, late Manohar Parrikar.

After a break of two long years due to the pandemic, this year, there weren't many devotees flocking to the church seeking the blessings of St Anne. But the faithful, Hindus more than Catholics, were seen, either coming to express their gratitude for favours received or to seek blessings in the form of a child.

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A Hindu couple, Sunil and Suvidha, travelled all the way from Sanquelim to this religious site seeking with faith, the gift of a child. They said that they had tied the knot 7 years ago, but the family wasn’t complete without the gift of a child.

Another Hindu couple, Jayesh and Nisha Naik, from Verna, came to Santana, Talaulim to express their gratitude to the saint for the gift of a baby boy after a gap of almost 8 years. They said that prayers were offered with deep faith and they received what they sought.

The parish priest of the church, Fr Oscar Quadros said that people, irrespective of religion, come to the church to seek blessings from the saint. “More than anything else, it is their faith in the saint that gets their prayers answered by the saint,” he mentioned.

“Women, who are childless for years together, are literally in tears and cannot face the humiliation, be it in their family, neighbourhood or society,” stated Fr Quadros.

As in the past, the Goa Police band was in attendance for the annual feast of St Anne. “We have been here performing for several years,” disclosed the band leader, Adelino Pereira, “and we were welcomed by the former Sant Andre MLA, late Vishnu Surya Wagh. The trend continues till date and the troupe members, in full uniform, perform with pleasure.”

On July 31, it was raining cucumbers in and around St Anne’s Church as the local men and women were seen selling the fresh veggies to the devotees. As a sign of offering, the vendors (mostly Hindus) sell cucumbers, and the devotees leave these at the feet of the statue of the saint by making a silent prayer.

The parish priest of Curca Church, Fr Benjamin Victoria, was the main celebrant for the solemn mass and preached the sermon. There was also a colourful fair seen within the premises of the church compound, which included sweet marts, toys, earthenware and other items.