Generally, the universal church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Rosary on 7th October every year. But the parishioners of Navelim celebrate their Patronal feast of Our Lady of Rosary in the month of November. Traditionally, the feast is celebrated on Wednesday of the third week of November for many years. There seems to be only one reason why the villagers celebrated the feast in November.
In Navelim, most of the members of the households were engaged in the agricultural occupation. Members of the family formed a single economic unit in those days. They also cooperated with other families in agricultural operations. The old faithful say that many were busy in paddy cultivation in their own fields and their neighbours’ field as well. The paddy cultivation began in the month of May. The first paddy corns were symbolically blessed on the 15th August on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Assumption. The harvesting season would then begin in the month of September and it would end in October. People were busy in harvesting, steaming the paddy, drying and then keeping the stock safe in bamboo or wooden barns or bags. Due to this long process of harvesting, people found it inconvenient to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Rosary on the 7th October, and so, traditionally, they begin to celebrate the feast in November that is after the completion of the harvesting season.
Navelim parish is the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. According to writer Gaspar Crasto, the church was initially dedicated to St John the Baptist. Later it was burnt down and a new church was built and it was dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary. According to him the present church is the third church building which was reconstructed in 1604 on the same site. There are five altars in the church and the main altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary. The two side altars are dedicated to Our Lady of ‘Bom Parto’ and St Anne. There is another altar at the right hand side dedicated to Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the last altar is situated on the left at the back of the Church opposite the Baptismal font. And it is dedicated to Our Lady of Piety.
Since the main altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary, this feast is the main feast of the parish. The novenas begin with the traditional early morning procession from Mount Carmel Chapel, Telaulim to Our Lady of Rosary church at Navelim. Regular novenas are held with appropriate themes to help the faithful to grow and strengthen their spiritual life. During the novena days, people gather together in the church to pray the Rosary in the morning before the first mass and then again in the evening prior to novena mass. Then the feast is solemnly celebrated with pomp and religious fervour. This year, due to ongoing Covid pandemic, perhaps it will be celebrated in a modest way.
In the evening of the feast day of Our Lady of Rosary, many devotees of other faith come to the church spending time in silence, lighting candles and adorning the statue of Our Lady of Rosary with flower garlands. It is heartening to see the devotees of other faiths paying their homage to Mother Mary.
