THE CHURCH Events St Xavier Exposition

The 6-week long 16th decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier was held at the Se Cathedral, Old Goa from November 21, 2004 to January 2, 2005. The public were allowed to pay their respects to the sacred body of the saint over 41 days from November 22nd to January 1st.

I had the opportunity to witness the exposition during our trip to Goa organized by the St Antony's Church, Bangalore. Our group left Bangalore for Goa on December 26, 2004. Witnessing the exposition was the main objective, although we visited several other places enroute to Goa and back, as well as within Goa.

We reached Goa in the evening of December 30. In the early morning of December 31, we reached Old Goa and joined the long queues in front of Se Cathedral to view the sacred relics. Despite the tsunami waves that struck coastal areas, the queues were so long that it took us nearly five hours to have a glimpse of the saint's body.

• Se Cathedral, Old Goa, where Sacred Relics were being displayed

The organizers of the event had done a wonderful job of arranging all facilities for the visitors. There were shades above the people queuing up, water was being distributed, police were ready to help, and there were plenty of volunteers. Sick people were being taken inside special carriages without their having to hold the queues.

The saint's body was placed inside an air-tight casket. Each person got only a few seconds to witness the body. Priests delivered blessings to each and every visitor. Photography was not allowed inside the hall where the relics were kept.

• Queue nears the hall where the saint's sacred relics were kept

In all, the visit to the Saint's relics and the ancient basilica was a memorable experience, something that will be cherished for long.

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