Panaji: Responding to a call from the archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, parishes across Goa organised special prayers and processions over the weekend, seeking timely and adequate rainfall amid the state’s prolonged dry spell.From candlelit processions and community prayer services to families reciting the rosary at home, priests urged the faithful to pray for rain, with many parishes offering special intentions for farmers affected by the delayed monsoon.At St Sebastian Church, Dongorim-Navelim, parishioners took out a night procession, invoking the intercession of Mother Mary and St Anthony for relief from the unusually dry conditions. Holy Trinity Church, Benaulim, held a similar prayer service and procession for rain last week.The parish of Our Lady of Succour Church, Carmona, has also planned a procession following Mass later this week. The parish priest has asked parishioners to participate carrying rosary beads.At the St Joseph Vaz Spiritual Renewal Centre at Old Goa, a special prayer service was held on Sunday evening. During the service, Fr Henry Falcao urged the faithful to reflect on humanity’s responsibility towards the environment.“We are stewards of God’s creation, but very often we have failed to protect the environment,” Fr Falcao said. “Because of greed and selfishness, we have misused God’s creation and damaged the environment.”He added that people often realise the true value of water only in its absence.Similar messages were echoed by several priests across the state, who linked the destruction of Goa’s hills, forests and agricultural fields to environmental degradation and the growing uncertainty surrounding rainfall patterns.At Arambol, catechism students participated in a traditional procession, carrying stones on their heads as they prayed for rain. The ritual, rooted in local custom, has historically been observed during periods of delayed rainfall.The Calangute parish also held a special prayer service on Sunday evening, while processions seeking divine intervention for rain were organised at Mandopa, Nuvem and several other villages.With monsoon showers remaining sparse across much of Goa, churches and communities have turned to both prayer and tradition, hoping for the return of sustained rainfall in the days ahead.
