Who Are We?

Purpose and Mission In The UK

The Chaplaincy is the structure or a network which supports the work of the Chaplain. It is a bridge, linking the community of migrants to the host community. The Chaplain supports them to build the Church in communion, first of all with the diocesan bishop and with his brothers in the priesthood, in particular with the Parish Priests who have the same pastoral work to perform.

The main purpose of the Goan Chaplaincy is pastoral care and the social welfare of the Goans and Konkani speaking Catholics.

The pastoral care is a response to the needs of the community; in assisting their integration into the local parish life. It may take many forms, which includes the following (although the list below is not exhaustive):

  • To ensure their “Special concern” (they cannot take advantage of ordinary pastoral care) so that the community receives the same pastoral care and assistance enjoyed by the local Catholics by adapting the structure provided by ordinary pastoral care for the preservation and growth of faith of the baptised faithful.
  • The preparation, administration and registration of sacraments in the appropriate place.
  • The availability of a Konkani-language speaking priest, Konkani liturgies and the celebration of Holy Mass in Konkani language.
  • Organise regular prayer groups, religious festivals, functions and pilgrimages and in particular make arrangements for Eucharistic celebrations in Konkani language at different and convenient Churches on Sundays of the year, in separate areas facilitating easy attendance at convenient times in liaison with the Chaplain and the Parish Priest of the Church concerned.

The Social Welfare will depend on the needs of the community and will include the following (although the list below is not exhaustive).

  • The promotion of the Catholic faith and Catholic family life in providing literature and counselling.
  • The promotion of healthy social relationships and community building to foster the Catholic faith. Foster social welfare, mutual relationships, common understanding, cordiality and work towards closer co-operation, affinity and the unity amongst the members.
  • Organise and assist the under-privileged in the community (in the United Kingdom) to improve their life by providing counselling advice, information, relief and support.
  • The creation of links with the Clifton Diocese to assist under- privileged parishes and orphans. Provide financial assistance, social welfare facilities to the under-privileged, destitute, orphaned and physically handicapped people of the community in the UK and in Goa/India through the good offices of the Archbishops and other charities.

About the Origins of the Goan Chaplaincy in the United Kingdom (UK)

The influx of migrants to the United Kingdom in the 1960’s prompted visiting Priests and expatriate Catholics to address a special concern among the faithful who, on account of their way or condition of life, could not sufficiently make use of the common and ordinary pastoral services of a parish priest such as liturgies, cultural programmes and preparations for sacraments in their ‘own’ language and needed more time and adequate support for full integration in the United Kingdom.

People from the continent of Asia and elsewhere, including the Goan diaspora came in steadily specially in the last quarter of the 20th century in London which drew the attention of the ecclesiastical authorities of the Catholic Church.

In response to these developments, the ‘Asian Chaplaincy’ was formed in London, in the late 1980’s at the initiative of Late Cardinal Hume to help these immigrants integrate into the local communities of the Catholic faithful.

However, the years that followed saw a burgeoning of diverse Catholic population of different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. With a substantial rise in their numbers, each community desired to have their ‘own’ person as their pastor to manifest their own cultural and linguistic character in their liturgical celebrations, and also administer to them retaining the elements of their cultural heritage.

Reflecting this new demographic change, different Asian communities established their own chaplaincies namely Chinese, Japanese, Tamils, Filipinos, Mauritians, etc. rendering the term ‘Asian Chaplaincy’ to be something of a misnomer and not fully reflective of the communities it sought to serve.

Therefore, in the year 2005 the nomenclature of ‘Asian Chaplaincy’ was officially changed to ‘Goan Chaplaincy’ and is known as such since then, having been constituted in Britain under Code of Canon Law (No. 564-572) by His Lordship, Bishop Alan Hopes.

The Goan Chaplaincy is a direct response to the need for pastoral care of the Goan community here in the UK

In 2016 His Lordship, Bishop Declan invited the Pilar Fathers to establish the Goan Chaplaincy in Swindon, to cater to the pastoral needs of thousands of Goans who were living in Swindon and the surrounding arears.  His Lordship, also accepted the kind request of the Society of Pilar to formally establish the Chaplaincy for the Goans based in Swindon.

22nd of April 2017, the Goan Chaplaincy was officially inaugurated with Mass celebrated by the Vicar General of the Diocese, The Very Reverend Liam Slatery.

On the following day, the first Swindon Goan Chaplaincy social was held for mark this joyous occasion.

The Pilar Fathers took charge of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Royal Wootton Bassett, this place was the Seat for the newly established chaplaincy. His Excellency, Bishop Declan appointed Rev. Fr Lucas Rodrigues Sfx. the first Goan Chaplain of the Swindon Goan Chaplaincy and also the Parish Priest of the Sacred Heart Parish. The Parish and the Goan Chaplaincy were entrusted to the care of the Society of Pilar.

In 2019, the Pilar Fathers were given additional charge of St Peter’s Catholic Church in West Swindon and Rev. Fr. Lucas Rodrigues Sfx. was appointed as the Parish Priest. The seat of the Goan Chaplaincy also moved to St Peters.

In 2023 His Excellency Bishop Declan Lang entrusted HolyRood Catholic Church, the Pilar Fathers appointing Rev. Fr. Lucas Rodrigues as its Parish Priest. Today the Goan chaplaincy which caters to Goans across Swindon and other parts of the diocese functions from Holy Rood using it as the main church.

SOCIETY OF THE MISSIONARIES OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER (Pilar Fathers)

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
  • The Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier is commonly also known as the Society of Pilar.
  • It was founded in 1887 by Fr. Bento Martins in Agonda, Goa, then a Portuguese territory.
  • Its headquarters were transferred to Pilar, Goa in 1890.
  • It was reorganised in 1939 at Pilar.
  • The Society was raised to Pontifical Rite in 2010.

MOTHER HOUSE: Pilar Monastery, Pilar, Goa, India 403 203.
GENERALATE: Pilar Deepti Sadan, Alto Porvorim, Goa, India 403 521.

MEMBERSHIP OVERVIEW
3 Bishops; 386 Priests; 9 Lay brothers; 40 Professed members for the priesthood

DIOCESES WE SERVE –
AGNEL REGION: Pune, Goa-Daman, Delhi, Bombay, Pune
DELHI PROVINCE: Agra, Delhi, Simla, Chandigarh, Jammu, Jullundur
GOA PROVINCE: Goa, Belgaum, Mylapore, Chingleput, Mangalore, Udupi, Karwar.
MUMBAI PROVINCE: Bombay, Vasai, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Nagpur, Goa-Daman
KOLKATA PROVINCE: Bhopal, Ranchi, Gumla, Asansol, Calcutta, Baruipur, Bagdogra, Dibrugarh, Miao, Guwahati, Shillong, Nongstoin, Asansol, Port Blair.

FOREIGN MISSIONS: Chicago (USA), Southwark, Clifton (UK), Augsburg (Germany), Linz (Austria), Aprilia (Italy), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Saly (Senegal), Kathmandu (Nepal