MARGAO: This year, Maundy Thursday
services at most churches did not include the traditional
washing of the
feet of the apostles as a preventive measure during the pandemic.
Not part of the liturgy, the washing of the feet is a commemoration of what Jesus had done at the time. After Pope Francis washed the feet of prison inmates and Muslim migrants, some churches in Goa had also taken steps to make washing of the feet more inclusive and began washing the feet of women and even persons with disabilities.
However, this year most churches avoided the tradition with several priests sharing prayers with families and asking them to enact the washing of the feet within their households.
Similarly, Good Friday will see churches omitting all paraliturgical or devotional practices that are non-essential including the enactment of the passion of Christ, the kissing of the cross and processions and keep services as short as possible.
No directives were sent from the archdiocese to churches but each parish priest is expected to act with prudence and strictly follow SOPs that were issued in the past.
For the second consecutive year the Margao Monte will not hold the age-old tradition of enacting the crucifixion of Jesus and the bringing down of the life-sized statue from the cross. The procession to Holy Spirit Church, that followed, involving hundreds of faithful, has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The situation doesn’t allow us to hold services the way we used to in the past. We have even tried to reduce the duration of the services keeping in mind the pandemic,” parish priest of Cansaulim’s St Thomas Church, Fr Jean da Cruz Fernandes, said.
Several priests have decided to increase the number of Holy Week services as well as introduce services in chapels to cater to as many faithful as possible while following SOPs.
At Mapusa, too, only simple services are being held at churches and chapels without the usual processions. Besides the St Jerome Church, services were held in all five chapels in Mapusa on Maundy Thursday.
“On Good Friday too we will have two services at 6pm and 8pm and everything that is conducted in the church will also conducted at our chapels simultaneously to give those who cannot be accommodated at the church an opportunity to participate,” said parish priest of St Jerome Church, Fr Denis Fernandes.
The church is also holding additional services on Saturday and Easter Sunday too. Initially, the Mapusa church had planned to organise the services on the large ground within its compound. As Holy Week usually draws large crowds from neighbouring villages, the open air setting was thought to be better. But after Section 144 was imposed, plans were reworked.
“These are significant days and everybody wants to take part in these services,” Fernandes added.
In Quepem no SOPs are being relaxed and overcrowding will not be permitted, parish priest Fr Jose Caetano D’Costa said.
“We are spending a lot of money on sanitisation and other measures to protect our people. We are trying to keep services as short as possible as we don’t want people to suffer too much while wearing their masks. If there is any issue and if cases
rise we may even think of stopping services. We are not stubborn about holding services and we are ready to help our people,” he said.