New Chapel dedicated to St Francis Xavier inaugurated

MARGAO: The newly constructed chapel dedicated to St Francis Xavier was formally inaugurated on Saturday with Holy Spirit Parish Priest Fr Amandio Valadares celebrating a mass in the chapel after local MLA Vijai Sardessai cut the ribbon.

“This is the first time something like this is happening where the people asked the government to help rebuild their chapel and the government has heard the people,” Vijai said asserting that this was a role model for his “development by consent” ideology.

He pointed out that the people of Madel were willing to relocate their chapel which was on the other side of the road and proving to be a traffic hazard. 

“While earlier the government was not giving permission to Margao Municipal Council to allot their land for the chapel, it was only after I became a minister that the consent was got and the work started last year,” he said.

The foundation stone for the chapel was laid on October 21, 2018 and it was commissioned today. The present chapel has a 58.5 sq mts of built up area in a plot admeasuring 702 sq mts and it has a big cross at the centre and statues of St Francis Xavier and Our Lady of Miracles on either side of the main altar.

Vijai said two similar projects are still languishing as the local people cannot agree to certain things. Two similar chapels were proposed to be reconstructed at the Football stadium and at the Bolshe circle. Incidentally, the old chapel was totally razed to ground yesterday to pave way for the inauguration of the new chapel.

• By Team Herald | 24 Nov, 2019, 06:41AM

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