- 17 August, 2026
Goa, August 17, 2026: Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa, undertook a week-long pastoral visit to the UK from 31 July to 8 August, travelling across Goan and parish communities in London, Hounslow, Swindon and Southall.
The visit culminated in the Diamond Jubilee Mass of the Goan Association (GOA UK) at Cranford Community College in Hounslow on 2 August, where thousands gathered to open the UK Goan Festival.
The Mass brought together Pilar Fathers serving in Britain, including Fr. Lucas Rodrigues, Fr. Renato Andrade, Fr. Feroz Fernandes and Fr. Stephen Dias, alongside visiting priests and Benedictine Fr. Alexander Da Costa Fernandes OSB of Worth Abbey.
In his homily, Cardinal Ferrão reflected on the experience of migration and the challenges facing Goan families living abroad.
“Wherever Goans have gone, they have carried something precious: their faith, their family values, their love for the parish community, their music, their generosity, and their joyful celebration of life,” he said.
Drawing on Isaiah’s invitation, “Come to the water, all you who are thirsty”, the Cardinal acknowledged that migration brings both opportunities and difficulties.
He noted that families living in another country must navigate a different culture while raising children amid new social influences. For Catholic families, he said, an important challenge is ensuring that material success does not come at the expense of spiritual depth.
Cardinal Ferrão urged parents and grandparents to pass on the faith primarily through their example. “Your children need your witness more than your words,” he said, encouraging families to pray together, attend Sunday Mass and preserve the stories and traditions that have shaped their faith.
He reminded young people that success should be measured not simply by professional achievement, but also by “character, compassion and discipleship”.
Reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus feeding the five thousand, Cardinal Ferrão encouraged Goans to recognise the gifts they already possess.
“Jesus does not ask us first what we lack. He asks us what we have,” he said.
Among those gifts, he identified faith, prayer, family life, hospitality, musical talent, service and professional skills. When placed at the service of Christ, he said, these gifts can become a blessing to others.
He also called on Goans in Britain to become “bridges between cultures” and witnesses of reconciliation, while standing alongside the poor and forgotten.
During his visit, Cardinal Ferrão celebrated Konkani Masses at St. Michael and St. Martin’s in Hounslow, Holy Rood Church in Swindon and St. Anselm’s in Southall. He also returned to Holy Rood for an English Mass marking the Feast of the Transfiguration and celebrated Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Osterley.
Over eight days, he travelled approximately 770 kilometres across England, celebrating Mass, meeting parishioners and listening to the experiences of Goan communities.
Parishioners particularly appreciated his willingness to engage with individuals despite his extensive responsibilities within the Catholic Church in India, Asia and the Vatican.
For the communities he visited, the tour provided an opportunity not simply to welcome the Archbishop of Goa, but to hear a pastoral message addressing migration, family life, identity and faith.
His appeal was clear: Goans in Britain should preserve the richness of their heritage while contributing positively to their adopted homeland.
Cardinal Ferrão concluded by recalling St Paul’s words: “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
For many who gathered during the visit, the message offered a reminder that faith and heritage can remain sources of strength, even across generations and continents.
Courtesy O Heraldo
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