- 29 August, 2025
Goa, August 29, 2025 – The Karnataka-Goa Province of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, in collaboration with the Diocesan Centre for Biblical Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, organised a Bible Symposium on the theme “Biblical Text in Its Context in the Digital and AI Age.”
The three-day gathering took place from 27 to 29 August at the Divine Springs Retreat Centre, Xellim, Loliem, Canacona. It marked both the Jubilee Year 2025 and the Centenary of the Canonisation of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Auxiliary Bishop Simião Fernandes of Goa and Daman, Chairman of the Western Region CCBI Bible Commission, inaugurated the symposium. He was joined by Dr. Pius James D’Souza OCD, Definitor General of the Carmelites; Dr. Richard D’Souza OCD, Coordinator of the Symposium; Dr. Alphonse Britto OCD, Provincial Councillor for Spirituality; Fr. Rovel D’Souza, Superior of the Divine Springs Retreat Centre; and Dr. Gregory D’Souza OCD. Together they lit the traditional lamp.
In his inaugural address, Bishop Simião said, “Bible is a light for our path. We need to fall in love with the Bible and make use of it in our daily life.” He urged participants to make Scripture “a bread for their daily use” and gave practical reflections on guidelines for interpretation.
The Divine Springs Retreat Centre felicitated Bishop Simião on his first visit to the community after his Episcopal Ordination.
The symposium set out to help young priests proclaim the Word with depth and clarity, equip participants with tools for catechesis and preaching, and train clergy in the use of Bible software, AI tools, and online resources. It also aimed to show how digital and theological tools can serve homilies, retreats, and formation work, to reintroduce the insights of the Church Fathers into present-day preaching, and to guide those interested in biblical theology or exegesis.
The programme combined conferences and workshops on themes including: Know the Text and Its Context Before You Teach or Preach; Torah – Nevi’im – Ketuvim; The Pentateuch and Its Central Theological Themes; Nevi’im as Bread from Heaven Above; Ketuvim as Water from the Rock Below; The Four Gospels and the Stages of Christian Maturity; From the Upper Room to Every Home; St. Paul’s Blueprint for Priests in a Digital and Divided World; Typological and Allegorical Interpretation of the Bible; and Integrating the Church Fathers into Homiletics and Catechetics.
Workshops included training on online resources (ACADEMIA, ALTA, BILDI, EBSCO, JSTOR, Open Access), AI tools for Bible study (BibleGPT, HyperWrite, Biblia Savant, Bible Tutor, Scripture Canvas, Bible Explorer), Bible software (Libronix, BibleWorks, Verbum, Accordance), and essential biblical tools such as concordances, lexicons, TDOT, TDNT, dictionaries, and commentaries. Free installation and training on Libronix and BibleWorks were also provided.
The panel of resource persons included Dr. Pius James D’Souza OCD, Dr. Richard Francis D’Souza OCD, Fr. Mariano D’Costa, Dr. Patrick Mathias SDB, Dr. Vincent Sequeira, Fr. Macson Fernandes, Dr. Yesu Karunanidhi, Dr. Biju Joseph Karukappallil CMI, and Dr. Darbello Christus.
The symposium concluded with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. Silvestre D’Souza OCD, Provincial Superior of the Karnataka-Goa Province. In his homily, he reflected on the mission of St. John the Baptist, noting his courage, humility, and readiness to decrease so that Christ might increase. He urged the faithful to witness to Christ both through words and silence, by the integrity of their lives.
Fr. Silvestre praised the organisers for the successful conduct of the symposium. Fr. Rovel D’Souza welcomed the participants at the start and expressed gratitude on the final day.
By Br. Malvino Alfonso OCD
Photos: Fr. Santhosh Menezes OCD
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