The Miracle That Saved Goa

In the year 1961, during the tense final days of Portuguese rule, a miraculous event unfolded that many Goans believe saved their land from complete destruction.

Mr. Filomeno Diogo Jacinto da Silva was a violinist who was recruited in the Portuguese army in Goa in 1958. In 1959, he went to Portugal to pursue his Sergent Militian course and returned to Goa in 1960. From 17 October 1961, he started working for Emmisora do Goa, which later became part of All India Radio (AIR). 

After the Indian army crossed the Goa border on 18th December 1961, Filomeno was called up as a reservist to defend Goa. The Portuguese administration realised that the Indian Army would be victorious. So, in a last-ditch effort to prevent defeat, Lisbon issued a chilling command to the Governor of Goa: destroy Goa rather than cede it. In an attempt to safeguard what they valued most, the Portuguese Governor ordered 100 soldiers to retrieve the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier from the Basilica of Bom Jesus, intending to fly them back to Portugal aboard the last departing plane.

Mr. Diogo recalls that inside the locked Basilica, in the presence of the Bishop, the Governor and the Secretary, 100 soldiers gathered to lift the saint’s casket. But to everyone’s amazement, the casket would not budge. Despite their collective strength, they were unable to lift or move it, as though some invisible force held it down.

This inexplicable event shook the Governor, who was well aware of the destructive orders from Lisbon. Witnessing what he perceived as divine intervention, he felt compelled to disobey and spare Goa, understanding that destroying the territory would mean destroying the sacred remains of the very saint who had protected Goa for centuries.

For Mr. Diogo and the people of Goa, this miracle affirmed St. Francis Xavier’s enduring role as *Goencho Saib*. His intervention in that moment saved Goa from catastrophe and his legacy as the Protector of Goa has only grown stronger in the years since. As pilgrims gather for the Exposition to honour his relics, they come with gratitude and reverence for the saint who, in the darkest of times, shielded Goa from ruin and showed his powerful, compassionate presence among his people.

By Steve Antao