The Third event of the Literary and Cultural Activities of Rachol Seminary (LACARS), namely “Mission Academy,” was held on the 19th of January at 3:45 pm, in the Seminary Auditorium. The chief guest for the event was Rev. Fr. Edmund Barretto while Rev. Fr. Mowin Menezes moderated the proceedings. The program began with a prayer service. Rev. Dr. Aleixo Menezes; the Rector of the Seminary extended a warm welcomed to all gathered and through his inspiration words of wisdom encouraged and challenged all to be missionaries like St. Joseph Vaz who was a great missionary in Sri Lanka.
The paper on the topic, “The contribution of Christian Mission in the emancipation of the Marginalized,” was presented by seminarians Rayan D’Souza and Clifford Fernandes. They brought out the initiatives and revolutionary actions undertaken by the Christian Missionaries to eradicate social evils and the impeccable service they rendered for the uplift of poor and outcasts. The second paper on the topic, “The Christian Mission and its response to Education and Healthcare in Goa,” was presented by seminarians Hilario De Lima and Roshel Fernandes. They highlighted the fact that Christian Missionary institutions had a great positive impact on the lives of people especially in their social and cultural development. The said education was founded on the Gospel values which become constitutive element of the different spheres of social life. The Moderator Fr Mowin Menezes thanked the paper presenters and summed up by recalling the words of the Rector that we need to be missionaries not just through our actions but by our presence. The chief guest, Fr. Edmund Barretto shared his reflective and inspiring missionary experiences he had while he served the missions of Agartala. He convincingly communicated to the present assembly that if one keeps has the zeal to witness Christ alive no matter what hurdles one has to face, one will always have a great feeling of fulfillment. The seminary choir sang a choral piece, “flow water”. The program concluded with the vote of Thanks proposed by Sem. Sheldon D’souza.