The head of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences urged new priests to root their ministry in service to the poor and a life of mercy during the ordination rites on April 29.
“Let your hands serve the needy,” said Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa and Daman, who presided over the Mass at the Se Cathedral, where he emphasized pastoral closeness to the poor.
Preaching on the theme, “Shepherds of Jesus in pilgrimage, ministers of hope in service,” he said priesthood is a call to share in Christ’s saving mission. “Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has chosen you to be His close collaborators,” he said.
Drawing from the call of the Prophet Jeremiah, Ferrão said the vocation carries both assurance and challenge.
“The presence of the Lord does not mean the absence of struggles,” he said, urging them to remain steadfast amid difficulties.
The prelate said the mission requires cultivating the heart of Christ, marked by compassion for “the poor, the needy, and those on the peripheries,” and reiterated his call: “Let your hands serve the needy.”
Ferrão also underscored the need for a merciful vision in ministry. Priests must have “the eyes of Christ—eyes that see with mercy and tenderness,” he said, so they can carry forward the Church’s ministry of reconciliation.
Quoting the Gospel of John, he pointed to the spiritual foundation of priestly life: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5), encouraging a life rooted in the Word of God and nourished by the Eucharist.
He also appealed to the faithful to support the priests through prayer and cooperation in the Church’s mission.
The newly ordained priests are Fr. Dion Rodrigues, Fr. Elidio Carlos Noronha, Fr. Bevan Rebello, Fr. Aaron Eusebio D’Souza, Fr. Aestrony Herbert Franco Costa, Fr. Nion Nickson Colaco, Fr. Cidroy Ascino Fernandes, Fr. Sanvy Jesus Cardoso, Fr. Lindon Rijoe Sequeira, Fr. Valancio Anthony Fernandes, Fr. Jofhuo Chrispino Fernandes, and Fr. Canjoy Fernandes.
They completed their formation at the Seminary of Our Lady, the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol, the Good Shepherd Institute of Theology, and the Pastoral Institute in Old Goa.