Nine members from different parts of the country joined the Society of Pilar on the occasion of the 71anniversary of the Goa-based indigenous congregation.

Father Tony Lopes, superior general of the society, which is also known as the Missionaries of St Francis Xavier Pilar, July 2 administered the oath of commitment to the new members.

The new members are from Goa, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Jaipur.

“We are called to walk in the footprints of Jesus and carry on the great commission,” Father Lopes said on the occasion, stressing the theme of the Mass.

He said that the Vatican has urged the Society to take up mission in some challenging areas.

“The Holy See has appreciated the work done by the society in Nagar-Haveli, Jharkhand and Andaman-Nicobar islands,” he said.

Some 50 priest members of the congregation joined the Eucharistic celebration at Pilar Monastery presided over by Father Lopes.

The Society was founded by Father Bento Martins in 1887.

Source: Reported by Bosco D’Souza Eremita

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