Deacon Santan Fernandes was ordained to the priesthood by His Eminence, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, at Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar (Dn Santan’s home parish) on Sunday, 7th January.
Fr Santan Fernandes is the son of Late Mr. Vincent Fernandes and Mrs Gracy Fernandes.
Cardinal Oswald was joined at the altar by Bishop Agnelo Gracias, Fr Aniceto Pereira (Rector of St Pius X College) and Fr Michael Pinto (Parish Priest, Our Lady of Salvation Church).
In his homily, Cardinal Oswald drew parallels between the mission of the priestly ministry and the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. A priest receives his vocation when he has a profound and life-changing encounter with Jesus just as the wise men who travelled from afar to meet the new born King of the Jews. This encounter makes us leave our past behind and begin on a new path. Like the Star of Bethlehem, a priest attracts people to the person of Jesus through his life, his words and his ministry. The priestly ministry is a Light that showcases the love and mercy of Our Heavenly Father and brings people to worship the Lord with the gifts of their very selves. (excerpt from the Examiner' post on Facebook)
Fr Santan will continue to serve at St Francis Xavier Church, Vile Parle, where he was appointed as a Deacon a few months ago.