India: Pilar Museum keeps faith, traditions alive in Goa

The Pilar Museum, established and managed by the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, also known as the Society of Pilar, in Goa, western India, preserves Christian and missionary history and faith.

"The Pilar Museum is located on the Pilar hillock, where the Pilar Seminary is also located. The ethos of the Pilar hillock, situated twelve kilometers to the south of Panjim, is illustrative of the rich tradition of communal harmony that Goa has had since very ancient times," according to Goaholidays.com.

The Pilar Museum houses artifacts from all walks of life and religions, including Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, and Muslims.

The museum's artifacts also bear witness to Portuguese influences, as Goa was a former Portuguese colony. 

The Khrista Purana is one of the most important collections (a handwritten Marathi translation of the Bible from 1609). It also has other paintings from the Portuguese era, as well as beautiful religious paintings, carvings, and artifacts.

Pilar Museum of Pilar is regarded as one of the best-maintained museums in Goa, displaying the great traditions of religious harmony for which Goa is famous.

Recently, the Governor of Goa, P. S. Sreedharan Pillai visited Pilar Seminary and Pilar Museum and lauded its collection of various artifacts and its importance in preserving tradition, history and faith. 

The August 10 visit was part of his tour of the villages of the San Andre Constituency. 

The Superior General of the Society of Pilar, Father Nazareth Fernandes, welcomed the governor at the entrance of the Pilar seminary.

Later, Father Peter Fernandes, the Rector of the Seminary, led him to the Seminary Chapel and formally greeted the Governor in the presence of the Superior General, the local Member of Legislative Assembly, Viresh Borkar, and Francis D’Souza, the Sarpanch (village council) of Goa Velha.

He then briefly presented the history of the Pilar Hillock, the Society of Pilar, and the Pilar Seminary.

The Rector mentioned that Pilar is the place of "saints and sages."

Father Peter also mentioned to Governor Venerable Agnelo, a saintly member of the Society of Pilar.

Father Peter applauded the Governor for his various initiatives in reaching out to the people of Goa. 

Later, the Superior General presented the Governor with a shawl and a medallion of the Venerable Agnelo.

The Governor was then led to the museum, where Father Cosme Costa, the curator of the museum, explained to him about the artifacts in the museum.

Referring to the arrival of St. Thomas in India in 52 AD, the Governor said, “A concept continuing without interruption for a long time is also part of history."

Appreciating the work done by the missionaries, the Governor stated that "80 grammar books, in most of the Indian languages, were prepared and published by the missionaries."

At the end of the visit, he called the Pilar museum, a great museum, and expressed his desire to visit the museum again as he penned these words in the visitors’ book: "I have reserved my desire to visit this great museum for a later date. History is a flow of incidents, and keeping it for future generations would be a great service."  - Elvis Fernandes