Rector Major Father Angel Fernandez Artime, presently preaching the retreat for the Salesian Provincials and their council members of South Asia, said, “visualize a young maiden accepting to be the mother of our Saviour, a task humanly impossible. That is the face I love to contemplate on than the beautiful images of Our Blessed Mother as it is full of love for God and trust that He will not abandon her. A few centuries down the line, we have a young man who leaves everything and goes to a far country to proclaim Jesus. That is the passion-filled missionary Saint Francis Xavier in whose presence we are today. What made them take this decision is the conviction that what comes from God stays, and everything from man will perish”.

Fr Artime said, “The third person with a heart of a missionary, never went to the missions though told us that he always wanted to be a missionary is our Father and Founder, Don Bosco. The proof that Don Bosco had a missionary heart is the presence of the Salesian charism in 133 countries. If Don Bosco had decided to remain only in Italy today, we would have been a small congregation and old congregation. And so, my dear Salesians, I propose to you all to pray to God and ask for a heart filled with passion for God so that we can reach out to the young". 

At the end of the Holy Mass, the Rector of the Basilica of Bon Jesu, Father Patricio, gave a brief history of the Basilica and how the relic of Saint Francis Xavier was brought to Goa and later accompanied the Salesians on a tour of the Basilica.