India GO
Feast of St Francis Xavier in Goa
Dawn Masses and a crowd between a red basilica and a white cathedral
Nine days of novena Masses and a fair in Old Goa, then on 3 December Masses from before dawn and a crowd of tens of thousands between the Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral.
Where to watch
Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa: the saint's tomb and the novena Masses, 24 November–2 December.
The grounds between the Basilica and Se Cathedral: the festive Mass on 3 December (10:30 in 2024) and the fair.
Getting there (2025 arrangements): special buses from Panaji via Ribandar; cars park on designated grounds at the edge of Old Goa, and the road through the church precinct is closed to traffic. Karmali station is about 3 km away.
🎟 Free viewing
- All the Masses, the novena and the fair are free. For the festive Mass on 3 December, come early: the grounds fill well before it starts.
🗓 Programme
Days 1-9 (novena)
A novena Mass each morning at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, with the crowd growing daily; a fair of stalls fills the lawns between the Old Goa churches
Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa
Day 10 (3 December)
The feast day. Masses run from before dawn in Konkani, English and other languages; the main pontifical Mass is celebrated on the lawn between the Basilica and Se Cathedral to a crowd of tens of thousands, and the fair runs all day
Old Goa