Annual Calendar

For the majority of Sacred Heart Parishioners, Fr. John, fondly called ‘Masky’ is a familiar face. He has served in our Parish as co-pastor on two previous occasions from October 1996 to October 2000 and from June 2015 to June 2016.

Fr. John hails from Vasco da Gama, Goa. He was born on 11 th January 1966 to the late Andrew Francis and late Claudina Mascarenhas. He is the sixth among his siblings of six brothers and two sisters. Fr. John joined the SVD Seminary after completing High School in 1982. For his Overseas Training Programme, Fr. John was sent to Brazil for two years and has completed his diaconate in the Divine Word Seminary, Pune. He was ordained a priest on 14th May 1996. His pastoral motto is ‘To gather unto Him’ His first assignment as a priest was as Vocation Promoter at St. Francis Xavier Church, Goa for five months after which he was appointed as co-pastor at our Parish in October 1996. Soon after the inauguration of our Church in October 2000, Fr. John was transferred to St. Francis Xavier Church, Giriz, Vasai in order to learn Marathi.

In June 2001, the local bishop appointed Fr John as co-pastor at Mother of God Church, Palli, Naigaon West. Here, he assisted the Parish Priest in catering to the needs of the English-speaking Community. It was during this time that he completed his B.Ed. In June 2004, he was appointed as co-pastor at St. Theresa’s Church, Bandra. Initially, he worked as a teacher in the Secondary Section of the school and was eventually promoted as the Head-Master of the Primary Section and Vice-Principal of the Secondary Section. In June 2009, Fr. John was appointed as the Principal of the School and for the next 11 years Fr. John continued in this capacity and had also been assisting the Parish. In June 2015, Fr. John SVD joined for a second tenure in our Parish as co-pastor and also as Manager of St. Arnold’s School. He left our Parish in 2016 to undertake an important assignment, as Rector of St. Francis Xavier Seminary, the SVD Seminary and as Director of Ashirwad in Raia, Goa. Later, in 2017 he also became Prefect while continuing as Rector.

In 2018, Fr. John was assigned as Assistant Parish Priest at Holy Family Church, Marcela, Goa and he took over as Parish Priest in 2020. Fr. John is appointed as Parish Priest at Sacred Heart Church effective June 2023.

Fr. John is a people’s Pastor who is always available for the sheep of his flock. He is well known for his melodious singing and friendly presence. His cheerful disposition always brings a smile to those around him. His work with the Youth of our Parish is well remembered.