Fr Rob Galea, the singing priest, is back to rock the stage in Goa, giving people a taste of spirituality through his music and excitement.
If you don't know Fr Rob, he is a songwriter and a Maltese-born Catholic priest from Australia. And those who attended his concert last year in Pilar know the kind of music he plays.
For those who don't know what's in store on December 7-8 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium on Taleigao Plateau, Gomantak Times Digital spoke to the priest himself to find out.
Why should people visit your concert?
Well, I think this concert is different, in the sense that it gives people the chance to reignite their faith. It is also an opportunity for people to bring along friends, especially those who are on the edge and and feel left to their fate. For those struggling and in doubt, this is an opportunity to revive their faith. They can come and pray or just sit still.
Your concert is happening at a time when Bryan Adams and Coldplay are set to play in India. I am sure you are aware.
Music always points to someone bigger and greater. I have the greatest admiration for Bryan Adams and Coldplay, I love them all, but their music ends in the experience. A concert like mine ends in something bigger, something greater. The experience extends beyond the performance itself. My concert is an invitation to connect with something greater than oneself and to experience the mercy and love of God at the same time.
Q. It looks like you love coming to India. Why?
When we came to India, we went straight to Mumbai, where we had two concerts and all the interviews and everything else. And then we went to Bangalore, and then from Bangalore, we came here. After this, we will go to Vijayawada for a few days as well. I travel all around the world, and I speak literally in front of thousands of people. But the India visit is always my highlight because this country is something that I am. Trust me, I get more exhausted here than anywhere else in the world, but I don't care, because it's always just so fulfilling and life-giving. In India people's hearts are so open and the joy I see is so real. I feel like even though I'm exhausted, I'm not wasting my time. It's not about me, it's about something bigger than myself.
And what about Goa? How do you feel here?
Like I said, when I am in India I am always excited, always exhausted, but my heart is always so full. Goa, of course, is so close to my heart because of the music and it all started here. This is where I possibly had my biggest event last year. But I also do small events. I've worked in Kerala with the Divine Retreat Centre. But the hospitality and the love in Goa have been just so good.
Your concert coincides with the 18th exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier at nearby Old Goa, where you will be saying Mass as the main celebrant on December 6 evening.
Yes, I get to celebrate the English Mass as the main celebrant. I just hope that I can bring a little reflection and bring a little bit of the passion, enthusiasm, joy and hope that St Francis Xavier himself brought when he was here in India. I'm not in any way comparing myself to him or about anything he had, but I just hope I'll be able to bring a little bit of that reflection to the congregation.