Right from the time the church was built, the Confraria was the vital arm of the parish. The members of the Confraria (brotherhood) are also reffered to as ‘Irmao’. Igreja da Santíssima Trindade (Holy Trinity Church) consisted of two Confraria, namely:
a. Confraria of Nossa Senhora das Merces (Red)
b. Nosso Senhor do Redemptor (purple murca)
There is also Confraria Sao Sebastiao (white) with is attached to the St. Sebiastian Chapel Arpora. At times, they too used to give their helping hand to church.
As of today, only Confraria of Nossa Senhora das Merces has a working committee.
The Confrarias lost their dominance due to lack of adequate membership. Though, efforts were made to revive the Confraria. Today, however, the parish of the Holy Trinity Church can fall back upon the support and cooperation of a number of additional associations Including Fabrica, Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Youth, Faith Formation, Liturgy Committee, Prayer group, Somudai Adhari (Help to small communities), Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Couples for Christ and Altar servers. They are the crucial organizations which help the parish priest and Church in handling his/her duties efficiently.
Photo credit : JoeGoaUK
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