𝗞𝘂𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁: The Goan Cultural Centre, together with members of the Goan
community in Kuwait, gathered on 16th August 2026 at the Holiday Inn (Crowne Plaza) for a memorable farewell to His Excellency Archbishop Eugene Martin
Nugent.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain and
Qatar will soon begin his new mission as Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech
Republic.
The evening was a celebration not merely of a
distinguished diplomat and shepherd, but of a cherished friend who had touched
many hearts during his years in Kuwait.
𝙋𝙍𝘼𝙔𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙐𝙇 𝘽𝙀𝙂𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂
Hosted by Gasper Crasto, the evening commenced
in a spirit of prayer, with Rev. Fr. Nelson Lobo leading the gathering in a
short and meaningful prayer.
It set the tone for an evening filled with
gratitude, faith, fellowship and honest memories.
𝙏𝙍𝙄𝘽𝙐𝙏𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙏𝙐𝘿𝙀
Community leaders including Floyd Paes, Lana de
Mello, Rabin Gonsalves, Dr. Jaganath Chodankar and Reavan D’Souza paid glowing
tribute to Archbishop Nugent for his pastoral care, friendliness and active
engagement with the Catholic community throughout his tenure from January 2021
to August 2026.
Speakers fondly recalled his warmth, humility
and remarkable ability to build genuine personal bonds, not only within the
Christian community, but throughout the Kuwaiti society.
𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀𝙉𝙏’𝙎 𝙎𝙋𝙀𝙀𝘾𝙃
Carmo Santos, President of the Goan Cultural
Centre and a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist, played a central role
in organizing the evening.
He presented His Grace with a memento and later
delivered a warm and personal address.
Santos expressed deep appreciation for the
Archbishop’s service, friendship and kindness, observing that while His
Excellency carried the weighty diplomatic responsibilities of representing the
Holy See, it was his encouragement, openness and spirit of friendship that the
community would remember most fondly.
His words captured the affection and respect
that His Grace had earned during his years in Kuwait.
Carmo Santos also highlighted the profound
connection between faith, culture and Goan heritage, commending the evening’s
program as a beautiful expression of community spirit.
The President offered prayers for His Grace’s
new mission, invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Our Lady of Arabia.
He wished Archbishop Nugent continued success
in building bridges and strengthening relationships in his new assignment.
𝙁𝘼𝙄𝙏𝙃 & 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙏𝘼𝙂𝙀
The farewell became a fitting reflection of how
faith can preserve identity while bringing people together across generations
and cultures.
The cultural segment added color and warmth to
the evening. A beautiful prayer song was rendered by Tyla Fernandes, Amber
Fernandes and Danielle Marie Paes, accompanied on keyboards by Cleoney D’Souza.
Earlier, Zelia Rodrigues and Gasper Crasto led
the gathering in the uplifting hymn ‘Welcome Holy Spirit,’ inviting everyone to
place the evening and the Archbishop’s new mission in the hands of the Holy
Spirit.
𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙎 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙀
Responding with characteristic warmth and
humility, Archbishop Nugent expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the
community’s love and support.
“You warmed me with your support during my
years here in Kuwait,” he said, reflecting on the memories he would carry with
him, of meeting people, celebrating with them and praying alongside them on
countless occasions.
His Grace warmly thanked Carmo Santos and
members of the Goan Cultural Centre for the “beautiful gift” presented to him.
In his trademark light-hearted manner, he
brought smiles to the gathering with a seminary quip about the three rules of
public speaking: “Stand up, speak up, and then shut up.”
𝘼 𝙁𝙐𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀 𝙑𝙄𝙎𝙄𝙏
Archbishop Nugent also shared a personal regret
that he had not yet had the opportunity to visit Goa during his posting.
He expressed the hope of making that
long-awaited visit in the near future, a prospect that was warmly welcomed by
the Goan community.
𝘼 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙀𝙁𝙐𝙇 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝘾𝙇𝙐𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉
The farewell concluded with a short
thanksgiving prayer, followed by a hymn beautifully rendered by Loraine and
Carie Santos.
The evening then moved into a fellowship
dinner, allowing guests to share conversations, memories and personal good
wishes with His Grace.
𝙐𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙇 𝙒𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝙀𝙏
Kuwait may bid you farewell, Your Grace but the
hearts you have touched will carry your presence long after you are gone.
May your journey be blessed, your mission
fruitful, and your new home enriched by the same warmth, humility and
friendship you so generously shared with us Goans.
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𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙂𝙊𝘼𝙉 𝘾𝙐𝙇𝙏𝙐𝙍𝘼𝙇 𝘾𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙍𝙀
Goan Cultural Centre which was established in 1990.
The organization is dedicated to preserving and promoting
Goa’s rich cultural heritage, traditions, language, music, food and arts.
Over
the years, the Centre has brought the Goan community together through events
such as Goa Day, May Queen, Goan Food & Mando Festival, Summer Queen Dance
Ball, Global Goan Convention, Konkani Film Festival, Gulf Voice of Goa,
Christmas Celebrations, and World Goa Day.
The
Centre has also provided a platform for Goan artistes and young talent, while
supporting community welfare and social causes such as repatriation of the
dead, and taking care of people suffering and tragic cases.
During
Covid, the centre organized 2 flights to send people back home to Goa, arranging
most of the airfare and food as well.
Above all, the Centre serves as a bridge
between Goa and Kuwait, keeping Goan heritage alive, strengthening community
bonds, and ensuring that the spirit of Goa continues to flourish far from home.
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗭 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝘂𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘂𝗴 '𝟮𝟲.
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