NT Reporter
Mapusa
Director of the Vatican Observatory, Rev Fr Richard D’Souza SJ, interacting with students of St Britto’s High School, Mapusa, captivated the audience with images of globular clusters, star-forming regions such as the Orion Nebula, supernova remnants and galaxies viewed in multiple wavelengths.
Honoured to be recognised at the school where his journey began, Fr D’Souza urged students to be curious, ask questions and nurture a sense of wonder. To felicitate the renowned astronomer and proud Brittonian on his appointment as Director of the Vatican Observatory, St Britto’s High School, along with the Britto’s Old Boys’ Association (OBA), gathered in Mapusa on Friday.
Highlighting that today’s generation lives in a privileged moment in human history, he said only in
the last century have we begun to understand how the universe and planets
formed. “The immensity of astronomical data coming from telescopes is extraordinary,” he said, reminding students that they now carry the universe “on their phones.”
He told students that science is not about memorising textbook answers: “To do research is to learn what is known—and then challenge it, update it, ask deeper questions.”
Describing telescopes as “buckets of light,” he explained giant observatories and space telescopes such as Gaia, Euclid and the recently completed Vera Rubin Telescope. He called the James Webb Space Telescope a “revolution” for revealing Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s auroras, solar systems forming and distant globular clusters. “We now see the universe in a completely new way… and we whisper the same word: Wow.”
Fr Basil Vago, Headmaster of St Britto’s High School, welcomed the gathering and hailed Fr Richard D’Souza’s scientific honour as “a celebration of excellence, discipline, and the enduring spirit of St. Britto.”
Speaking on the occasion, MLAs Michael Lobo , Joshua D’Souza and Carlos Ferreira, along with Rohan Nazareth, President of the OBA, extended their congratulations to Fr Richard D’Souza SJ.
The event was graced by distinguished guests including Fr Pedro Rodrigues SJ, Provincial Superior of the Goa Province of the Society of Jesus; Fr José Silveira SJ, Superior of the St Britto Community, Mapusa; Rohit Monserrate, Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji; and Clen Medeira, CCP Commissioner.
