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Socorro is a village that lies five kilometres to the east of Mapusa town in Bardez taluka. It is administered by a ''panchayat'' represented by members from the seven wards of Ambirna, Arrarim, Carrem, Maina, Porvorim, Vaddem and Zosvaddo. It is also considered as a
census town
In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics.
India
In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...
in
North Goa district
North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnataka t ...
in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
. It once formed part of the ''comunidade'' and the larger village of
Serula. Serula has since been divided into the villages of ''Salvador do Mundo, Penha da Franca'' ''(Britona), Pomburpa and Socorro.'' The village takes its name from the patron saint or deity of its parish church, our Lady of Succour or ''Nossa Senhora do Socorro''.
Demographics
![Villagers celebrate at the Socorro church, in Bardez Goa 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Villagers_celebrate_at_the_Socorro_church%2C_in_Bardez_Goa_04.jpg)
As of 2001 India
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, Socorro had a population of 10,171. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Socorro (Serula) has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 74%. In Socorro (Serula), 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Church of Nossa Senhora do Socorro
![Socorro church, in Bardez Goa 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Socorro_church%2C_in_Bardez_Goa_01.jpg)
"Built in 1667, this was the third parish church to be erected within the confines of the original parish of Serula. It was rebuilt in 1763. The throne and the pulpit of this church came from the Oratorian Convent of Cruz dos Milagres at Old Goa."
Given that
Bardez
''Bardez'' ( kok, Bardes; pt, Bardes; IPA: ) is a ''taluka'' of the North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It was a ''concelho'' in the Portuguese State of India before 1961.
Etymology
The name is credited to the Saraswat Br ...
was evangelized by the
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
, and that the church has a
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
, it is likely that it used to be served by the Franciscans.
The annual feast of Our Lady of Succour is celebrated on November 21.
![Villagers' event at the Socorro church, in Bardez Goa 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Villagers%27_event_at_the_Socorro_church%2C_in_Bardez_Goa_02.jpg)
The
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
has one chapel with a resident chaplain (Our Lady of Candelaria,
Porvorim
Porvorim (pronounced ''Parvari '' ), is the ''De facto'' legislative and executive capital of the state of Goa, India, as both the Goa Legislative Assembly and Secretariat are functioning from the same complex in the region of Alto Porvorim in ...
), and two chapels without chaplains (Our Lady of Remedios, Vaddem and Our Lady of Rosary, Carrem). The church bodies are the Parish Pastoral Council and the Fabrica de Igreja de Socorro. The religious communities are the
Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
(SCC) at Carrem, and the Medical Mission Sisters (MMS). The associations and movements are the Confraria of Our Lady of Socorro, the Confraria of Our Lady of Candelaria, the Confraria of Our Lady of Remedios, the Confraria of Our Lady of Rosary, Carrem; the Legion of Mary; the Society of St Vincent de Paul; and the Charismatic Renewal. The village has two educational institutions, one is the Our Lady of Succour Primary School run by the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE) and the other is Holy Family High School, Porvorim.
Recent changes
![Socorro church cemetery, in Bardez Goa 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Socorro_church_cemetery%2C_in_Bardez_Goa_03.jpg)
The recent urbanisation in Goa has led to many settlers in the area, and some prominent homes being built here.
![Comunidade office at Socorro, in Bardez Goa 05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Comunidade_office_at_Socorro%2C_in_Bardez_Goa_05.jpg)
Some land scams have also been reported in the area, as in the July 2020 Enforcement Directorate attachment of land in Socorro worth Rs 3.19 crore (Rs 30.10 million), in a case reported to involve local functionaries too as coming "under the scanner of the ED sleuths."
References
"Our Lady of Socorro" Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar
Notes
{{Reflist
Cities and towns in North Goa district