Fr. Vasco do Rego SJ

Fr. Vasco do Rego SJ (b. 8 January 1925) is a nonagenarian Jesuit priest from the region of Goa, who has played a significant role in the promotion of Konkani language, literature and music, particularly after the end of Portuguese rule in the area, post-1961. He has been editor of the religious monthly Dor Mhoineachi Rotti for a long stint.

Rego is credited with playing an important role in translating the Old Testament into Konkani.

Writing in the Herald newspaper, journalist Melvyn Misquita says it was a "humiliating experience" that led Rego to compose "Goa's first Konkani Carol in 1963 and hundreds of original Konkani hymns, including a lengthy 18-verse hymn on St Francis Xavier". Fr. Rego contributed many hymns in the Gaionancho Jhelo.

In January 2015, at the time of the canonisation of Joseph Vaz, the first Goan saint, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Rego was credited with writing the lyrics to the hymn Jose Vaza, Amchea Bhava (Jose Vaz, Our Brother), which was put to music by Fr. Joaquim Loiola Pereira. This hymn was sung at the Mass where Pope Francis elevated the Goan missionary who worked in Ceylon to the altar and which can be heard at about 2:30:48 into this recording.

The site song-from-goa.at has a number of sheet-music versions of the work of Rego.

In March 2016, the nonagenarian Rego was credited with being one of the four - two priests, and as many musicians: Fr Ubald Fernandes, Fr Vasco Rego SJ, Schubert Cotta and Roque Lazarus - responsible for writing the lyrics of the Konkani film Enemy.

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