page_title: Jacome Gonsalves
section_title: Veneration
hierarchical_section_title: Jacome Gonsalves / Veneration
caption_attribution_description: English: The cross of fr. Jacome Gonsalves which was found buried in his tomb
context_page_description: Rev. Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, CO was an Oratorian priest and missionary in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon.
  Fr. Jacome Gonsalves arrived in Ceylon during the Dutch occupation, when the Dutch were imposing Calvinism as the official religion after taking over from the Portuguese. He also helped St. Joseph Vaz in services. He did a massive service using his knowledge on Sinhala and Tamil Languages.
  He is also known as the "Father of Catholic Literature in Sri Lanka" because of the massive service he had done. He had written many books, prayers, hymns and translated many hymns. Some of those hymns and prayers are in popular use among Sinhala and Tamil Catholics.
context_section_description: In July 2015, the parishioners of Piedade, Divar, Goa have taken a step forward for the cause of canonization of 18th century missionary Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, son of the island of Divar, in whose ancestral house now is established Our Lady of Divar High School, run by Goa Archdiocese, in Divar.  Parish priest Fr. Jose Dias during the religious service mentioned "Fr. Gonsalves is very famous in Lanka for his work in reviving the Catholic faith, but here he is a forgotten or unknown hero,"  Fr. Dias welcomed Fr. Eremito who paid rich tributes to Father Gonsalves and summarized saying, "St Joseph Vaz planted the seed of Catholic faith in Sri Lanka and Fr Jacome Gonsalves watered and nourished it." Fr Eremito is the former vice postulator for the cause of St Joseph Vaz, and his missionary work in Sri Lanka.
caption: Cross of Fr. Jacome Gonsalves
exif: {}