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150^th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

OF

MSGR. HERCULANO GONSALVES

(1868 – 2018)

A PRIEST WITH THE HEART OF A PELICAN

DYING TO SELF, HE LIVED ONLY FOR GOD AND THE OTHER

“Die to yourself to do only the will of God.” – Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves

He was a virtuous priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman but has remained hidden till this day. A man so humble, charitable, self-sacrificing, mortified, a treasury of all sacerdotal virtues and an untiring worker, who, like a pelican ‘died to self’ and gave life to the downtrodden, the poor and the orphans. On the occasion of the celebration of the 150^th Birth Anniversary of Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves from               11^th February 2017  to 11^th  February 2018, the Congregation of the Handmaids of Christ has taken the initiative to make their Founder better known, so that all people who are inspired by his exemplary life, may become more human,  more loving, more caring and compassionate to  reach out to those in need.

Herculano Gonsalves was born on 11^th February 1868 in Cana-Benualim, the same village where            St. Joseph Vaz was born. After completing his preliminary studies, he joined the seminary at Rachol.  In March 1890 he went to the parish of Calangute to help his uncle priest to carry out his parochial duties and also to conduct Latin classes. On 17^th December 1892 he was ordained by the then Patriarch, D. Antonio Valente at the age of 24. From the very start of his career he made a mark as an eloquent preacher. His first sermon preached in the Church of Calangute, on Maundy Thursday, 30^th March 1893 was so highly applauded, that even the Press (O Crente) published very high encomiums about his oratorical abilities. The subject of his sermon was ‘Humility’.  All his life, he practiced what he preached on that day.

From 1893 to 1918 he served the church as a missionary in Daman, where he was appointed Spiritual Director and Professor of the seminary. As a Spiritual Director, he was much sought after by the seminarians who could open their hearts and souls to him and confide all their secrets. He was an extraordinary professor of noble character, much admired, loved and appreciated by his pupils and held in high esteem by the staff, as a learned philosopher, friend and guide.

 Fr. Herculano was later sent to Bombay (1918-1930) where he worked first as an assistant to the Parish Priest at St. Francis Xavier Church in Dabul and thereafter as a Chaplain of Our Lady of Dolours at Sonapur, where he rather daringly, started a co-ed school. Children of cooks, fitters, butlers and those who would never have had an opportunity for education came to this school. Beginning his day with prayer, followed by the devout celebration of the Eucharist, Fr. Herculano utilized the mornings for work in the parish and also attending to his parishioners. Sometimes he would even forgo his meals and patiently listen to those in any kind of distress. Many a weeping widow, a helpless orphan or a penniless man found comfort and material help from this noble friend. The evenings were spent visiting the slums and helping people. Not far from the church in Dabul, there were some Goan clubs (Kudds) where Goans lived together. The moral standards of some of these kudds were deteriorating. Often at the risk of his personal safety, Fr. Herculano would enter these dens of sin and wean the sinners away from their sinful habits and vices. He was a compassionate pastor who could touch the innermost recesses of people’s hearts and even hardened sinners would melt in his presence. People from near and far flocked to him for confession and for guidance. The Fransciscan Hospitaller Sisters in Bandra appointed him as their spiritual advisor and confessor and he served them faithfully for 22 years.

After working strenuously in Daman and Bombay for 37 years without rest or leisure, Fr. Herculano was physically worn out and needed some rest. He therefore returned to his homeland, Goa, in 1930. But he did not get the rest he deserved. A true missionary that he was, his services were in great demand and soon he was appointed the parish priest of the church in Calangute. Fr. Herculano accepted posts where others hesitated to go and like a good shepherd, within a short time succeeded in bringing the flock together. Like Jesus who preached on the shores of Galilee, he went with the gospel to the shores of Calangute. The ‘fisher of men’ was seen on the seashore in the evenings talking about the love of God and preaching the good news to the poor. He had an innovative method of teaching catechism to children. He had a crude model of a slide projector placed in a handcart and he moved along the seashore attracting children as well as adults, by showing pictures and telling them stories of God’s unconditional love. Fr. Herculano understood the important role that youth could play in strengthening the nation and the church. To attract youth to the church, he introduced scouting in the village. In this way he succeeded in drawing many of his parishioners closer to God.

Like a good shepherd, Fr. Herculano was also concerned about the integral development of the straying sheep, especially young girls and women who were in danger of getting involved in prostitution. Sometimes children were left alone at home or on the beach by parents while they went to work. These innocent girls were often abused by unscrupulous men to satisfy themselves. Fr. Herculano was moved to compassion for them. In 1930 he founded an orphanage at Gauravaddo, in Calangute, to shelter the young girls and homeless children. He did all he could for them and sometimes, depriving himself even of the basic necessities, he generously gave to the poor. Although he came from a rich family, he lived like a poor man. To him the unwanted became wanted. The orphans, the abandoned children, the poor and needy especially the girl child and women in distress were close to his heart.

In those years girls had less opportunities for education. At that time there was no English medium school in the village of Calangute and children had to travel to other places. Knowing the importance of English for better job opportunities, in 1931, Fr. Herculano founded the first English medium school in Calangute, for girls, which he named Little Flower of Jesus School.

As the number of children began to increase in his orphanage and in his school, Fr. Herculano felt the need of dedicated women to care for these children. In 1834, religious orders were banned in Goa  by the King of Portugal. The atheist rulers were against the church. A change for better came in 1928, with the ‘New Regime’ in Portugal. This was a favourable time to revive the diminishing life of faith in the archdiocese of Goa and Daman. 16^th January 1935 is a red letter day in the annals of the history of the archdiocese, for at this crucial point in history, Fr. Herculano came up with a novel idea of founding the first indigenous religious congregation for women. Skeptics considered it a foolish idea, but with tremendous faith in God and a courageous spirit, he went ahead.  He gathered a group of eight devoted and enthusiastic girls and formed a ‘Pious Union’ in the parish of Calangute, which later flowered into a religious congregation, namely, ‘Congregação das Irmãs de Sto. Alexio.’ Keeping in mind the spirit of Vatican II, the name of the congregation was changed to ‘Congregation of the Handmaids of Christ,’ since 1968.

Within two years of taking up service in the parish of Calangute, that is, in 1932, Fr. Herculano was appointed the Vicar General of the Ghats, with the title Monsignor. This was indeed a heavier responsibility, as it involved the administration of the region of the Western Ghats spread out on the borders of Karnataka and Maharashtra which were then under the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. Like Abraham, Fr. Herculano was called to sacrifice and leave behind his ‘brainchild’ – works  which were so dear to his heart; that is, the orphanage, the school and the seed of a new congregation that he had just sown and was gently sprouting. Only a person like Msgr. Herculano with a strong faith and an unconditional trust in Divine Providence was capable of accepting the will of God, as manifested by his superiors. He firmly believed that God’s plans were much greater than his own. He promptly obeyed the Patriarch and launched out into the unknown and difficult terrain of the Western Ghats as Vicar General, at the age of 64, leaving behind his unaccomplished work in the hands of God.

 The Patriarch, D. Teotonio was astounded by the deep humility, prompt obedience and self- sacrificing spirit of Msgr. Herculano. Taking cognizance of the wonderful work he had started in Goa, in the parish of Calangute, he saw the hand of God leading Msgr. Herculano and directed him to continue to take care of the orphanage, the school and the new congregation, from Belgaum where he was residing as Vicar General. The joy that  Msgr. Herculano experienced  can be compared to the joy of Abraham, when he received back his son Isaac, on the mountain of sacrifice. Msgr. Hercualno having  passed the test of faith, continued his work with all humility and trust in God. And so, by his frequent letters and occasional visits to Calangute, he personally guided the Sisters of his congregation in the initial years of their formation. In the meantime, he also felt the need of a permanent home to shelter his beloved orphans. On 19^th March 1933 he laid the foundation for the St. Alex Orphanage. To build this orphanage he did not hesitate to extend his hands to beg with his friends and villagers. Though many people helped him generously, some sent him empty handed and even insulted him. On one such occasion, a man spat on his cassock but Msgr. Herculano humbly wiped the spittle from his cassock and blessing the man, left with a smile on his face. After all the toils, sacrifices and weariness of Msgr. Herculano, the orphanage building which was nearing completion collapsed due to some defect in the foundation. Nevertheless his spirit was not crushed. He came post haste from Belgaum, sold his share of the ancestral property at Benaulim and recommenced the building and by October of the same year, the orphanage building was completed.

On 19^th March 1939, he laid the foundation for St. Alex Convent. It was another challenging task with no funds, but he had a strong faith in God. At times, in spite of his age, he would refrain from travelling by public transport and walk long distances, just to save a little money for his Sisters and orphans. By the sweat of his brow and countless sacrifices, he built a home for ‘his Sisters’. The children and Sisters affectionately called him ‘Pai.’ Every time he came down to Goa from Belgaum, he used to bring a sack of groundnuts and he took pleasure in distributing them to the orphans and children in the school, as well as to the Sisters. Such was his dedication, tenderness and paternal love – a self emptying love that gives everything. He lived the maxim of ‘death to self’ to be alive only for God and the other. He was a man of faith, a man of vision and had a mission to fulfill.

Completely worn out in health, in 1945, he requested the Patriarch to permit him to retire as Vicar General of the Ghats. In 1946, he came to spend the closing years of his life at Calangute, in the company of his beloved orphans and Sisters, in the ‘Convent of his dreams’. Here he spent his days in prayer and personally guided the Sisters by his own example. He had a deep, personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. He was often seen lost in contemplation, on his knees, before the Blessed Sacrament. He had a filial love for the Blessed Virgin Mary and addressed her as ‘Minha Mae’ (my Mother). He drew inspiration for hard work from St. Joseph. St. Alex was a model for his silent, self-sacrificing, poor and hidden life. He exhorted the Sisters to imitate the virtues of St. Alex under whose patronage he founded the Congregation. His love for the missions was inspired by the missionary zeal of the Little Flower of Jesus, under whose patronage he founded two schools, one in Bombay and the other in Calangute.

Msgr. Herculano had his share of sufferings too. Like Jesus, he too experienced rejection from some of his very own Sisters for whom he had done so much and in a way, sacrificed his life. But he patiently endured his sufferings in silence and humility, as the will of God, uniting his sufferings to the passion of Christ. While in Belgaum, he often used to talk about the orphanage and convent to his friends and benefactors, with tears flowing from his eyes, when he thought of his beloved orphans and Sisters. He felt sad because he could not provide as adequately as he wished, towards their maintenance. For their sake he gave up all he had and with a heart like that of a pelican, sustained them with his fatherly love, till it hurt.

On 21 March 1950, Msgr. Herculano completed his mission on earth and returned to his eternal home. He was a hidden treasure in the field of Goa; a model for all priests, religious and the laity. He never allowed the things of this world to distract him from his focus on God. He was a man who lived all for God, only for God and always for God in the service of his people, especially the poor and needy.

Sr. Perpetua Vaz H.C.

St. Alex Convent, Calangute -Goa

Read more about Msgr. Herculano’s life and death witnessed by his contemporaries, in old newspapers on www:handmaidsofchristgoa.com

1. O Crente dated 12^th April 1893
2. Vauraddeancho Ixtt dated 21^st Feb. 1948, 28^th Feb.1948,  8^th May 1948 and 1^st April 1950
3. O Heraldo dated 24^th March 1950
4. A Vida dated 30^th March 1951