Articles from Old Newspapers & Magazines (‘A VIDA’)

Articles from Old Newspapers & Magazines and Translated Articles on MSGR. HERCULANO GONSALVES from Portuguese to English

‘A VIDA’

30th March & 1st April 1951

{Thanks to the translator, Mr. Fernando Fernandes, Alto Torda, Porvorim, Goa.}

Translated from ‘Monsenhor Herculano Damasceno Gonçalves – Traços Biográficos’

–‘A Vida’ dated March 30th 1951 & 1st April 1951 One year has passed by so rapidly, since the death of Mons. Herculano Gonçalves, on the 21st day of this current month. Mons. Herculano Gonçalves was undisputedly, a distinct priest due to the various qualities that he was endowed with, especially his great dedication for others. I came to know Mons. Herculano for the first time, when he was nominated as a missionary of the Diocesan Society of Daman. I arrived on the 20th of May 1920 at the Parochial House of Dabul, where he was residing, and since then, I have never forgotten the profound impression that his austere and honorable personality had on me, with his great grey beard reminding me of a Biblical patriarch. From that day, I nurtured a great admiration and respect for this good and just priest and of his admirable activities that always served me as an example. He was born in his paternal house at Cana, in Benaulim, on the 11th of February of 1868, baptized on the 18th day of the same month in the parochial church, and was named Damaciano Xavier Herculano de Olivete. His godparents were Domingos Falcão and Maria Anunciação Rodrigues of Benaulim. He was the second son of Remedios Santana Gonçalves and of Angela Fremiot Maria Amarante. His paternal uncle, Fr. João Baptista Gonçalves, was the Rector of the Seminary, Vicar General and Hon. Canon of Holy Se of Maliapor and died as Vicar of Calangute. His maternal uncle, Fr. Benjamim Francisco Amarante, of Carmona, was a public writer, Cavalier of the Order of Christ and of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Vicosa, as well as the Rector of the Seminary and Vicar General of Bishop House of Maliapor, where he died. Such a noble and prodigious inheritance was cherished by Herculano Gonçalves, who initiated his first steps towards ecclesiastical life in their footsteps, completing his studies at Rachol Seminary on the 20th of March 1890. He had already been ordained priest on 29th June 1886 and Sub-Deacon on the 6th of January 1890. That same year, he went to Calangute in order to help his uncle, a Priest who had a lot of experience in the missionary and parish service. This experience must have helped him immensely during his lifetime. Simultaneously he used to give lectures in Latin in the church premises. He was ordained Deacon on the 19th of September 1891. On the 17th of December 1892, he received permission (Provision of 22.12.1892) to celebrate his first mass in the Church of the Seminary of Rachol from the Patriarch D. Antonio Valente ‘O Presbiterado’ at the Church of Bom Jesus. When he was in Calangute, he made his debut in the Sacred Oratory, preaching his first sermon on Maundy Thursday of 1893. The ‘O Crente’ in its edition of 12th April of the same year, published the following about this sermon, “For the first time in the pulpit, on the evening of Maundy Thursday, Rev. Herculano D. Gonçalves preached about the great humility of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Church of Calangute –The huge crowd which attended his sermon went home very happily – We congratulate him!” It is this humility that he preached and practised during his whole life, leaving a magnificent example to all of us. By the decree of 20th June 1893, he was nominated as a missionary of the diocese of Daman, where he arrived on the 8th of July of the same year (according to the provision of 30th of June). Immediately thereafter, he was nominated Professor of the Seminary of Sto. Antonio dos Portugueses of Daman, by the Bishop of Daman D. Antonio Pedro da Costa. Besides being the Spiritual Director, he worked with great proficiency in various preparatory subjects, including the subject of Theology. For many years he taught moral theology and was very much appreciated for his method of clear and conscious presentations of the moral truths. Even later, in the Ecclesiastic conferences in Bombay which was presided by the Vicar General of Bombay, Mons. Para, the opinion of Professor Herculano was highly respected. As a reward for the exemplary service rendered to the Diocese of Daman, the Government nominated him as the Official Missionary of the Diocese of Daman vide decree No. 237 of 16th of December of 1898. Due to circumstances that are not mentioned, he was suddenly sent for a course in philosophy and theology. Fr. Herculano then went to reside in Bombay in the parish of Dabul, where he found a proper field to exercise his zeal and self-denial, being, at the same time, a very useful assistant priest to Fr. João Narciso Coutinho, Vicar of this vast and populous parish. Those who knew the parish of Dabul, especially before the division of the parishes was carried out by Archbishop Mons. Roberto by decree of 12-3-1941, would not hesitate to classify it as an authentic Diocese with a population of more than 25000 people. Several assistant priests and parish priests who were residing under the presidency of the Vicar, constituted a sort of ministry, with each one or two of them holding a different responsibility. At that time Fr. Herculano was in charge of marriages. Every morning, after his duties in the Church, and especially after the Confessions, he would always be busy in his very modest office which was nothing more than his bedroom, attending to the people who used to come for some matrimonial consultations. Without ever losing his temper, he carried out this work with much patience, whether it was in issuing certificates for marriage bands to be read, preparing applications for their dispensation or documents such as birth and baptism certificates and parental justifications. The evenings were reserved for visits to clubs and families that would seek his prudent advice, in sorting out property matters, putting an end to domestic discords, or bringing back to the righteous path those who had strayed, not only in Dabul but in neighbouring parishes. He would often return completely exhausted from his visits, as late as 10 o’clock in the night. It was not always that he was successful, but he would never be disheartened. He would redouble his efforts with the sole intention of being useful to his fellow beings. His hunger for saving souls used to devour him. Above all, he was a friend to the poor and the orphans whose misery made him very sad. He would rather deny himself in order to provide for them. In 1923, by the decree of 1st February, he was given the charge of the Chapel of Sonapur, where he continued till 1930. During this period of 8 years, the Chapel of Sonapur underwent a huge transformation in material, moral as well as religious aspects. This temple of God was frequented by many people for receiving sacraments and more frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. With the aim of educating the youth, he opened an English school attached to the Chapel, under the protection of St. Teresa of Child Jesus, which today has been transformed into the Little Flower High School, a little bud now blossomed into a delicate flower and always progressing. He continued to exercise his social apostolate with even greater intensity and vigour in Sonapur, thanks to the influence he had on those under his jurisdiction due to the personal prestige he enjoyed. Alongside these multiple tasks that he performed, he held various positions of responsibility, being nominated Ex-Officio Censor and Member of the Council of Vigilance (decree.20.8.1915); Provincial Examiner (decree.20.8.1918); Diocesan Consultant (decree. 18.7.1923) and Director of Eucharistic League. On his homecoming to Goa, after his retirement, Fr. Herculano Gonçalves did not seek the rest which he had earned after the long and arduous service rendered in the Diocese of Daman. D. Jose Bento Martins Ribeiro, Bishop of Cochin, Governor of the Archdiocese, invited him to do pastoral work in the important parish of Calangute and nominated him the Vicar of the Civil District (Vara) of that Church vide decree No.37 of 28th July, 1930. It is in our lifetime that we can still witness the good that he did in Calangute, especially in the field of education, founding a school and intensifying the catechetical work. His project of instituting a religious congregation started at that time and did not take long to get converted into a reality. He was also nominated as a member of the examining committee of candidates to the posts of confessors and preachers in Mapuça (decree No.29 of 10-2-1943). After a short stay of two years in Calangute, he was promoted as Vicar General of Ghats vide decree No.121 of 27th December 1932. He discharged these duties with great vision, actively collaborating with the beloved Patriarch D. Teotonio, to open new missionary posts in the Ghats, projected by His Excellency Rev. Bishop of Gurza, presently Archbishop of Cizico, in his Pastoral visit to those Missions. Being meticulous when performing his duties and disregarding his age which was more than 64 years, he would pay frequent visits to the churches and chapels of the General Vicariate, subjecting himself to the eventful and accident prone journeys including the journeys to the Ghats. He used to examine in detail each register and agreement of the books of the parishes under his jurisdiction, a fact that I had the opportunity to verify when, in 1940, I stayed with the good priest for fifteen days in his Parochial Residence of the Immaculate in Belgaum. He was also a good friend and adviser to the missionaries. It is because of his vast experience in the missions that he deservedly was nominated as a member of the Missionary Council, vide decree of 4th January 1943. He lived without comforts, putting himself up anywhere and eating the most meagre food. His life was based on profound piety. If he did not have to hear confessions or if he did not have any urgent duty to attend to, it was spiritually enchanting to see him, after a prolonged preparation on his knees, celebrating with much devotion, the Holy Sacrifice, followed by the Prayer of Thanksgiving. His homilies which were action-filled, were both a pleasure to hear as well as a learning experience and this is why the Prelates used to put him in charge of preaching not only to the faithful, but also to the aspirants to the priesthood and to the priests. His greatest fulfilment and pleasure, however, was the Convent of the Sisters of St. Alex and the orphanage he founded in Calangute, in the progress of which he used to channel all the energies of his soul. He used to talk about them with enthusiasm, but often with tears flowing from his eyes, when he thought of the good sisters and the orphans who were being looked after by him, knowing that he could not provide as adequately as he wished, towards the maintenance and development of these institutions. For their sake he chose to lead a life of poverty and to die in penury. After being relieved at his own request, of the post of Vicar General in 1946, he went back to his favourite house – Convent of Calangute – where he was a true father to the religious and to the orphans and there he had the consolation of seeing the Congregation of St. Alex approved by the Ecclesiastic Authority in 1949. His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, the Pope at the time, honoured the services rendered by him to the Church, by appointing him (Mons. Herculano Gonçalves) his Secret Chamberlain, by the Brief of 22nd April 1947. He lived the rest of his days in the said Convent, dedicating himself to prayer and it is there that he passed away at 1 pm (13 hours) on the 21st of March of last year, with the greatest of tranquillity and with the smile of the ‘Just’. His funeral, which took place in the evening of the following day, was a true and glorious homage that he truly deserved. The best homage that we can pay to the memory of Mons. Herculano Gonçalves, is to look with affection and to protect his Institutions in Calangute, that he loved so much and which have today, spread to several places of our land. It is a monument which will perpetuate his memory. “Si monumentum quaeris, circumspice”.

Fr. F.X.G.Catão

Rachol Seminary

26th March, 1951