MSGR. HERCULANO GONSALVES

(Founder of the Congregation of the Handmaids of Christ )

A Star is Born  

Goa has often been called the Rome of the East as it has to its credit the distinction of producing renowned clergymen with unique spirituality, who with their zeal have crossed its boundaries overcoming numerous hurdles in order to proclaim the ‘Kingdom of God’ to remotest corners of the world. One such shining star in the galaxy of distinguished clergymen was Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves, who was often referred to as the ‘Mendicant with Red Buttons’.

Msgr. Herculano Damasceno Olivet Xavier Gonsalves was born in a tiny village of Cana, Benaulim-Goa on 11^th February 1868 to a devout and pious couple. His father, Mr. Remedios Santana Gonsalves was a simple and religious minded landlord, who took great care to instill in his son all the care and love needed to make him a noble and worthy heir of his inheritance. His mother, Mrs. Angela Fremiot Amarante was deeply religious and kept herself busy like the ladies of her social stature in needle work and supervising the servants in order to ensure the smooth running of the house.

Heavens must have smiled on Cana at the birth of Baby Herculano the second offspring of Mr. & Mrs. Gonsalves, for this child was destined for many great things ! (Young Herculano had two brothers and a Sister). A week after his birth according to the local tradition Baby Herculano was baptized in the Parish Church at Benaulim on 18^th February. It has been rightly said that ‘the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world’ and the Gonsalves family was no exception. From his mother he imbibed a devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin as he was often seen praying the Rosary before the Oratory of their ancestral home.

Young Herculano grew up in wisdom, physical strength and religious wisdom. He was an extraordinary child and he endeared himself not only to his siblings but to all those who came in contact with him. He was caring and spontaneous in his charity which won him the hearts of his school fellows and his neighbours. As was the custom in those days young Herculano attended the Portuguese Primary School run by the Parish. Being an enthusiastic learner he completed his studies with a mark of proficiency.

His Call

Young Herculano was now twelve years old and he felt deep down within his heart that God was calling him to serve in his vineyard. His parents willingly allowed him to pursue his priestly studies and gave him all the encouragement needed and so young Herculano was sent to join the Diocesan Patriarchal Seminay at Rachol, Goa, which was not far from his village. His great uncle
Fr. Benjamin Francisco Amarante, recipient of the title “Papal Knight” was the Rector of the Seminary and Vicar General of the same diocese. Besides, another uncle of his Fr. John Baptista Gonsalves was the Rector of the Seminary and Vicar General of Mylapore.

As a young seminarian, Herculano excelled in his studies as well as in his conduct, this was due to his good home background. He spent long hours in the seminar Library devouring the books on the ‘Lives of Saints’. During his holidays at home his paternal priest uncle Fr. John Baptista Gonsalves would spend long hours with him guiding and instilling in him the love for a ‘celibate life’. Seminarian Herculano made use of every opportunity to enrich his life in the sight of God and men and carried out every instruction of his professors flawlessly and with great devotion always keeping his heart and mind focused on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and His Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. These two devotions later on formed the two hinges of the door to his spirituality. Hid deep faith was clearly visible to all around him and when on holidays at home, he would attend regular church services in his Parish Church of St. John the Baptist at Benaulim thus making him an ideal and exceptional Seminarian. In March 1890 after completing his studies at the Seminary of Rachol he went to the Parish of Calangute to assist his uncle priest to carry out his parochial duties and also to conduct Latin classes for the young educated boys.

December 17, 1892 was a ‘Red Letter Day” for Deacon Herculano, as Dom Antonio Sebastiao Valante the Archbishop of the Metropolitan of Goa and Patriarch of East Indies ordained him in the church of the Seminary of Rachol at the age of 24.

Young Fr. Heculano

“There is nothing holier than love; it is a golden link that binds hearts together. All that is great, noble and sublime in the world is kindled in our hearts by the spark of that heavenly fire which we all admit as love.”

This was the love that motivated Young Fr. Herculano Gonsalves on his journey in the vineyard of the Lord.

During the Holy Week services of 1893, the year following his ordination Fr. Herculano was invited by his uncle to preach the Maundy Thursday sermon as St. Alex’s Church, Calangute. This was his first sermon that he preached, it was on ‘Humility’ and it won him accolades, that even the Press published very high reviews about his ‘Oratorical’ abilities. Thus from the very beginning of his priesthood he had made a mark as an eloquent preacher.

In Daman (1895-1909)

Having opted to work in the missions, his first assignment was in Daman, so on 8^th July 1893 he arrived there and started his work in right earnest. D. Antonio Pedro da Costa the then Bishop of Daman soon recognized his keen intellect and scholarship and so in 1895 appointed him as Professor of the Daman Seminary. In a short span of time he was appointed the Spiritual Director of the same Seminary. Besides this post he lectured on Moral Theology and on various other subjects. His methods of teaching were very much appreciated by his pupils and they held him in high esteem not only as a teacher but also as a friend, philosopher and guide. Taking into account the services rendered by him to this Dioceses of Goa, Daman and Diu, he was appointed Official Missionary on 16^th December 1898 by the Portuguese Government. He was at that time thirty years old and during these years he would visit his ancestral home and spend many happy hours with his parents and dear ones narrating to them with a great sense of fulfillment of the hard and strenuous work he had put in at the Seminary in Daman. He had toiled here in God’s vineyard for fifteen glorious years.

In Dabul (1911-1922)

When subsequently the posts of Philosophy and Theology were dropped out from the curriculum of the Daman Seminary Fr. Herculano was sent to Bombay where he found ample opportunities to exercise his burning zeal for the conversion of sinners. In the vicinity of the Church were a number of “Clubs’ or ‘Kudds’ as commonly called by Goans, where the Goans lived together for a very nominal rent. One such ‘Kudd’ belonged to the people of Benaulim the village of Fr. Herculano. To his discomfiture he observed that the moral standards of its occupants were appallingly low. Imbued with the spirit of St. John Mary Vianney for the care of these wayward souls Fr. Herculano did not hesitate to visit these dens whose occupants were in need of pastoral care. With long hours of prayer, wise counseling, love and patience he brought back these stray sheep to the fold. Daily he would be seen visiting these ‘Clubs’. There were time when he was gladly received and there were times when he was abused and bodily thrown out but nothing deterred him in his quest for these lost sheep. “Never say die” was his motto and God rewarded him.

During the time he worked as Assistant to the Parish Preist of Dabul he rendered his pastoral care to more than thirty thousand souls. Fr. Herculano lived what he preached. His soul was so permeated with the love of God that forgetting himself he reached out to the lonely widow, the despised sinner, the needy and the orphaned giving each one what they needed most the message that ‘God still loves them’. Wherever he went piety and holiness radiated from him, he was one that could be trusted and relied on, hence everyone flocked to him for guidance and even for monetary help. The sight of the poor always aroused his empathy and quite often he deprived himself of the bare necessities of life to help those in need. In all his endeavours he displayed the virtue of ‘Humility’ which for him had become a way of life. Very often he was seen in his room working untiringly, giving marriage guidance courses to prospective brides and grooms or filling in marriage certificates or performing any other duty that he was called upon to perform,. Every evening he would make his way to the slums or areas frequented by those reckless souls who needed his pastoral care.

Chaplain in Sonapur (1923-1930)

Fr. Herculano was 57 years old when he was appointed Chaplain of our Lady of Dolours Chapel, (today a Church) Sonapur. Here he worked with zeal and fervor winning souls and spreading the word of God to the more than twenty thousand souls entrusted to him and this job he carried on all by himself with no help whatsoever. Inspite of his time consuming duties as Chaplain, he made time to visit the’ Kudds’ and the surrounding slum areas giving them the ‘Word of God’. Seeing the plight of the helpless widows that moved him to the core Fr. Herculano started the ‘Association for Widows’ where the widows would gather together share their sorrows, pray together and render their support for another. They also used their talents to make homemade products and sell them so they were able to be financially independent.

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