Jacome Gonsalves
The Reverend Jacome Gonsalves | |
|---|---|
Father of Catholic Literature in Sri Lanka | |
| Priest and missionary | |
| Born | 8 June 1676 Divar, Goa, Portuguese India, Portuguese Empire |
| Died | 17 July 1742 Our Lady of Assumption church, Bolawatta, Negombo, Sri Lanka |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church (Sri Lanka and the Congregation of the Oratory) |
| Patronage | Sri Lanka |
Jacome Gonsalves, CO (Devanagari Konkani: पाद्री झाकॉम गोनसाल्विश; Portuguese: Padre Jacome Gonçalves; Tamil: ஜாகோமே கொன்சால்வேஸ் அருட்தந்தை; Sinhala: ජාකොමේ ගොන්සාල්වෙස් පියතුමා Jakome Gonsalves Piyathuma) was an Oratorian priest and missionary in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon.
Gonsalves arrived in Ceylon during the Dutch occupation, when the Dutch were imposing Calvinism as the official religion after defeating the Portuguese. He also helped Joseph Vaz in missionary work. He was proficient in the local Sinhala and Tamil Languages.
He is known as the "Father of Catholic Literature in Sri Lanka" because of his tremendous literary output. He had written many books, prayers, hymns and translated many Latin hymns into local languages. Some of his hymns and prayers are in popular use even today among Sinhala and Tamil Catholics.