REMINISCENCES OF THE WORK OF THE LATE MSGR.HERCULANO GONSALVES

by Edna D'Souza

On 11th February 1868, Herculano was born in Benaulim, in South Goa, to Remedios and Angela Amarante Gonsalves. He was brought up in an atmosphere of Christian piety and virtue, in the footsteps of his two uncle priests. He did his preparatory studies in his own village and then joined the Seminary to become a priest. Just before his ordination, while still a deacon, he was sent to Calangute in North Goa as assistant to his paternal uncle, who was then parish priest of Calangute Church.

Herculano Gonsalves was ordained priest on 17th December 1892. Fr. Gonsalves’ sterling qualities of mind and heart were revealed both in his preaching and in his priestly ministries. For a long time he was a Professor of the Seminary at Daman and a spiritual guide to Congregations of Sisters. He was made Vicar General and later Monsignor due to his indefatigable zeal for the salvation of souls.

In 1929, he returned to Calangute Church as Parish Priest, where his spirit of sacrifice and his unbounded love for children and compassion for women in distress, compelled him to devote all his time, energy and resources for their empowerment. His first venture was to establish a shelter for the homeless by starting the St. Alex Orphanage in 1930, under the able guidance of Theresa Bapto of the same village. Soon after, he began the Little Flower School, for the orphans and poor children of the coastal belt. When the side portion of the building collapsed due to rains, he rebuilt this orphanage by selling off his share of his ancestral property, and enlarging it to house not only the orphans, but other people in distress and in need of a home.

Realizing the need for his activities to continue he subsequently, in 1935, founded a Congregation called the ‘Handmaids of Christ’, with the first sister being Theresa Bapto. Since then, the Sisters have spread all over Goa, carrying on the work of their founder, who expired on 21st March 1950.

Today, the St. Alex Orphanage has good facilities and the capacity of housing around 50 children. The Orphanage caters to children of single parents, children with financial difficulties and from broken homes, and to children from families with problems. The other activities of the Sisters are the running of boarding houses, schools, hostels, homes for women and children, and homes for senior citizens. Children and adults from different backgrounds live together as one family under, it is believed, the protection and patronage of their late founder, Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves.

In 2005, the St. Alex Orphanage celebrated its Platinum Jubilee. The seed that was sown by a son of the soil has grown into a tree with branches spread all over Goa, under which future generations can also find shelter.

NOTE : Fr. Faistonmo D’Souza of Anjuna in North Goa, started the ‘Holy Family of Nazareth’ Congregation of Sisters at about the same time, with similar works for girls and women and established boarding houses, hostels, schools and homes for senior citizens. Earlier, foreign missionaries were doing this work; nowadays the locals themselves are spreading the “Good News” of hope for a fuller life.