Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez who laid the:

Foundation for an Indigenous Church

by W. T. A. Leslie Fernando

On July 17, Catholics in Sri Lanka commemorate Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez who laid the basis for an indigenous Church in our country. Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez came to Sri Lanka in 1705 to join Blessed in the missionary activities in the island. He passed away on July 17, 1742 and his mortal remains were intered at St. Mary’s Church, Bolawatta.

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez was born in Goa in 1676. He was ordained a priest of the Oratorian Order in India in 1700. The great Catholic writer, poest and musician he relinquished the post of lecturer at the University of Goa to come to our country. Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez spent the rest of his life 37 years full of religious and allied cultural activity in Sri Lanka.

The Catholic faith was officially introduced to Sri Lanka with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. The missionaries during the Portuguese times learned Sinhala and Tamil and made an attempt to present the religion in a manner meaningful to the native population.

It is on record that a Jesuit priest at Malvana had trained the young to chant prayers and sing canticles in Sinhala. A Fransiscan friar at Matara, Antonio Peixoto had presented drama on the passion of Christ and on lives of Saints. Fr. Alphonsus Didicus writes in 1643, that in a church dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary at Vadukkodai in Jaffna, Vespers, Salve and Ave Maria were sung in Tamil on Saturdays.

But as a whole, the Missionaries during the Portuguese times failed to appreciate what is good and praiseworthy in our culture. They rather sought to impose Western culture along with the Christian faith.

During the Dutch times as a result of the religious persecution, Catholic activity almost dissapeared in the island. It was Blessed Joseph Vaz who came to the country in 1687 under the guise of a coolie who revived the Catholic faith. Blessed Joseph Vaz and his fellow Oratorians being Easterners were in a better position than the European missionaries during the Portuguese times to appreciate the indigenous culture.

Blessed Joseph Vaz wanted to set up a Church adapted to the country and suited to its needs and circumstances. He himself introduced Oriental forms of worship, some prayers land Passion plays. However he entrusted the main task of providing Catholic hymns, prayers and literature to his assistant, companion and successor, Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez.

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez, like Blessed Joseph Vaz was a Konkani Brahamin by linieage. He had some knowledge of Tamil when he landed in Sri Lanka. He improved this knowledge by reading Tamil classics. He studied Sinhala under learned Buddhist Bhikkus and educated laymen like Gaskone Adikaram.

In his missionary activities Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez travelled far and wide in the country. He moved with the high and the low from Kings in the Kandyan Court to the humble peasant in the village. He treasured Sinhala and Tamil classics and at the same time could appreciate flok art, literature and music.

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez presented Sinhala and Tamil Catholic prayers in a language to suit both the erudite and the commoner. His contributions have stood the test of time.

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez is accredited with 22 books in Sinhala, 15 in Tamil, 4 in Prtuguese and 1 in Dutch. Although he was a foreigner, rather than imitating the Christian works in the West, he produced original works to suit the cultural traits in this country. Sinhala and Tamil Catholics in Sri Lanka owe their Christian vocabulary to Fr. Gonsalvez.

The most admired Sinhala prose work of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez is ‘Deva Veda Puranaya’. In language and in style it resembles the graceful prose presentation in ‘Pujavaliya’. ‘Deva Neethi Visarjanaya’ which gives an account of the Last Judgement is said to have impressed even King Narendrasinghe of Kandy. ‘Suvisesha Visadyanaya’ contains the Gospel for Sundays and feast days to be recited in the chanting style of Sinhala prose. In the past when there was no Sunday Mass in some churches devotees used to get together and chant the Gospel from it.

Blessed Joseph Vaz introduced Passion plays in Sri Lanka on the model of puppet shows he had witnessed in Goa. Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez wrote ‘Dukprapthi Prasangaya’ a series of sermons to be chanted while the dumb show was on. To break the tediudm of listening to sermons he composed ‘Pasan’ or lamentations to be recited in a plaintive tone. Even today Pasan is recited during the Lent.

‘Veda Kavya’ is the best poetry work of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez. This deals with the creation of the world and the life of Christ. As the Christian poets were influenced by Greek mythology, in this work Fr. Gonsalvez shows the influence of Hindu mythology and Sinhala Maha Kavyas.

However in presentation, language and style, he has followed popular works like ‘Guttilaya’, ‘Buduguna Alankaraya’ and ‘Kusa Jathakaya’. This is a splendid attempt at a suythesis between Christian themes and Sinhala Poetic diction.

An accomplished musician Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez composed Sinhala and Tamil hymns set to Carnatic ragas and folk music well known in the soil. His work ‘Mangala Geethaya’ (Canticles for Festivals) contained hymns set to folk music in Seth Kavi, Nelum Kavi and Pel Kavi. In the past its hymns were sung on feast days to the accompaniment of drums (bera) and cymbals (attala).

Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez also composed a set of hymns called ‘Ananda Kalippuwa’ on the vanities of the world in Vannam style. Besides he is said to have written a set of sermons similar to Buddhist ‘Pin Anumodanawa’ which Catholics could chant at funerals to communicate merit to the dead.

The earliest Tamil work of Fr. Gonsalvez is Christiani Alayam’. This deals with what Christians ought to believe, what they ought to practice and how they should worship. ‘Suvisesha Viriturai’ contains Gospel for Sundays and feast days with commentary. It surpasses its Sinhala counterpart ‘Suvisesha Visadyanaya’ in its majestic diction and fuller treatment.

‘Viyakula Piraasangam’ is the most popular Tamil work of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez. This comprises of soul stirring sermons on the passion of Christ in a plaintive tone. It was Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez who composed Tamil ‘Oppari’ - the counterpart of Pasan that contained pathos said to be seldom found in prose or verse in any language. At one time Catholic women from Negombo who chanted Oppari at funerals were misunderstood as ‘hired mourners’.

During the Dutch times, Bolawatta where Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez stayed most was a centre of Catholic cultural activity. During Christmas and more specially at Easter, Catholic rituals were performed their with all the solemnity. There were lively scenes of drama, processions and Passion plays with prayers and hymns written by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez.

Catholics were the pioneers of Sinhala Nadagam. Here too the influence of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez is seen. Some of the themes for earlier Catholics nadagams were drwan from his works. His compositions have also influenced lyrics and songs in nadagams.

Thus Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez laid the foundation to evolve an indigenous Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. He presented Catholic forms, prayers and practices in terms of indigenous thought. He brought about a synthesis between Christian concepts and indigenous culture.

Today so much emphasis is placed on indigenisation and cultural adaptation in the Catholic Church. Since of late there is a tendency among some to introduce extraneous forms and practices in the name of inculturation.

To some cultural adaptation means slavishly imitating Buddhist and Hindu forms and practices. At times fantastic performances are displayed inside churches without due regard for the dignity and holiness of the service. There are some others who suggest an indigenous Theology!

Christianity is God given and not manmade. It is universal, transcendental and supra-cultural. You cannot categorise the Christian doctrine as to Western Theology, Eastern Theology, Indian Theology, Eskimo Theology and Sri Lankan Theology.

On the other hand religion is a powerful force in the formation and development of culture. A religion cannot be taken in isolation without the culture that emanates from it.

A universal religion like Christianity has some cultural elements that do not vary from country to country and century to century. These cultural traits in the course of time would intermingle with the native culture to give the Church in that country a distinct outlook.

The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has a proud history of over 500 years. During this time it has evolved an identity of its own. During the Dutch times under the Oratorian priests like Blessed Joseph Vaz and Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez the Church in Sri Lanka witnessed a magnificent cultural adaptation. As the late Bishop Edmund Pieris vividly puts it - “We Catholics must Catch up the strand where the real creators of Sinhala-Catholic synthesis has left it develop and enrich it to suit the modern conditions in the Church as well as in the country.

(The writer is a former High Court Judge and Vice-President of the Newman Society Alumni Association)