Remembering blessed Rev. Gonsalves

Rev. Jacome Gonsalves used the oriental languages to usher the Christian era in the island

At a time when the Catholic Church is contemplating to bestow the Blessed hood on the Christian writer scholar Rev. Jacome Gonsalves, who lived in the then Kandyan Kingdom during the reign of King Narendrasinghe, it is necessary to find the reasons for the background he qualifies for this treatment in his saintly life and his commitment to genius skills as man of letters.  
When St. Joseph Vaz visited this island during King Narendrasinghe’s rule in the beginning of the 18th Century, Rev. Vaz wanted an erudite scholar to support his missionary work here, a reputed scholar missionary from India who had a Doctorate in letters, a linguist and a poet of excellence, consented to join the mission initiated by St. Joseph Vaz.  
Rev. Gonsalves had easily grasped the indigenous languages in use in the subcontinent and was familiar with the indigenous cultures and native practices.  
He accordingly agreed to migrate to take up this challenge to put the Christian Latin literature, music and drama translated into local languages.  
First, he studied the native languages. The language was the vehicle on which the communication could reach out to the folk.  
Its command and the flow mattered in the process. He took instructions from the Buddhist prelates in Malwatte, Kandy during the cordial courtship that prevailed during this period that experienced a renaissance in writing.  
He trained translators in native languages and compiled books and copied them and distributed to parishes created by his guru St. Joseph Vaz.  

This was how he started parish assignments and introduced order and discipline in parishes with regard to devotion. He made smooth accessibility to the holy mysteries of the universal Church through his ecclesiastical translations, music composition, drama performances and publications thereafter in the national languages.  
Thereby he laid the national foundation for the indigenous Church for the Catholics of Sri Lanka. He simplified the ecclesiastical teachings and mysteries of divinity and regulated them into prayers and composed songs for ordinary lay people in parishes.   
He translated the Hymn “Joy to the world as Devindu Upanneya Sathuni which remained close to the hearts of many Catholics during Christmas time.  
He made the story of Universal creation and the ages beyond so simple in his song Arambhya.  
They even went to the extent of creating passion play and drama which quickly absorbed into the Catholic culture which later contributed to the advancement of drama and nadagam in the island.  
He laid the foundation for the Catholic culture with his composition of drama and song which was a novel experience to indigenous cultures based on Buddhist and Hindu literature.  
As much as Arahant Mahinda updated the Buddhist culture prevailing in the island, Rev. Jacome Gonsalves in his term here in the 18th century laid the foundation for an Asian Christian Cultural set up for the local Catholics. Perhaps he could have been influenced by the Christian culture and literature that existed during the Portuguese regime proved by local authors like Alagiyawanna Mukaveti of the Kotte period.  
He borrowed them and updated the letters. It was only after three centuries the Vatican realised the importance for a Church for Asia which has its roots and heritage mixed with indigenous cultures existing in the huge continent.  

"His remains lie at the altar of Bolawatte Church where he spent his last days. Even to this date, eminent scholars like Professor Sunil Ariyarantne have a soft corner for his literary productions..."

There were such missionaries in the East who contributed to this transformation of the Roman Church to the needs of Asia. Now there is no turn back, things have improved on the march to the creation of a regional Church divorced from Roman traditions for its survival. He studied native languages specially educated himself with letters from the Buddhist Sangha in Malwatte, Kandy, and was able to update the Christian heritage needed for this island.  
His remains lie at the altar of Bolawatte Church where he spent his last days. Even to this date, eminent scholars like Professor Sunil Ariyarantne have a soft corner for the literary productions of Rev. Gonsalves which he interprets as a source of inspiration to the Sinhala Language and Literature. He opened a new Chapter of progress in the use of the Sinhala Language which is strange to its culture in which it developed and originated.  
He translated the Psalms and Ecclesiastes from the Bible and proved that the native languages could engineer different cultural backgrounds. He was followed in contemporary times by scholars like late Rev. Dr. Don Peter, Rev. Marcelline Jayakody, Rev. Ernest Porutota, Rev. Molligoda or Rev. Aba Costa in our times who dreamt the vision of Rev. Gonsalves.  
As in a short narration of the late Rev. Gonsalves late Rev. Dr. Dom Peter describe him the way he has sacrificed long hours burning oil in the dark parish room in consecutive nights during that time clothing himself in a long cassock to protect from mosquitoes to accomplish his mission for a local Church. He was so native that even the Kandyan Kings were not feeling uncomfortable with the alien tendencies as a priest in the hill country.  
Therefore calling him Blessed would not seem something foreign to the people of this country.