Saint Gonsalo Garcia, O.F.M., (Latin: Gundisalvus Garcia, Portuguese: Gonçalo) (1556 – 5 February 1597) was a Roman Catholic Franciscan friar from Portuguese India, who died as a martyr in Japan and is venerated as a saint, one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan so venerated. The first Indian born to attain sainthood was born in the western coastal town of Vasai, now an exurb of the city of Mumbai, he hailed from the town—then known as Baçaim in Portuguese, later Bassein in English—during the time the town was under Portuguese colonial rule. The festival of St. Gonsalo has come to be held on the first Sunday nearest to the neap tide following Christmas in Vasai.
St Gonsalo Garcia of Bassein |
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| Born | 1557 Bassein (Baçaim), Portuguese India Deccan Sultanates |
| Died | 5 February 1597 Nagasaki, Japan |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 14 September 1627 by Pope Urban VIII |
| Canonized | 8 June 1862 by Pope Pius IX |
| Major shrine | St. Gonsalo Garcia Church Gass, Vasai, India |
| Feast | February 6 |
| Patronage | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay |
Source – Read More : wikipedia
