1. Gonsalo Garcia died at the hands of the 16th-century Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan and was canonised along with his companions, the 26 Martyrs of Japan.
12 Facts About Gonsalo Garcia
1. 2.
Gonsalo Garcia's father was a Portuguese soldier and his mother a Canarim as the Portuguese called the inhabitants of the Konkan.
3.
In 1580 Gonsalo Garcia left Bassein with some Jesuit missionaries headed to join their mission in Japan.
4.
Gonsalo Garcia served faithfully as a catechist for eight years.
5.
On leaving the Jesuits, Gonsalo Garcia went to the city of Alacao.
6.
Gonsalo Garcia was very much delighted when he was accepted into the Franciscan order.
7.
The Spanish Governor of Manila selected Peter Baptist as the leader of the delegation, and, since he did not know the Japanese language, Gonsalo Garcia was selected as his translator as well as his companion.
8.
Gonsalo Garcia was so happy with this offer that he immediately accepted the responsibility.
9.
In Japan, Gonsalo Garcia became the center of attraction, as he knew the Japanese language well.
10.
Gonsalo Garcia told them that the King of Spain sent the missionaries first to instigate the people against their ruler.
11.
Brother Gonsalo Garcia became St Gonsalo Garcia, the first Catholic saint of India and the Indian sub-continent, and 8 June 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of his canonization.
12.
Gonsalo Garcia's memory is kept alive with a college named after him in Vasai.