The Portuguese began their presence on the western coast of India with the arrival in 1498 of Vasco da Gama at the harbour of Calicut (Kozhikode).

Its fertility and position, together with its healthy climate, made it a commercial centre of some importance, and the home of many Portuguese noblemen.

The prosperity of Bassein increased such that it was considered among the richest cities among the Portuguese colonies in the world at that time.

Documents in the Lisbon Archives (ANTT) describe him as natural de Agaçaim (a resident of Agashi village) in Bassein.

Here Garcia came into contact with the Jesuit priest, Sebastião Gonsalves, who became a friend and guide throughout his life.

In 1580 Garcia left Bassein with some Jesuit missionaries headed to join their mission in Japan.

As a missionary, he went about in public places drawing children to himself by his amiable disposition, by his fluency in the language of the country and by his kindness.

During his frequent visits to Manila he made the acquaintance of the Franciscan Friars, and being drawn more and more towards them, he joined them as a lay brother.

In Manila, he came into contact with the Franciscan missionary, Friar Pedro Bautista, who remained his companion until their shared death.

After facing some initial difficulties the Franciscans settled in Japan and began their missionary work in Kyoto, Osaka, etc.

In October 1596, the Spanish ship San Felipe, bound from Manila to Acapulco, was driven by typhoons to the coast of Japan.

They traveled six hundred miles from Kyoto to Nagasaki through Sakai, Okayama, Hiroshima, Shimonoseki, and Karatsu.

He, Peter Baptist, and the other friars were crucified, along with fifteen teenage boys who were members of the Third Order of Saint Francis, as well as the three Jesuits.

The Portuguese and Japanese Christians attending the execution broke past the guards and started soaking pieces of cloth in the blood of the executed, gathering lumps of the blood-soaked dirt, and tearing up their religious habits and kimono for holy relics.

It was once again taken up in 1862 and on 8 June 1862 Pope Pius IX canonized Gonsalo Garcia and his co-martyrs as the 26 Martyrs of Japan.

Thomas Dabre, the Bishop Emeritus of Vasai, says Garcia's relevance even today lies in the universalism of his charity and love.

A small statue of Gonçalo Garcia was taken from Portugal to Recife in Brazil as early as 1745 by a local Brazilian because of his brown complexion (a further proof of his Indian ancestry), where his veneration soon took off.