Jacome Gonsalves, CO (Devanagari Konkani: पाद्री झाकॉम गोनसाल्विश; Portuguese: Padre Jacome Gonçalves; Tamil: ஜாகோமே கொன்சால்வேஸ் அருட்தந்தை; Sinhala: ජාකොමේ ගොන්සාල්වෙස් පියතුමා Jakome Gonsalves Piyathuma) was an Oratorian priest and missionary in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon.

He is known as the "Father of Catholic Literature in Sri Lanka" because of his tremendous literary output.

Jacome Gonsalves was the eldest son of Tomás Gonsalves and Mariana de Abreu, a Goan Catholic couple living in the parish of Our Lady of Piety (Piedade, Goa).

His family had been Catholic for many generations, being among the first native converts at the beginning of Portuguese rule in Goa.

In 1696 he began theological studies at the Academy of St Thomas Aquinas in Goa, where he also held the post of organist.

Agostinho de Anunciação, Archbishop of Goa, in April 1700 at the Cathedral of St. Catherine.

He was appointed to the chair of philosophy at the University of St Paul's in Goa [probably the Collegio São Paulo].

[3] He left Goa on 9 May 1705 and reached Sri Lanka on 30 August 1705, arriving at Talaimannar.

He mastered this language during his first assignment on the islands of Mannar, Arippu, Musali and other places in the Munnar district.

Fr Gonsalves studied with the Buddhist monks at the Malwatta chapter, known for their high and elegant Sinhala.

While he was servicing between Sitawaka and Colombo, he was tortured by Dutch, who were controlling the coastline of Sri Lanka.

[3] Due to the dislocating of his temporomandibular joint in 1711, he went to the royal doctors, then to Puttlam, Sitawaka, and Colombo.

[3] Though the chiefs of Congregation of Oratory (Goa) asked him to return to Goa, through Bishop of Cochin, Fr Jacome Gonsalves rejected the appeal, thinking of his service at Sri Lanka.

Fr Jacome Gonsalves has been called: "the most successful missionary that this island (Sri Lanka) ever had, the creator of Catholic literature in Ceylon, whose name is still held in benediction and whose literary works in Sinhalese and Tamil are still in daily use in the church of this island.

With a content of 400 printed pages, this was the largest book that was written in Kandyan Era.

This has been written as the whole creation of world has been done in Sri Lanka, with usage of creative illusions and allusions.

His description of the Garden of Eden includes local trees: jackfruit, sugar cane, king coconut, timbiri, sandalwood, blue lotus.

It consists of gospels read on Sundays, debt festivals and feasts of important saints, and sermons on those days.

[3] ප්‍රාතිහාර්යාවලිය (Prathiharyawaliya) is a book written on some of the miracles done by Jesus which are mentioned in Holy Bible, in 1732.

[3] දේව නීති විසර්ජනය (Deva Neethi Visarjanaya = Resolution of divine laws) is a book written in between 1720 - 1730, on the last judgement of God.

[3] මාතර ප්‍රත්‍යක්ෂය (Mathara Prathyakshaya = Manifest of Matara) is a book written rejecting the teachings of Buddhism, and giving a correct idea, in 1733.

[3] මංගල ගීතය (Mangala Geethaya = Festival song) is a book containing hymns to Jesus, Mary and Saints in 1730.

It contained some songs which denounced the corruptions in the king's palace and council farcically.

It contains 12 meditations (Religious sermons) to refresh, lighten the spiritual vision of Catholics.

He introduced a new variety of hymns, or lamentations called Pasan (පසම් / ஒப்பாரி), which are still being sung in the lent times.