The Church of St. Simon at Gancim, Goa

The Church of St. Simon, Gancim

Gancim was an obscure name for many of us, until the apparition of Our Lady on September 24, 1994, at the hillock where stands the age-old church dedicated to Saint Simon and to his companion in martyrdom Saint Jude, the patrons of the Church. Iveta Gomes, who is a Goan expatriate in Canada, claimed to have seen the vision of Blessed Virgin Mary. From that day onwards thousands have visited the place to see if they were lucky to have a glimpse of this vision and to pray for Virgin Mary’s blessing. After the apparition, there is a mass at 3.30 p.m., on first Saturday of the month, to which many devotees flock.

Where is Gancim?

The village is in Tiswadi Taluka and is situated in the neighbourhood of Batim, and surrounded by other villages of Neura o Grande, Talaulim, Goalim de Moula and Azossim. History tells us that it was a flourishing village where fidalgos, rich and well to do people lived. Its location on the plateau and healthy environment made it a choice for businessmen to take rest and leisure after their hard work. However, the prosperity of this village was affected when the plague that had created distress in the Old City of Goa in the eighteenth century, by killing people in hundreds, also affected Gancim and a number of people migrated to different villages in Goa. When in 1733 Archbishop D Frei Inacio de Santa Teresa (1721-40) asked for an assessment of those who lived there, it was found that only 731 Catholics lived in the area, once a populous village. In 1767, Fr Pedro do Rosario Dias was nominated vicar of Gancim Church who however after seven months from the time of appointment requested to be transferred to Curca Church because there were no Catholics in the village.

The Comunidade of Gancim and the few Catholics that lived there looked after the church till 1840. In fact it was the Comunidade which looked after financial needs of the church. According to Filipe Neri Xavier, the Comunidade contributed in the beginning with 7 jonos for maintenance of the church, out of which four were for the expenses of the patron, two for the coffer of the Sepulcher and one for the expenses of Jesus. However in 1813, by an order of the Tanadar-mor and the government, the jonos were stopped and a fund of 150 xerafins was allotted for expenses of the feast of the patron and cleanliness of the church. This amount was reduced to 120 xerafins in 1835 and in 1832 to 70 xerafins. Finally the Administrator of Comunidades of the taluka of Tiswadi stopped in 1840 with all the grants. The patron and the Confraternities of the church were transferred to the Church of Batim. There is a compromise, that the church of S Simao was aggregated to that of Batim in 1781. However, this unsocial measure of the Administrador was responsible for the damage and ruin of the Church, which was left without care and the roof was destroyed due to vagaries of nature.

Due to these circumstances the people who had continued living in the village moved to the adjoining village of Batim and Mandur. The ward of Maina in Batim is today populated by the Catholics of Ganchim Church who settled in that ward. Likewise, the Hindus of the village settled in the Moula ward.

In 1862 the statue of Our Lady of Gloria and Jesus on the Cross was taken to the old church of Batim. When the present church of Batim was built both the images were taken to this church. The original images of St Jude and St Simon are also in the Batim Church. The image of the Dead Body of Jesus Christ is in the chapel of St Thomas in Panaji. The pedestal in blue stone of the pulpit at the Neura Church belonged to the church as well as the granite frame of the main door transferred to the Administration of Confrarias office.
The church during the years was damaged very badly, with only the façade and the walls of the church remaining. The roof was completely destroyed. On the walls, plants and vegetation had grown. That did not deter the gaunkars and the villagers of Gancim to celebrate the feast of the patrons on October 28 or the Sunday following the day. The feast of Saint Simon is celebrated by the Catholic Church on October 28. The decision to have the services on the feast day was at the request of one Jose family, which requested the Archbishop to hold the mass on the feast day. Permission was granted and the feast of Saint Jude and Saint Simao is celebrated since then in the Church.
In 1967, the parish priest of Batim Church, Pedro Pereira took the decision of rebuilding the old Gancim Church and requested the parishioners and people of Gancim and personally contacted the gaunkars of the Gancim Comunidade to contribute to repair the church. Fortunately, only the roof was destroyed. He was successful in repairing the church with donations from the villagers and money was also sent by the Pope. Fr Inacio Mariano do Rosario, from Pilar Convent also helped in the reconstruction work.

Elizabeth Rodrigues, who is a gaunkar of the Comunidade of Gancim told me that after renovation, the main altar was built in the format of a miniature replica of the Saligao church. The altar is devoted to Our Lady of Gloria. The old statues of the church which were taken to Batim remained there. Now new ones have replaced them. The statue of Saint Judas which was at the Chichinim sanctuary was transferred along with some other movable goods to the Gancim Church, where thereafter, every first Thursday mass was held. However, this practice has been stopped. The original church had three altars. The main was dedicated to St Jude and St Simon. Of the two side altars, one was of Our Lady of Gloria and the other of Jesus.
In the ward of Maina, Batim a chapel dedicated to Holy Cross was built in 1931 and blessed on March 23, 1932. Mass was being held in the chapel on Sundays. The statues of St Judas and St Simon are brought from the church of Batim and kept in the chapel before taking them to the church of Gancim for veneration on the feast day.