Saint Francis Xavier
A Jesuit missionary to India and Japan who died off the coast of China.
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Missionary, Priest
- Life
- 1506 – 1552
- Era
- 16th century
- Feast
- 3 December
- Countries
- Spain, India, Japan, China
Life story
Francis was born in 1506 at the castle of Xavier in the Kingdom of Navarre. He went to Paris to study and later taught philosophy there. In Paris he shared a room with Ignatius of Loyola and, after some hesitation, joined his circle of friends; in 1534 he took the shared vow with them at Montmartre. He was ordained a priest in Venice in 1537.
In 1541, at the request of King John III of Portugal, he left Lisbon to work in the East and reached Goa in 1542. He worked among the pearl fishers of the south Indian coast, then in Malacca and the Moluccas. He wrote many letters to Europe, including appeals for more missionaries. He travelled constantly by ship and on foot, learning what he could of local languages and relying on interpreters and catechists, and he left much of the daily teaching to local helpers.
In 1549 he arrived in Japan, landing at Kagoshima with a few helpers. He also worked at Hirado and Yamaguchi, made a journey to Kyoto, and left Japan in 1551. He then hoped to enter China, which was closed to foreigners. On the island of Shangchuan (Sancian), off the Guangdong coast, he fell ill and died on 3 December 1552, without having set foot on the mainland.
His body was taken to Goa, where it is still venerated in the Basilica of Bom Jesus. He was canonised in 1622, and in 1927 Pius XI declared him, together with Thérèse of Lisieux, patron of the missions. Writers have often counted him among the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church.
Works and witness
- Reached Goa in 1542 and worked for years in southern India.
- Travelled through Malacca and the Moluccas.
- Arrived in Japan in 1549.
- Died on 3 December 1552 on Shangchuan island before reaching China.
Patron of
Missions, Navarre
Saints from the same country
References
- Letters of Francis Xavier (Monumenta Xaveriana)
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.