|
St.
Francis Xavier |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
A
Short History |
FRANCIS XAVIER, ST.
(1506-1552). Born in the
family castle of Xavier, near
Pamplona in the Basque area of
Spanish Navarre on Apr. 7, he
was sent to the University of
Paris 1552, secured his
licentiate in 1528, met
Ignatius Loyola and became one
of the seven who in 1534, at
Montmartre founded the Society
of Jesus. In 1536 he left
Paris to join Ignatius in
Venice, from whence they all
in tended to go as
missionaries to Palestine (a
trip which never
materialized), was ordained
there in 1537, went to Rome in
1538, and in 1540, when the
pope formally recognized the
Society, was ordered, with Fr.
Simon Rodriguez, to the Far
East as the first Jesuit
missionaries. King John III
kept Fr. Simon in Lisbon, but
Francis, after a year's
voyage, six months of which
were spent at Mozambique where
he preached and gave aid to
the sick eventually arrived in
Goa, India in 1542 with Fr.
Paul of Camerino an Italian,
and Francis Mansihas, a
Portuguese. There he began
preaching to the natives and
attempted to reform his fellow
Europeans, living among the
natives and adopting their
customs on his travels. During
the next decade he converted
tens of thousands to
Christianity. He visited the
Paravas at the tip of India.
near Cape Comorin, Tuticorin
(1542), Malacca (1545), the
Moluccas near New Guinea and
Morotai near the Philippines
(1546-47), and Japan (1549-
51). In 1551, India and the
East were set up as a separate
province and Ignatius made
Francis its first provincial.
In 1552 he set out for China,
landed on the island of
Sancian within sight of his
goal, but died before he
reached the mainland. Working
against great difficulties,
language problems ( contrary
to legend, he had no
proficiency in foreign tongues
), inadequate funds, and lack
of cooperation, often actual
resistance, from European
officials, he left the mark of
his missionary zeal and energy
on areas which clung to
Christianity for centuries. He
was canonized in 1622 and
proclaimed patron of all
foreign missions by Pope Pius
X. F. D. Dec. 3.
|
| |
