• "The Miracles of St. Francis Xavier" by Rubens

  
• St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of our church and school, is one of the greatest missionary disciples in the history of the world. He was canonized a saint in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, and he was proclaimed co-patron saint (along with St. Therese of Lisieux) of all foreign missions by Pope Pius XI in 1927.
  
  St. Francis Xavier was born in 1506 at the Xavier Castle in Navarre, Spain. He was the youngest of six children and was born into a prosperous family. At eighteen years of age, he entered the University of Paris – the premiere university in the world at the time. Francis was a promising young athlete (high jumper) and scholar who sought a prestigious career, and the fame and fortune that would accompany such a life. While in Paris, however, he roomed with St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former Basque military official who had undergone a profound spiritual conversion some years earlier after sustaining a bad leg injury while in battle. At first, the relationship between the two men was strained because Francis, with his worldly ambitions, had a difficult time accepting the God-centered living and thinking of Ignatius. With patient endurance, however, Ignatius began to have a profound impact on Francis. Often, he would ask Francis the question that Jesus Himself poses in the Gospels (see Mark 8:36): “What does it profit one to gain the whole world but lose his soul?” Eventually, this question and the profound witness of Ignatius’ lifestyle moved Francis to devote his entire life to Christ as well. After making the “spiritual exercises” – under the direction of Ignatius – in 1534 he joined Ignatius and five other young men in Montmartre, France to co-found the Jesuit Order (the “Society” or “Companions of Jesus”). Together, they took the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and began their dedicated service to God and to His Church.
  
  In 1537, Francis traveled to Italy and was ordained a Catholic priest. For a short time thereafter he ministered to the sick and un-catechized people who lived on the streets. From there he went to Portugal to prepare for missionary work in India (which had been colonized by the Portuguese), at the direction of Ignatius. Francis left Lisbon on April 7, 1541 – his 35th birthday – and while departing he was appointed apostolic nuncio to the East (i.e., the Pope’s ambassador to the East). In the spring of 1542 (after a year-plus of traveling), he arrived in the city of Goa, India. With a fervent desire to bring souls to Christ, Francis immediately began to learn the native language of the people. Over the next few years, he worked tirelessly to introduce the native people to Jesus and His Church – celebrating the sacraments and teaching them the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the 10 Commandments (among other things). As a result, a tremendous number of people were baptized and began to live for Christ.
  
  In his efforts to minister to the poor people of India, Francis himself lived a simple life – sleeping on the ground in a hut, surviving on only rice and water, etc. This manner of living, along with his loving concern for the people, won their esteem and affection. So, even though he often faced difficulties and, at times, opposition, his efforts led to thousands of baptisms and the establishment of many flourishing Christian communities/churches throughout India.
  
  From 1545 to 1547 Francis traveled throughout southeast Asia (Malacca and the Maluku Islands, among other places) seeking to share the Gospel. In December of 1547, while in Malacca, Francis met a Japanese man – an encounter that would lead him to pursue missionary work in Japan starting in 1549. Upon arriving in Kagoshima, a principal port city, Francis immediately set out to learn the native language, Japanese, as was his custom, but he found it to be very difficult to master. In addition, there were many other political, cultural, and religious issues that made the spread of Christianity quite challenging. Nevertheless, Francis did what he could – even using paintings of the Madonna and Child to teach the people about the faith (as sacred images could convey truths that his words/language skills could not) and abandoning the “evangelical poverty” (that he had lived and that had worked so well in India) for clothing and niceties that were more acceptable to his Japanese audience.
  
  In 1551/52, following the moderate success of this Japanese mission – at least relative to his work in India – Francis began to plan for his next missionary endeavor to China. Unfortunately, these plans never came to full fruition because he came down with a life-threatening fever before ever reaching the mainland; he died and entered into eternal life on December 3, 1552, at the age of 46.
  
  Today, St. Francis Xavier’s incorrupt remains are enshrined in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, India, and his right arm – which baptized tens of thousands – can be seen in the Church of the Gesú in Rome. And, St. Francis continues to inspire and challenge each of us to follow Jesus as missionary disciples in our own lives. St. Francis Xavier, pray for us, and for our church and school!