Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), along with Saint Teresa of Ávila, is a universal patron saint of Catholic missions. His life constitutes one of the most fascinating and fruitful chapters in the history of evangelization. Born in Xavier Castle (Navarre, Spain) on April 7, 1506, he died on the island of Sancian, off the coast of China, on December 3, 1552, consumed by apostolic zeal and fever.

From knight to disciple of Saint Ignatius

Francisco was the youngest son of Juan de Jaso, president of the Royal Council of Navarre, and María de Azpilcueta. The war of 1512-1515 left the family ruined, and the castle destroyed, so young Francisco was sent to study in Paris in 1525. There, at the College of Saint Barbara, he shared a room with Peter Faber and, above all, with Ignatius of Loyola, then a 34-year-old “old student.”

At first, Francis rejected Ignatius’s spiritual proposals. He was a bright young man, a lover of sports and the good life, with academic ambitions. However, Ignatius’s persistence, repeating the Gospel verse, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36), eventually overcame his resistance. On August 15, 1534, on the hill of Montmartre, Francis and five other companions took vows of poverty and chastity and promised to go to the Holy Land or place themselves at the Pope’s disposal. The Society of Jesus was born.

The great missionary

In 1540, King John III of Portugal asked the Pope for missionaries for the East Indies. Ignatius appointed Francis Xavier, who was then 34 years old and not yet a priest (he had been ordained in Venice in 1537). He left Lisbon on April 7, 1541, his 35th birthday, and would never see Europe again.

For eleven years he traveled across a vast territory:

• India (Goa, Pescadores Coast, Travancor, Cochin, Malacca…)
• The Moluccas (Spice Islands)
• Japan (arrived in Kagoshima in 1549, the first Catholic missionary in the country)

His methods were simple and heroic: he learned the local languages, catechized the children first (because they would then teach their parents), baptized thousands (more than 30,000 baptisms are said to have been performed by him), founded Christian communities, and left native catechists behind before departing. His correspondence (we have preserved 137 of his letters) breathes a missionary zeal that still moves us today.

In 1552, he attempted to enter China, the great dream of his life, but died of fever on the island of Sancian on December 3, waiting in vain for the ship that would take him to Canton. His body, incorrupt for months, was taken first to Malacca and finally to Goa, where it is venerated today in the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

His legacy for the Church

• He is the greatest missionary of the modern era: in just 11 years he traveled through what are now more than 15 countries and sowed the faith in completely different cultures.
• He demonstrated that evangelization could be done respecting local cultures (he was a pioneer in “inculturation”).
• His absolute trust in Providence and his motto “Enough, Lord, enough!”, when difficulties seemed insurmountable, continue to be a school for every missionary.
• Paul VI proclaimed him, along with Saint Teresa of Avila, patron of the missions in 1964 (although Pius XI had already declared him patron of the missions in 1927).

Prayer proper to Saint Francis Xavier

(The best known and most traditional, attributed to the saint and approved by the Church)

O eternal and almighty God, who through Saint Francis Xavier carried your Gospel to the ends of the earth, grant us, we beseech you, the same ardent zeal for the salvation of souls and the same fortitude in difficulties, so that, working generously for the extension of your Kingdom, we may one day merit to share in the glory of those you so loved! Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Saint Francis Xavier, pray for us and for all the missions of the world!