Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

The Basque Nobleman

Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was born on April 7, 1506, in the family castle of Xavier (Javier) in the Kingdom of Navarre, at the foot of the Pyrenees in what is now northern Spain. He was the youngest son of a prominent noble family, and from his earliest years he was groomed for a career of worldly distinction. Tall, athletic, and intellectually gifted, the young Francis was sent to the University of Paris in 1525, where he proved a brilliant student of philosophy and dreamed of academic glory.

At Paris, Francis shared lodgings with a fellow student who would change his life forever: Ignatius of Loyola, a former soldier from the Basque country who had undergone a radical conversion. Ignatius saw in Francis enormous potential — and enormous worldly ambition. For years, Ignatius worked on Francis with patience and persistence, repeating the words of Christ: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul?" Francis resisted. He wanted the prestige of a university professorship. But finally, after years of Ignatius's quiet influence, Francis surrendered to a greater calling.

The Birth of a Vocation

On August 15, 1534, in a small chapel on Montmartre in Paris, Francis Xavier joined Ignatius and five other companions in taking vows of poverty, chastity, and service to the Pope. This small band would become the Society of Jesus — the Jesuits — one of the most influential religious orders in the history of the Church.

"It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man's progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken." — Saint Francis Xavier

Francis was ordained a priest in 1537 and initially served in Italy, caring for the sick and teaching catechism. But in 1540, everything changed. King John III of Portugal requested Jesuit missionaries for the Portuguese colonies in the East Indies. When the originally assigned priest fell ill, Francis was chosen as a last-minute replacement. On April 7, 1541 — his thirty-fifth birthday — he set sail from Lisbon. He would never return to Europe.

Apostle of the Indies

The voyage to India took over a year, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and crossing the Indian Ocean. Francis arrived in Goa, the capital of Portuguese India, in May 1542. What he found dismayed him: nominal Christians living scandalous lives, the native population exploited and largely neglected spiritually. Francis immediately began his work among the poorest of the poor.

His missionary method was direct and deeply personal:

• He walked through villages ringing a bell, gathering children and adults to hear the catechism
• He translated prayers and the Creed into local languages, setting them to popular tunes so people could sing and remember them
• He lived with the people he served, sharing their food and sleeping in their huts
• He baptized so many people that his arm would become too exhausted to lift
• He wrote letters back to Europe that are among the great documents of missionary history

From the Paravas of the Fishery Coast in southern India, Francis moved to Malacca, the Moluccas (Spice Islands), and then to Japan, where he arrived in 1549. In Japan he encountered a highly sophisticated civilization and adapted his approach accordingly, engaging Buddhist monks in philosophical debates and winning the respect of local feudal lords. In just over two years, he established Christian communities that would endure even through centuries of persecution.

The Gate of China

Francis Xavier's burning desire was to bring the Gospel to China, the great civilization that he believed held the key to the evangelization of all East Asia. In 1552, he set out for the Chinese mainland, but political and diplomatic barriers made entry seem impossible. He reached the small island of Shangchuan (Sancian), just off the Chinese coast, where he waited desperately for a merchant who had promised to smuggle him onto the mainland.

"Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the Gospel of Christ." — Saint Francis Xavier

The merchant never came. Exposed to the harsh winter weather, weakened by years of relentless travel, poor food, and tropical diseases, Francis fell gravely ill with fever. On December 3, 1552, with only a Chinese companion named Anthony at his side, Francis Xavier died in a crude shelter on Shangchuan, his eyes fixed on the Chinese mainland he would never reach. He was forty-six years old.

A Legacy Beyond Measure

In just ten years of missionary activity, Francis Xavier had traveled more than 40,000 miles and, by some estimates, baptized as many as 300,000 people across three continents. He founded Christian communities in India, Southeast Asia, and Japan that survive to this day. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 — on the same day as Ignatius of Loyola — and was later declared the patron saint of all foreign missions.

His incorrupt body was brought to Goa, where it remains enshrined in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a place of pilgrimage for millions. His right forearm, the arm that baptized so many, was detached as a relic and is preserved in the Church of the Gesu in Rome.

Fire That Never Dies

Saint Francis Xavier's life is a testament to the transformative power of grace. A proud, ambitious young man was changed by friendship, prayer, and the relentless love of God into one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever known. He reminds us that no ambition is too great when it is directed toward the glory of God, and that the Gospel is meant not for a few but for every nation, tongue, and people. His feast day is celebrated on December 3.