Feast day: 3 December
Saint Francis Xavier
Sanctus Franciscus Xaverius
A Basque nobleman won for Christ by Ignatius of Loyola who baptised tens of thousands in India, the Moluccas and Japan and died in sight of China.
- Born
- 7 April 1506, Castle of Xavier, Navarre (Spain)
- Died
- 3 December 1552, Shangchuan Island (China)
- Canonization
- Canonized 12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, together with Ignatius of Loyola; declared patron of the missions by Pius XI in 1927.
- Religious order
- Society of Jesus
- Country
- Spain
Biography
Paris and the first companions
Born in the castle of Xavier to a noble Navarrese family impoverished by war, Francis studied at the University of Paris, where he shared rooms with Peter Faber and Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius' repeated question — 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?' — won him over. On 15 August 1534 he was among the first companions who took vows at Montmartre.
Ten years across Asia
Sent by John III of Portugal, he reached Goa in 1542 and preached among the pearl fishers of the Fishery Coast, in Malacca and the Moluccas, translating catechism into local languages. In 1549 he opened the mission of Japan at Kagoshima, learning to adapt his preaching to Japanese culture, and left a growing community when he departed in 1551.
Death at the gate of China
Convinced that the conversion of Japan depended on China, he sailed for the mainland but was stranded on the island of Shangchuan, where he died of fever on 3 December 1552, attended only by a Chinese companion. His incorrupt body was carried to Goa, where it remains.
Timeline
- 1506 — Born at the castle of Xavier, Navarre
- 1534 — Vows at Montmartre with Ignatius and companions
- 1537 — Ordained a priest in Venice
- 1542 — Arrives at Goa, India
- 1549 — Begins the mission in Japan
- 1552 — Dies on Shangchuan Island
- 1622 — Canonized with Saint Ignatius
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Crucifix and pilgrim staff — His itinerant preaching across Asia.
Flaming heart — Zeal for souls; he is said to have cried 'Enough, Lord, enough!'
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Apostolic zeal, adaptability to unfamiliar cultures, austerity of life and obedience to the mission received.
Importance in the Church
He is the patron of all Catholic missions and, with Thérèse of Lisieux, of the missionary work of the Church; his letters shaped the missionary methods of the Society of Jesus for centuries.
Quotes
“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards one's progress, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.”
Letters from India
“Many fail to become Christians for want of someone to make them so.”
Letter to Ignatius of Loyola from Cochin, 15 January 1544
Writings
Letters and Instructions — Correspondence from Asia, a primary source for sixteenth-century mission history.
Prayers
O Deus ego amo te (attributed)
O God, I love you, not that my poor love may give me heaven, nor yet that I may escape hell; but as you loved me, so do I love and will love you, only because you are my King and my God. Amen.
Latin: O Deus, ego amo te, nec amo te ut salves me, aut quia non amantes te aeterno punis igne.
Hymn traditionally attributed to Saint Francis Xavier, in the Spanish tradition close to the sonnet 'No me mueve, mi Dios, para quererte'.
Places
Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa — Where his incorrupt body is enshrined.
Castle of Xavier, Navarre — His birthplace and a Navarrese pilgrimage site.
Kagoshima, Japan — Landing place of the first Christian mission in Japan, 1549.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)