Francis Xavier

@Missionary, Life Achievements and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Francis Xavier was a Basque Roman Catholic missionary and a co-founder of the Society of Jesus Spanish Leaders Spiritual & Religious Leaders Preachers Aries Celebrities Francis Xavier was a Basque Roman Catholic Missionary and a co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was born as Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta in Navarre into a prosperous family. He had a happy childhood until the age of nine when his father passed away. He received his early education from his mother and a parish priest and later left home to pursue his studies at the University of Paris. He met Ignatius of Loyola in 1529, who was a roommate and was 15 years elder to him. After several dialogues with Ignatius who had undergone a religious conversion, Xavier became one of the first seven Jesuits to undertake the vows of poverty and chastity, and also pledged his allegiance to the Pope. The friendship between Ignatius and Xavier was the one for a lifetime. Francis Xavier achieved priesthood in 1537 and on the Pope's order he became the first foreign missionary to visit India. After landing in Goa, he started learning the local language. He began preaching, attending to the sick and teaching children. His work was notable and he enjoyed reasonable success, but found hardships while trying to convert the Brahmins. After India, he visited Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan. He then decided to visit China, but fell ill before reaching the mainland and died.

Personal Details

Birthday: April 7, 1506 Died on: December 3, 1552 Nationality: Spanish Famous: Missionary, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders, Preachers Known as: St. Francis Xavier Universities: 1530 - Collège Sainte-Barbe Founder / Co-Founder: Society of Jesus Information Detail Birthday April 7, 1506 Died on December 3, 1552 Nationality Spanish Famous Missionary, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders, Preachers Known as St. Francis Xavier Universities 1530 - Collège Sainte-Barbe Founder / Co-Founder Society of Jesus Birth Place Javier Gender Male Father Juan de Jaso Mother Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznárez Sun Sign Aries Born in Javier Famous as Missionary Died at Age 46

Javier

Francis Xavier born at Unsplash Birth Place

Francis Xavier passed away on December 3, 1552 after suffering from a fever. He was in Shangchuan and was waiting to be taken to mainland China. Unsplash Personal Life

His body was first buried in Taishan, Guangdong. Then it was transported to St Paul's Church in Malacca and on December 11, 1553 it was shipped to Goa and is now in the Basilica of Born Jesus. Unsplash Personal Life

His baptizing (right) hand was detached in 1614 by the Superior General Claudio Acquaviva and put on display at the Jesuit church in Rome. Unsplash Personal Life

Francis Xavier was born on April 7, 1506 at the castle of Xavier in the Kingdom of Navarre, to Juan de Jasso y Atondo and Dona Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznarez. The family was one of the most prosperous in the kingdom. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Francis Xavier’s father died in 1515, and Francis was taught by his mother and a parish priest in his early years. He spoke Basque and Spanish. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1525, he went to the College Sainte-Barbe at the University of Paris for further studies. Little did he know that he would never see his home or family again. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He shared his room with Pierre Favre and Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius converted several students to priesthood and after several attempts Francis was the last to acquiesce. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1530 after receiving the degree of Master of Arts, he started teaching Aristotelian philosophy at the Beauvais College. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1540, the King of Portugal requested the Pope Paul III to bestow upon him priests to spread the faith in his new Indian possessions. Hesitantly the Pope sent Francis Xavier and he became the first Jesuit missionary. Unsplash Later Life

He left Rome on March 15, 1540 and reached Lisbon in June 1540. There the missionaries had a private audience with the King and the Queen. The Pope declared Francis the apostolic nuncio for the East and he left Lisbon on April 7, 1541 and arrived in India on May 6, 1542. Unsplash Later Life

Francis Xavier witnessed that there were few preachers and no priests beyond Goa. He began by teaching children and aiding the sick in hospitals. He headed the Saint Paul's College, the first Jesuit headquarter in Asia. Unsplash Later Life

He sailed to Cape Comorin in October 1542 as he learned that the Paravas residents had been baptised 10 years ago but knew nothing about the religion. He learned the native language and began preaching; however, he found no success in preaching to the high-caste Brahmins. Unsplash Later Life

He remained in the Indian coastal regions for the next three years. He also went to Sri Lanka to convert people. During this period he built a total of 40 churches. Unsplash Later Life

Francis was the first Jesuit missionary to visit India and Japan. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Paul V beatified Francis Xavier on October 25, 1619 and Gregory XV canonized him on March 12, 1622. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Information	Detail
Birthday	April 7, 1506
Died on	December 3, 1552
Nationality	Spanish
Famous	Missionary, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders, Preachers
Known as	St. Francis Xavier
Universities	1530 - Collège Sainte-Barbe
Founder / Co-Founder	Society of Jesus
Birth Place	Javier
Gender	Male
Father	Juan de Jaso
Mother	Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznárez
Sun Sign	Aries
Born in	Javier
Famous as	Missionary
Died at Age	46

Francis Xavier

Spanish

Apr 7, 1506

Biography

Personal Details

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