St. Francis continues to remain one of the most famous Saints of the Catholic church accorded by the miracles related to his name and all his earthly virtues. Here are some fun facts you didn’t know about our noble Saint Francis Xavier.
- St. Francis Xavier was born in the Kingdom of Navarre on April 7, 1506. He lived during the times of war; by the end of the war, he went to a university of Paris where he had St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Peter Favre as roommates.
- St. Peter became priest as influenced by St. Ignatius Loyola while Francis earned his master’s degree, and went on to teach Philosophy at the university.
- On August 15, 1534, St. Francis Xavier along with St. Peter Favre and several other friends made vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The men planned to convert non-believers.
- St. Francis Xavier started his study of theology that same year and was ordained on June 24, 1537. By 1540, Pope Paul III approved the formation of their order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola which was called “The Society of Jesus” also known as the “Jesuits”
- St. Francis continues to preach the gospel especially in Portugal where he was sent to by the Pope. He ministered to the sick, converted many and built churches.
- In his preaching mission, he was met with lots of challenges including language barrier and rejections from non-believers. In his passion for spreading the gospel, in his simple obedience, in his humble disregard for himself, he was near perfect imitation of Christ. Amazing Right?
- Humble Francis died on 2 December 1552 at the age of 46. He was canonized on 12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV and his feast day is 3rd December.
May the Lord give us the grace to use our gifts to work in his vineyard like St Francis Xavier did. We all can be saints. Amen
