Saint Francis Xavier

SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER










I went to grade school at Saint Francis Xavier
In Pittsburgh
The church and school
Were right around the corner from our home


I have countless friends
From Saint Francis Xavier
And many of them
Are still active in my life today


While today
The church is called RISEN LORD
( it was combined with Saint Leo the Great )




It still begs the question
Who just was this Saint Francis Xavier
This man---who my church and school
Were named after


Francis Xavier was a Jesuit missionary
Who was a Basque Spaniard
Who lived from 1506 to 1551


He was educated
At the University of Paris
Where he met Saint Ignatius of Loyola
And both were ordained as priests 3 years later


The foreign missions
Has been an integral part
Of the Jesuit ideal and vocation
And in Francis Xavier---it was no different


In 1541
Francis sailed to Goa in the East Indies
At the invitation of the King of Portugal
And was backed by a Papal brief
Nominating him as Apostolic nuncio
In the East


The journey took 13 months
And his mission there was to evangelize
For the remaining 10 years of his life


And he did just that
By his example
And by his preaching and writing verses
On Christian truths


He went among the poor
As a poor man himself
Slept on the ground
And lived on only rice and water


He would return to his headquarters
From time-to-time in Goa
And made plans to go further East


Eventually
Despite his propensity towards seasickness
And difficulty in learning foreign languages
He did make it to Japan


His external appearance of poverty
Was unsuccessful in Japan
So he abandoned this tactic
And began to dress in fine robes
And present gifts to the rulers
As a representative of the King of Portugal


When he left Japan
There were 2000 Christians---and growing
But they were under fierce attack form the rulers there


Counted among them were Paul Miki and his companions
Who ALL died a martyr’s death in 1597
With many more to follow in the coming years


Having established
The roots of the Christian faith in Japan
Francis returned to Goa
Then decided to set out for China
To try to establish roots there


While on his way there
Francis fell ill and died
Practically alone on an island


He became a Saint in 1622
And in 1927---Saint Francis Xavier
Was declared the patron Saint of foreign missions


Robert P. Wallman
2-9-12




Ps This one is for ALL my friends from Saint Francis Xavier---with whom
I share so many beautiful memories


Saint Francis Xavier’s feast day is December 3^rd
Saint Paul Miki and his 26 companions---February 6^th


And for OUR NEW POPE-FRANCIS 1^st-a fellow Jesuit like Saint Francis Xavier