Hello all, Happy feast day to all born, baptized and married today Happy feast day to all Deacons, Seminarians, Priests, Bishops, Monks, Nuns, Religious Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus. Happy feast day to all named Francis Xavier and parents of all named Francis Xavier Happy feast day to all Clerics of the ‘Society of Jesus’ popularly known as ‘Jesuits’ Happy feast day to all Catholic Missionaries Today (December 3) marks the feast of Saint Francis Xavier Saint Francis Xavier was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary He was the co-founder of the ‘Society of Jesus’ popularly known as ‘Jesuits’ He was born in the family castle of Xavier, currently Spain in the Kingdom of Navarre on the 7th of April 1506 according to a family register. His name at birth was Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta He was the youngest son of Juan de Jaso, who was privy counsellor to King John III of Navarre His mother, Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznárez, was a sole heiress of two noble Navarrese families He was related to the great theologian and philosopher Martín de Azpilcueta. His name is written Francisco de Xavier (Latin Xaverius) in the Spanish literary tradition. Saint Francisco de Xavier lost his father when he was only nine years old His life in the Kingdom of Navarre, then partially occupied by Spain, was surrounded by a war that lasted over 18 years, ending with the Kingdom of Navarre partition into two territories, and the Kings of Navarre and some loyalists abandoning the south and moving to the north part of the Kingdom of Navarre (currently France) In 1525 Francis Xavier went to study at the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris. There he met Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who became his faithful companion He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola Xavier turned to a life of Catholic missionary service. Together with Saint Ignatius Loyola and five others, Xavier founded the Society of Jesus on the 15 August 1534, in a small chapel in Montmartre, They all made a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, and also vowed to convert the Muslims in the Middle East (or, failing this, carry out the wishes of the Pope). Xavier was one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534. He went, with the rest of the members of the newly papal-approved Jesuit order, to Venice, Italy, to be ordained to the priesthood, which took place on 24 June 1537. Towards the end of October, the seven companions reached Bologna, where they worked in the local hospital. After that, Xavier served for a brief period in Rome as Ignatius secretary. Francis Xavier devoted much of his life to missions in Asia, after being appointed by King John III of Portugal to take charge as Apostolic Nuncio in Portuguese India, where the king believed that Christian values were eroding among the Portuguese. Xavier led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India, but also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas, and other areas which had not been visited by Christian missionaries. In these areas, being a pioneer and struggling to learn the local languages in the face of opposition, Francis Xavier had less success than he had enjoyed in India. He built nearly 40 churches along the coast with the fund of local headmen and king, out of this Saint Stephens Church, Kombuthurai find mention in his letters dated 1544. Xavier lived in a sea cave in Manapad, intensively catechizing paravas and other children for three months in 1544. He then focused on converting the king of Travancore to Christianity and also visited Ceylon (now named Sri Lanka). Dissatisfied with the results of his activity, he set his sights eastward in 1545 and planned a missionary journey to Makassar on the island of Celebes (todays Indonesia). As the first Jesuit in India, Saint Francis Xavier had difficulty procuring success for his missionary trips. Instead of trying to approach Christianity through the traditions of the local religion and creating a nativised church as latter fellow Jesuit Matteo Ricci did in China, he was eager for change His successors, such as de Nobili, Ricci, and Beschi, attempted to convert the noblemen first as a means to influence more people, while Francis had initially interacted most with the lower classes (later though, in Japan, Francis changed tack by paying tribute to the Emperor and seeking an audience with him). However Francis Xaviers mission was primarily, as ordered by King John III, to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers. Many of the Portuguese sailors had had illegitimate relationships with Indian women (miscegenation); Francis struggled to restore moral relations, and catechized many illegitimate children Francis Xavier reached Japan on 27 July 1549, with Anjiro and three other Jesuits, but he was not permitted to enter any port his ship arrived at until 15 August when he went ashore at Kagoshima, the principal port of the province of Satsuma on the island of Kyūshū. As a representative of the Portuguese king, Xavier was received in a friendly manner. Shimazu Takahisa who was the daimyo of Satsuma and the fifteenth head of the Shimazu clan, gave a friendly reception to Francis on September 29, 1549, but in the following year he forbade the conversion of his subjects to Christianity under penalty of death; Christians in Kagoshima could not be given any catechism in the following years. In Cangoxima, Francis Xavier tells us there is a good number of Christians, although there is no one there to teach them; the shortage of laborers has prevented the whole kingdom from becoming Christian. He was hosted by Anjiros family until October 1550. From October to December, 1550, he resided in Yamaguchi. Shortly before Christmas, he left for Kyoto but failed to meet with the Emperor. He returned to Yamaguchi in March, 1551, where he was permitted to preach by the daimyo of the province. However, lacking fluency in the Japanese language, Saint Francis Xavier had to limit himself to reading aloud the translation of a catechism. He was the first Jesuit to go to Japan as a missionary. He brought with him paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. These paintings were used to help teach the Japanese about Christianity. There was a huge language barrier as Japanese was unlike other languages the missionaries had previously encountered. For a long time Francis struggled to learn the language. For forty-five years the Jesuits were the only missionaries in Asia, but the Franciscans also began proselytizing in Asia as well. Christian missionaries were later forced into exile, along with their assistants. Some were able to stay behind, however Christianity was then kept underground as to not be persecuted. The Japanese people were not easily converted; many of the people were already Buddhist or Shinto. Francis tried to combat the disposition of some of the Japanese that a God who had created everything, including evil, could not be good. The concept of Hell was also a struggle; the Japanese were bothered by the idea of their ancestors living in Hell. Despite Francis’ different religion, he felt that they were good people, much like Europeans, and could be converted by the grace of God. Xavier was welcomed by the Shingon monks since he used the word Dainichi for the Christian God; attempting to adapt the concept to local traditions. He learned more about the religious nuances of the word, he changed to Deusu from the Latin and Portuguese Deus. The Shingon monks later realized that Xavier was preaching a rival religion and grew more aggressive towards his attempts at conversion. With the passage of time, his sojourn in Japan was considered somewhat fruitful as attested by congregations established in Hirado, Yamaguchi and Bungo. Xavier worked for more than two years in Japan and saw his successor-Jesuits established. He then decided to return to India. During his trip, a tempest forced him to stop on an island near Guangzhou, China He died at Sancian from a fever, while he was waiting for a boat that would agree to take him to mainland China. Saint Francis Xavier died on the 3rd of December 1552 (aged 46) in Shangchuan Island, China He was first buried on a beach at Shangchuan Island. His incorrupt body was taken from the island in February 1553 and was temporarily buried in Saint Pauls church in Malacca on 22 March 1553. On 11 December 1553, Xaviers body was shipped to Goa. The body is now in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, where it was placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket on 2 December 1637. The right forearm, which Xavier used to bless and baptize his converts, was detached by Pr. Gen. Claudio Acquaviva in 1614. It has been displayed since in a silver reliquary at the main Jesuit church in Rome Francis Xavier was beatified on the 25th of October 1619 by Pope Paul V (who was the 233rd Bishop of the Rome since the pontificate of Saint Peter) He was canonized on the 12th of March (12th of April) 1622 by Pope Gregory XV (who was the 234th Vicar of Christ since the pontificate of Saint Peter) Another of his arm bones was brought to Macau where it was kept in a silver reliquary. The relic was destined for Japan but religious persecution there persuaded the church to keep it in Macaus Cathedral of Saint Paul. It was subsequently moved to St. Josephs and in 1978 to the Chapel of Saint Francis Xavier on Coloane Island. More recently the relic was moved to St. Josephs Seminary and the Sacred Art Museum Saint Francis Xavier is noteworthy for his missionary work both as organizer and as pioneer. He is said to have converted more people than anyone else has done since Saint Paul. By his compromises in India with the Christians of Saint Thomas, he developed the Jesuit missionary methods along lines that subsequently became a successful blueprint for his order to follow. His efforts left a significant impression upon the missionary history of India and, as one of the first Jesuit missionaries to the East Indies, his work is of fundamental significance to Christians in the propagation of Christianity in China and Japan. India still has numerous Jesuit missions, and many more schools. He was touched, after long resistance to the words constantly repeated to him by Saint Ignatius: What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul, ------------------------------------ Pope Benedict XVI (who was the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church since the pontificate of Saint Peter) said of both Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier: not only their history which was interwoven for many years from Paris and Rome, but a unique desire — a unique passion, it could be said — moved and sustained them through different human events: the passion to give to God-Trinity a glory always greater and to work for the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to the peoples who had been ignored. --------------------------------- Xavier is also popular in Portugal, Brazil, France, Belgium, and southern Italy. In India, the spelling Xavier is almost always used, and the name is quite common among Christians, especially in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and more common in Goa. The name Xavier means new house In Goa, Xavier besides being a surname, is also seen as the suffix in the names Francisco Xavier, António Xavier, João Xavier, Caetano Xavier, Domingos Xavier et cetera, which were very common till quiet recently. In Austria and Bavaria the name is spelled as Xaver (pronounced Ksaber) and often used in addition to Francis as Franz-Xaver. In English speaking countries, Xavier is one of the few names starting with X, and until recently was likely to follow Francis; in the last decade, however, Xavier by itself has become more popular than Francis, and is now one of the hundred most common male baby names in the US. Many churches all over the world have been named in honor of Xavier, often founded by Jesuits. One notable church is the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville, Iowa. The Novena of Grace is a popular devotion to Francis Xavier, typically prayed on the nine days before 3 December. Saint Francis Xavier is considered to be a patron saint of Roman Catholic missionaries in foreign lands. He is also the Patron Saint of African missions He is the patron Saint of Agartala, India; Ahmedabad, India; Alexandria, Louisiana He is the patron Saint of Apostleship of Prayer He is also the Patron Saint of Australia; Bombay, India; Borneo; Cape Town, South Africa; China; Dinajpur, Bangladesh; East Indies He is the Patron Saint of the Fathers of the Precious Blood He is also the Patron Saint of foreign missions He is the Patron Saint of Freising, Germany; Goa, India; Green Bay, Wisconsin; India; Indianapolis, Indiana; Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan; Joiliet, Illinois; Kabankalan, Philippines; Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines; Alegria, Cebu, Philippines He is also the Patron Saint of diocese of Malindi, Kenya He is the Patron Saint of missionaries He is also the Patron Saint of Missioners of the Precious Blood He is the Patron Saint of Navarre, Spain He is also the Patron Saint of navigators He is the Patron Saint of New Zealand He is also the Patron Saint of parish missions He is invoked against plague epidemics He is also the Patron Saint of Propagation of the Faith He is the Patron Saint of Zagreb, Croatia He is also the Patron Saint of Indonesia -------------------------------- Quote of the Day: (Saint Francis Xavier’s prayer) It is not Your promised heaven That moves me, Lord, to love You. It is not the fear of hell That forces me to fear You. What moves me, Lord, is You, Lord, Fixed to a Cross and mocked; What moves me is Your wounded body, The insults and Your death. What moves me really is Your Love, so that Were there no heaven, I would love you still, Were there no hell, I would fear you still. For me to love you, You need nothing to give, For even if I did not hope as indeed I hope, even so I would love You as indeed I love. ------------------------------------ Reflection of the Day: (words of Saint Francis Xavier) I and Francis Mancias are now living amongst the Christians of Comorin. They are very numerous, and increase largely every day. When I first came, I asked them if they knew anything about our Lord Jesus Christ; but when I came to the points of faith in detail and asked them what they thought of them, and what more they believed now than when they were Infidels, they only replied that they were Christians, but that as they are ignorant of Portuguese, they know nothing of the precepts and mysteries of our holy religion. We could not understand one another, as I spoke Castilian and they spoke Malabar; so I picked out the most intelligent and well-read of them, and then sought out with the greatest diligence men who knew both languages. We held meetings for several days, and by our joint efforts and with infinite difficulty we translated the Catechism into the Malabar tongue. This I learnt by heart, and then I began to go through all the villages of the coast, calling around me by the sound of a bell as many as I could, children and men. I assembled them twice a day and taught them the Christian doctrine: and thus, in the space of a month, the children had it well by heart. And all the time I kept telling them to go on teaching in their turn whatever they had learnt to their parents, family, and neighbors. Every Sunday I collected them all, men and women, boys and girls, in the church. They came with great readiness and with a great desire for instruction. Then, in the hearing of all, I began by calling on the name of the most holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and I recited aloud the Lords Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Creed in the language of the country: they all followed me in the same words, and delighted in it wonderfully. Then I repeated the Creed by myself, dwelling upon each article singly. Then I asked them as to each article, whether they believed it unhesitatingly; and all, with a loud voice and their hands crossed over their breasts, professed aloud that they truly believed it. I take care to make them repeat the Creed oftener than the other prayers; and I tell them that those who believe all that is contained therein are called Christians. After explaining the Creed I go on to the Commandments, teaching them that the Christian law is contained in those ten precepts, and that everyone who observes them all faithfully is a good and true Christian and is certain of eternal salvation, and that, on the other hand, whoever neglects a single one of them is a bad Christian, and will be cast into hell unless he is truly penitent for his sin. Converts and heathen alike are astonished at all this, which shows them the holiness of the Christian law, its perfect consistency with itself, and its agreement with reason. As to the numbers who become Christians, you may understand them from this, that it often happens to me to be hardly able to use my hands from the fatigue of baptizing: often in a single day I have baptized whole villages. Sometimes I have lost my voice and strength altogether with repeating again and again the Credo and the other forms. The fruit that is reaped by the baptism of infants, as well as by the instruction of children and others, is quite incredible. These children, I trust heartily, by the grace of God, will be much better than their fathers. They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others. Their hatred for idolatry is marvellous. -Saint Francis Xavier Letter (to Superiors in Rome) 1543 --------------------------------------------- Let us pray (Oremus) O God, who by the preaching and miracles of blessed Francis Xavier, was pleased to add to Thy Church the nations of the Indies; grant mercifully, that we who venerate his glorious merits may imitate his virtues, we humbly ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen ---------------------------------- Let us pray that by the works, spiritual direction, spiritual maturity and intercession of Saint Francis Xavier, we may in this group find the spiritual motivation to win our souls for God. Amen Summary of the life history of Saint Francis Xavier can be viewed by clicking the photo of the Saint in our groups photo section. Saint of the day would be communicated to you as promptly and consistently as humanly possible, by Gods grace. May we all in this group and beyond this group, Christians and non Christians alike, Catholics and non Catholics alike, be saved from the fires of hell and lifted up into heaven after our stay here on this exile. Amen May our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Saint Francis Xavier and all other saints before and after him, through Gods Divine Mercy strengthen our souls, open out the way for us all, and above all, intoxicate us with HIS love. Amen May Christ make us into blazing fires to enkindle the earth with the heavenly fire HE brought us. Amen Jesus we love you, all we have is yours, yours we are and yours we want to be, please do with us whatever you will. Amen Jesus, Mary we love you, please save our souls. Amen God bless you and grant your heart’s desire. Amen Saint Francis Xavier, pray for us. Amen For a brief on our Saint of today please click the link below: https://youtube/watch?v=chxhuXzcPgQ
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 19:52:50 +0000
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