Francisco De 1506-1552 Xavier

XAVIER, FRANCISCO DE (1506-1552) , Jesuit mission ary and saint, commonly known in English as St. Francis Xavier and also called the "Apostle of the Indies." He was the youngest son of Juan de Jasso, privy councillor to Jean d'Albret, king of Navarre and his wife, Maria de Azpilcueta y Xavier, sole heiress of two noble Navarrese families. He was born at his mother's castle of Xavier or Xavero, at the foot of the Pyrenees and close to the little town of Sanguesa, on April 7, 15°6, according to a family register, though his earlier biographers fix his birth in Following a Spanish custom of the time, which left the surname of either parent optional with children, he took his mother's name. In 1524 he went to the university of Paris, where he entered the College of St. Barbara, then the headquarters of the Spanish and Portuguese students, and in 1528 was appointed lecturer in Aristo telian philosophy at the College de Beauvais. In 1530 he took his degree as master of arts. He and the Savoyard Pierre Lefevre, who shared his lodging, had already, in 1529, made the acquain tance of Ignatius of Loyola—like Xavier a native of the Spanish Basque country.

Ignatius succeeded, though in Xavier's case after some opposi tion, in gaining their sympathy for his missionary schemes (see LOYOLA, ST. IGNATIUS OF) ; and they were among the company of seven persons, including Loyola himself, who took the original Jesuit vows on Aug. is, 1534. They continued in Paris for two years longer; but on Nov. 15, 1536, they started for Italy, to concert with Ignatius plans for converting the Muslims of Pales tine. In Jan. 1537 they arrived in Venice. As some months must elapse before they could sail for Palestine, Ignatius determined that the time should be spent partly in hospital work at Venice and later in the journey to Rome. Accordingly, Xavier devoted himself for nine weeks to the hospital for incurables, and then set out with eight companions for Rome, where Pope Paul III. sanctioned their enterprise. Returning to Venice, Xavier was ordained priest on Midsummer Day 1537; but the outbreak of war between Venice and Turkey put an end to the Palestine expedition, and the companions dispersed for a 12 month's home mission work in the Italian cities. Nicolas Bobadilla and Xavier betook themselves first to Monselice and thence to Bologna, where they remained till summoned to Rome by Ignatius at the close of 5538.

Ignatius retained Xavier at Rome until 1541 as secretary to the Society of Jesus. (See JEsuiTs for the events of the period 1538-41.) Meanwhile John III., king of Portugal, had resolved on sending a mission to his Indian dominions, and had applied through his envoy, Pedro Mascarenhas, to the pope for six Jesuits. Ignatius could spare but two, and chose Bobadilla and a Portu guese named Simao Rodrigues for the purpose. Rodrigues set out at once for Lisbon to confer with the king, who ultimately decided to retain him in Portugal. Bobadilla, sent for to Rome, arrived there just before Mascarenhas was about to depart, but fell too ill to respond to the call made on him.

Mission in the East Indies.

Hereupon Ignatius, on March 5, 1540, told Xavier to leave Rome the next day with Mascaren has, in order to join Rodrigues in the Indian mission. Xavier com plied, merely waiting long enough to obtain the pope's benediction, and set out for Lisbon, where he was presented to the king, and soon won his entire confidence, attested notably by procuring for him from the pope f our briefs, one of them appointing him papal nuncio in the Indies. On April 7, 1541, he sailed from Lisbon with Martim Alfonso de Sousa, governor designate of India, and lived amongst the common sailors, ministering to their religious and temporal needs, especially during an outbreak of scurvy. Af ter five months' voyage the ship reached Mozambique, where the captain resolved to winter, and Xavier was prostrated with a severe attack of fever. When the voyage was resumed, the ship touched at Malindi and Sokotra, and reached Goa on May 6, 1542. Exhib iting his brief to D. Joao d'Albuquerque, bishop of Goa, he asked his permission to officiate in the diocese, and at once began walk ing through the streets ringing a small bell, and telling all to come, and send their children and servants, to the "Christian doctrine" or catechetical instruction in the principal church. He spent five months in Goa, and then turned his attention to the "Fishery Coast," where he had heard that the Paravas, a tribe engaged in the pearl fishery, had relapsed into heathenism after having pro fessed Christianity. He laboured assiduously amongst them for 15 months, and at the end of 1543 returned to Goa.