About St. Francis Xavier
Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552) was a Spanish Basque Roman Catholic missionary who co-founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) alongside Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Renowned as the "Apostle of the Indies" and the "Apostle of Japan," he is recognized as one of the most prolific and zealous missionaries in Christian history. His pioneering campaigns across Asia permanently reshaped the religious landscape of India, the Maluku Islands, and Japan.
From Academic Brilliance to Holy Orders
Born on April 7, 1506, at the Castle of Xavier near Pamplona, Spain, Francis was the son of high-ranking Navallese nobility, historically carrying his mother's family surname (Xavier). In 1524, at the age of eighteen, he moved to the University of Paris to pursue legal and theological studies. There, he distinguished himself as a brilliant student and athlete, eventually taking up a post as a philosophy lecturer.
It was during his academic tenure in Paris that Xavier met Ignatius of Loyola, a veteran soldier turned radical religious reformer. While initially resistant to Ignatius's spiritual intensity, Xavier was eventually won over by his famous refrain: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"
On August 15, 1534, in a subterranean crypt at Montmartre, Paris, Xavier joined Ignatius and five others in taking solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Pope. This historic moment marked the birth of the Society of Jesus. Ordained a priest in Venice in 1537, Xavier spent his early ministry tending to patients in hospitals for the incurable, demonstrating an intense personal self-devotion.
Saint Francis Xavier, traditionally depicted holding the crucifix that accompanied his journeys. Source: sedmak / Getty Images
The Global Mission: 1540–1552
When King John III of Portugal requested Jesuit missionaries to minister to the expanding Portuguese colonies in the East Indies, Ignatius selected Xavier. Francis left Rome in March 1540, embarking on a twelve-year journey across thousands of miles of unmapped territory.
Arrival in Goa, India
May 6, 1542
Xavier lands at Goa, the administrative center of Portuguese India. He spends his initial months reforming the colonial settlers, washing the clothes of the sick, and teaching catechism to children using simple, rhymed verses.
The Paravas and Cape Comorin
1542–1545
He travels south to the Fishery Coast, converting thousands of the low-caste Paravas people. He baptizes entire villages at a time, moving on to establish missions in Travancore, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Malacca.
The Opening of Japan
1549–1551
Fascinated by reports of Japanese culture, Xavier sails north, landing at Kagoshima on August 15, 1549. He becomes the first Christian missionary to enter Japan, translating core doctrines into Japanese and founding thriving Christian communities in Yamaguchi and Bungo.
Death on Shangchuan Island
Dec 2, 1552
Determined to plant the cross in mainland China, Xavier journeys to Shangchuan (Sancian) Island, near Canton. While waiting for a smuggler's ship to sneak him ashore, he succumbs to a severe fever, dying at the age of 46 with his crucifix in hand.
Hymnology and the Devotion of Self-Abnegation
Though modern historians look upon many of the folklore miracles attributed to him with skepticism, his spiritual intensity remains undisputed. Within hymnology, Xavier’s name is traditionally linked to two celebrated Latin devotional poems that capture his intense focus on selfless, pure divine love:
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O Deus, ego amo Te, / Nam prior Tu amasti me ("O God, I love Thee, for Thou didst first love me") — Modern hymnologists find no historical evidence directly linking Xavier to this text.
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O Deus, ego amo Te, / Nec amo Te ut salves me ("My God, I love Thee, not because I hope for heaven thereby") — Widely regarded by scholars as reflecting Xavier's authentic missionary theology.
The second hymn is believed to be a Latin metrical rendering of a 16th-century Spanish sonnet (No me mueve, mi Dios, para quererte). The text rejects the idea of serving God merely out of fear of hell or the desire for celestial rewards, advocating instead for a pure love born entirely out of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Musical setting of the Latin hymn traditionally ascribed to Xavier. Source: MuseScore.com
My God, I Love Thee (From the Latin Translation)
My God, I love Thee, not because I hope for heaven thereby, Nor yet because who love Thee not Are lost eternally.
Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me Upon the cross embrace; For me didst bear the nails, and spear, And manifold disgrace...
Not for the sake of winning heaven, Nor of escaping hell; Not with the hope of gaining aught, Not seeking a reward; But as Thyself hast loved me, O ever-loving Lord!
The Incorrupt Legacy: Xavier’s body was initially buried on Shangchuan Island in lime. When exhumed months later to be moved, it was found entirely fresh and incorrupt. His remains were permanently transferred to Goa, India, where they rest inside a magnificent silver casket in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, drawing pilgrims from all over the world.
