| Names |
Saint FRANCIS
XAVIER, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta |
| Date of Birth |
April 07, 1506 |
| Date of
Death |
December 03, 1552 |
|
Profession / Traits / Activities |
Roman Catholic missionary, born in Xavier, Kingdom of
Navarre (now part of Spain) |
| Special Achievements
/ Events |
-
He was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus.
-
One of the first
seven Jesuits who took vows of poverty and chastity
at Montmartre, Paris in 1534.
-
He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese
Empire of the time and was influential in work relating to
conversion to christianity, most notably in India.
-
He also was the first Christian missionary to
venture into Japan, Borneo, the Maluku Islands, and other areas.
-
He arrived in Goa, then capital of Portuguese India
on May 06 1542. His primary mission was to
restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers in Goa.
-
He found that many of the arrivals there had formed liaisons with
local women and had adopted Indian culture.
-
So he had to face numerous difficulties in
achieving the objectives of his mission.
-
After sometime and upon achieving limited success in Goa,
he proceeded to southern parts of India, where he devoted almost
three years to the work of preaching to the people of southern India
and Ceylon, and succeeding to convert many people to
christianity.
-
Soon thereafter he proceeded to South East Asia for
his mission.
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