Feast of St. Francis Xavier in 2024

When is the Feast of St. Francis Xavier?

The Feast of St. Francis Xavier is observed on December 3rd each year. It is a regional public holiday in the northern Spanish community of Navarra and the Indian state of Goa.

The feast day honours a Roman Catholic missionary who was key in the establishment of Christianity in India, the Malay Archipelago, and Japan.

History of the Feast of St. Francis Xavier

Francis was born in Xavier, in the Kingdom of Navarre on April 7th 1506. He was born into a rich farming family, whose fortunes were severely damaged during the war with Aragon.

Francis went to study in Paris, where he met Ignatius of Loyola, who would convince Francis to follow a religious life and become a priest. Francis was reluctant at first, leading Ignatius to ask the now-famous question: "What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

Along with Ignatius, Francis became one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. They made private vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Pope. They also vowed to go to the Holy Land to convert "infidels."

Francis left Rome for the Indies in March 1540. His future as arguably the greatest Christian missionary since St. Paul began almost by accident. He wasn't originally chosen to be a missionary, but one of the two originally selected by Ignatius fell ill, so Ignatius asked Francis to go as a replacement.

Over the next 12 years, Francis led a series of overseas missions, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time - Mozambique, Malacca and notably Goa. He was the first Christian missionary to travel Japan and on to Borneo and the Moluccan Islands. For his evangelist work, he became known as the "Apostle of the Indies".

Francis was waiting to travel to take his missionary work to mainland China when he died from a fever on Shangchuan Island on December 2nd 1552.

Francis was made a saint by Gregory XV on March 12th 1622.

Saint Francis Xavier's relics are kept in a silver casket, inside the Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa.