When was st francis xavier canonized

(1506-1552)

Who Was Saint Francis Xavier?

With encouragement from his friend Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier devoted himself to religious service and became one of the founders of the Jesuit order.

Much of his life was spent tending to missions in areas such as India and Japan. He was 46 when he died on China's Shangchuan Island on December 3, 1552.

Early Life

On April 7, 1506, Francis Xavier was born in Xavier Castle, located near Sangüesa, in the kingdom of Navarre (part of present-day Spain).

He was a member of a noble family, and his childhood was one of privilege—however, it was disrupted by his father's death, as well as by outside efforts to take control of Navarre.

Forming the Jesuit Order

In 1525, Xavier went to study at the University of Paris.

There, he encountered Ignatius of Loyola, who had experienced a religious conversion while recovering from a war wound. Loyola did his utmost to convince Xavier to join him on the same path o