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Apr 7, 1506
Francis' Birth
Francis was born in the Kingdom of Navarre, in present day Spain. He was born in his family's castle of Xavier. His father was a nobleman and his mother was a sister to two noblemen. His father eventually died and his family had to fled the castle from invading Spanish troops. -
Period: Apr 7, 1506 to
Francis Xavier's Life
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Jul 3, 1525
University of Paris
Eighteen years of war had filled the Kingdom of Navarre from invading Spaniards. Francis became old enough to leave and went to study at the University of Paris. He was destined for a life of an educated nobleman like his family. -
Aug 15, 1534
Ignatius of Loyola
While studying there he met a man named Ignatius of Loyola. He convinced Francis to persue being a Catholic missionary instead. Together, with five others, they founded the Society of Jesus. They called themselves Jesuits. -
Jun 24, 1537
Francis Xavier is ordained a priest.
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May 5, 1540
Francis appointed Apostolic Nuncio
King John III of Portugal appointed Francis the Apostolic Nuncio and sent to the Portuguese Indies. He believed this would be a perfect time for the Jesuits to start their missionary work and counter-reforming. -
May 6, 1542
Francis arrives in Goa, India.
Francis finally reached Goa, then the capital of India, with a number of his fellow Jesuits. This is where they set up their first seminary and base for the Jesuits. -
Apr 4, 1546
Francis leaves for Indonesia.
As Francis traveled through India, he eventually reached Indonesia. He received the nickname "Apostle of the Indies" because he was the first missionary there and converted over 10,000 people. -
May 7, 1549
Francis reaches Japan.
A Japanese man named Anijiro met him in Indonesia. He was inspired by Francis' works. He went with Francis back to Goa for a few months and convinced him to spread his faith to Japan. Francis had many difficulties with the language and converting them to Catholicism. -
Jan 21, 1552
Francis goes back to Goa
Francis the MissionaryFrancis goes back to Goa after struggling times in Japan. He knew he needed to convert the Chinese before he would have better success in Japan. -
Apr 17, 1552
Francis left on the Santa Cruz for China
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Aug 20, 1552
Francis arrived on a Chinese island only 14km from mainland China
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Dec 3, 1552
Francis Xavier dies
After saying a mass on Shangchuan, the Chinese Island, he fainted. Three days later, while running a fever, Francis Xavier died right before departing for mainland China. -
Francis has his right forearm removed
They removed his right forearm because it was the hand that he used to Baptize all the people. It still had barely decayed with no mummification. -
Francis Xavier is declared a saint
Francis Xavier is declared a saint by Pope Gregory XV.
