KELWIN MONTEIRO, SJ
St Francis Xavier, the patron and protector of Goa, affectionately remembered as ‘Goencho Saib,’ totally dedicated and committed himself to the service of the ‘poor’ of his time and socio-cultural settings. Born on April 7, 1506, at the Castle of Xavier in the Kingdom of Navarra, Spain, Francis completed his studies at the University of Paris in 1530. Francis, together with six other companions—Ignatius of Loyola, Peter Favre, Lainez, Salmerón, Rodríguez, and Bobadilla took vows at Montmartre on August 15, 1534, which, in a way would set the ball rolling for the origin of the Society of Jesus, a Religious Order, popularly known as the Jesuits. After being ordained a priest on June 24, 1537, Ignatius of Loyola, the founder and the then Superior General of the Jesuits, on the earnest solicitation of John III, King of Portugal, appointed Francis Xavier as a missionary to the East Indies (Goa) in 1540.
On his birthday, April 7, 1541, at the young age of 35, Francis embarked on a royal sailing vessel – the Santiago. The sea voyages to the east in those days were no pleasure trips, not even on the flag-ship of a governor. Xavier himself fell seasick for two months. After 13 months of a tedious and dangerous voyage they landed on the soil of Goa on May 6, 1542.
In spite and amidst his own sickness, Francis was found to be fully engrossed in serving the distressed and the disheartened co-voyagers. He was seen nursing and consoling the sick, assisting the dying, instructing and settling quarrels, etc. He moved freely among the passengers and lived like one of them. So much so that he knew everybody and everybody knew him. They would fondly and with great admiration call him, Padre santo, the holy priest.
Whilst in Goa, Francis during the day would work tirelessly in proclaiming the kingdom values, while, in the late evenings, before going to retire he would live out those Gospel values tangibly by serving at the royal hospital in nursing the sick and accompanying the dying. As an emissary of the King of Portugal and Nuncio of the Pope, he could have availed the facility of residing at the Viceroys or Bishop’s palace. Instead he chose to sleep on the floor of the hospital while taking care of the sick.
Francis would also dedicate a lot of his time in visiting and serving those residing at the leper asylums and prisons. He also helped people to overcome their social evils, specially the evil of drinking. Francis would often be seen begging and whatever was collected, he would not spend on himself, but to meeting the needs of the sick, the prisoners and those most in need.
When Francis undertook a missionary journey to the Fishery Coast, he saw how these poor and defenceless people were for long ground down into subjection and slavery by the local rajas. Besides, these rajas, they were also being robbed and cheated by the traders and merchants. They belonged to a simple fishing community that made their living by selling pearl oysters to the merchants and traders. However, latter would offer them a paltry sum and would in turn sell the same pearl oysters for an expensive price thereby making a great profit. This was an exploitation and so Francis worked hard to set them free from these forms of exploitation.
Francis had a great desire to step into China. Unfortunately, while awaiting his entry into China, he died of a severe fever on the lonely Island of Sancian on December 3m 1552, at a young age of 46. Indeed, we are blessed and privileged to have his sacred relics at the Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa.
Throughout his missionary activities in the Far East, Francis made the manifesto of Jesus, well envisaged in the Luke’s Gospel (Lk. 4: 18-19) as his very own. Like a hen trying to gather her chickens under her wings from her attackers (Mt. 23: 37), this untiring missionary, alone and unarmed would bear any brunt and face any suffering to protect and defend his flock, even against the fierce oppressors.
Although his entire missionary activity lasted for around 10 years, much less than many other foreign missionaries of his time, yet, the service he rendered towards the poor and the marginalised, viz., setting them free from the distressed, depressed and disheartened state can never be forgotten. Besides, he engraved in their hearts and etched in their minds the teachings of Christ and the doctrines of our faith. This has resulted in him being fondly remembered by the generations of people to this day, not to mention the multiple institutions built in his honour and the sea of individuals named either as Francis or Xavier.
May the exemplary life of St Francis Xavier and his love and care for the poor inspire and ignite our hearts so that following in his footsteps, we too may respond positively to the needs of those exploited, suppressed and marginalised—the ‘poor’ of our times.
(The writer presently on staff at TSKK, Porvorim, whilst residing at the Jesuit House, Panjim.)
