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Saint Francis Xavier ( April 07 , 1506- December 02 , 1552 ) was a miraculous , pioneer Roman Catholic missionary of the modern times and co - founder of the Society of Jesus ( Jesuit Order ) . Francis Xavier was born in the castle of Xavier , in the Kingdom of Navarre , ( modern Spanish Javier , Basque Xabier ) near Sanguesa , and Pamplona , in Navarre , Spain . on 7 April 1506 according to a family register . He was born to an aristocratic family of the Kingdom of Navarre , the youngest son of Juan de Jaso , privy counselor to King John III of Navarre ( Jean d'Albret ) , and Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznárez , sole heiress of two noble Navarrese families . He was thus related to the great theologian and philosopher Martín de Azpilcueta .
At the age of 19 , Francis Xavier went to study at the University of Paris , where he received a license e's arts in 1530. He furthered his studies there in theology and became acquainted with Ignatius Loyola . Along with Ignatius Pierre Favre and four others , Xavier was one of those who of August 15 , 1534 bound themselves by a vow at Montmartre and formed the Society of Jesus . Francis Xavier devoted much of his life to missions to remote countries . Francis Xavier accomplished a great deal of missionary work , both as organizer and as pioneer . He had high qualifications as missionary . He was animated with glowing zeal . He was endowed with great linguistic gifts and his activity was marked by restless pushing forward . Francis Xavier's work initiated permanent change in eastern Indonesia , and he was known as the ' Apostle of the Indies ' where in 1546-1547 he worked in the Maluku Islands among the people of Ambon , Temate , and Morotai ( or Moro ) , and laid the foundations for a permanent mission . His efforts left a significant impression upon the missionary history of India and by pointing out the way to east India to Jesuits , his work is of fundamental significance with regard to the history of the propagation of Christianity India still has numerous Jesuit missions , and many more schools named against his footprint and name . On November 21 , he fainted after celebrating a mass . He died from a fever at Shangchuan Island of china on December 02 , 1552 , at the age of 46 , without having reached china , while he was waiting for a boat that would agree to take him to the mainland China .
St. Francis Xavier has requested the foundation of the Goa Inquisition , but he never saw it happen ; it commenced eight years after his death . On 16 May 1545 On December 11 , 1553 , Xavier's body was shipped to Goa . Saint Francis Xavier's relics are kept in a silver casket , elevated inside the Bom Jesus Basilica and are exposed ( being brought to ground level ) generally every ten years , but this is discretionary . The last exposition was held in 2004 for about one month during December . The next exposition is said to be planned for the year 2014. Bones of Saint Francis Xavier are also found in the Espirito Santo ( Holy Spirit ) Church , Margão and in Sanv Fransiku Xavierachi Igorz ( Church of St. Francis Xavier ) , Batpal , Canacona , Goa .