Francis Xavier

Saint Francis Xavier, S.J., born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta (7 April 1506 – 3 December 1552), was a Navarrese Basque Roman Catholic missionary, born in Xavier, Kingdom of Navarre (now part of Spain), and a co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits who took vows of poverty and chastity at Montmartre, Paris in 1534. He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time and was influential in evangelization work most notably in India. He also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Maluku Islands, and other areas which had, until then, not been visited by Christian missionaries. In these areas, struggling to learn the local languages and in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India. It was a goal of Xavier to extend his missionary preaching to China but he died in Shangchuan Island shortly before doing so.

St. Francis Xavier was beatified by Pope Paul V on 25 October 1619, and was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March 1622. In 1624 he was made co-patron of Navarre alongside Santiago. Known as the "Apostle of the Indies," and the "Apostle of Japan", he is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries since St. Paul. In 1927, Pope Pius XI published the decree "Apostolicorum in Missionibus" naming St. Francis Xavier, along with St. Thérèse of Lisieux, co-patron of all foreign missions. He is now co-patron saint of Navarre with San Fermin. The Day of Navarre (Día de Navarra) in Spain marks the anniversary of Saint Francis Xavier's death on 3 December 1552.

Francis Xavier (name)

This is a list of persons named after Saint Francis Xavier. The list includes cognates of the name Francis Xavier in other languages, including:

Persons

St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation)

St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552) is a Spanish Roman Catholic saint.

St. Francis Xavier may also refer to:

Localities

People

Other uses

See also

St. Francis Xavier Church (Manhattan)

Coordinates: 40°44′18″N 73°59′43″W / 40.738279°N 73.995152°W / 40.738279; -73.995152

St. Francis Xavier Church is a Roman Catholic church in Manhattan at 30-36 West 16th Street between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The church attracts many lesbian and gay parishioners.

History

Founded in 1851 by Jesuits from the village of Fordham, the original sanctuary, designed by William Rodrigue, was the scene of a panic on March 8, 1877 when someone shouted "Fire!" in the church during a service; seven people died. This church was torn down in 1878. Built over the next four years, the current church has been in use since 1882. Designed by Irish-born architect Patrick Charles Keely – who over his career designed hundreds of churches– the exterior of the church is Neo-baroque in style, while the interior has stained-glass windows with a pre-Raphaelite character.

A campaign for the extensive restoration and preservation of the church that began in 2001 was completed in 2010 under the direction of EverGreene Architectural Arts and Thomas A. Fenniman architect.

St. Francis

St. Francis may refer to numerous Roman Catholic saints:

St. Francis or Saint Francis may also refer to:

Places

United States

St. Francis, Wisconsin

St. Francis is an American city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The population was 9,365 at the 2010 census.

History

The city took its name from St. Francis Seminary, founded by Archbishop John Henni, the first Archbishop of Milwaukee, who placed it under the patronage of Francis de Sales, the first Catholic bishop of Switzerland after the Swiss Reformation.

Geography

St. Francis is located at 42°58′11″N 87°52′36″W / 42.96972°N 87.87667°W / 42.96972; -87.87667 (42.969615, -87.876745).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.55 square miles (6.60 km²), all of it land. It is located directly south and east of the City of Milwaukee, directly west of Lake Michigan, and directly north of Cudahy, Wisconsin. Milwaukee's primary airport, General Mitchell International Airport, is bordered on one side by St. Francis.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,365 people, 4,494 households, and 2,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,672.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,418.0/km²). There were 4,828 housing units at an average density of 1,893.3 per square mile (731.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.8% White, 2.7% African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 2.8% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.4% of the population.

University of St. Francis

The University of St. Francis is a Catholic, Franciscan university, serving more than 3,300 students at locations throughout the United States. USF's main campus is located at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet, Illinois. It is located about 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Chicago in a residential neighborhood and serves 1,300 students.

Campus

The Main Campus of the University of St. Francis is in the Cathedral Areas Preservation District, amidst some of the city’s most elegant and historic homes, and within easy walking distance of the Cathedral of St. Raymond.

The campus is 35 miles southwest from Chicago. Downtown Joliet and its Metra station are just minutes away, along with the university’s City Center Campus, which houses the Arts and Design Department at the historic Rialto Square Theatre building.

Tower Hall, the main academic building built in 1922, is the iconic image of the university. At the front of Tower Hall is a statue of Mother Alfred Moes, founder of the Sisters of St. Francis. The statue welcomes guests to campus and reminds all of the sisters' many contributions to the Joliet community. Tower Hall's main entrance at Circle Drive is marked by a statue of St. Francis, the institution's patron saint. Just inside the Circle Drive entrance is the Welcome Center.