ST. FRANCIS DAY
Centre Of Celebration: The Church Of Bom Jesus
Day Of Celebration: 3rd December
The body of St Francis Xavier lies in a silver casket in the
Church
of Bom Jesus in Goa. Ceremonies to honor his
death are performed on December 3, the day he was buried. St Xavier was a
great Catholic missionary, who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the
people of Asia.
Born in Spain on April 7, 1506, he came to India with the Portuguese
Viceroy of Goa in 1543, and immediately undertook the task of influencing
the Goan people. He went from street to street with a hired town crier,
asking people to attend his meetings and listen to his sermons. Though he
did not master the local language, he took the help of Goan scholars and
translated the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Ave
Maria.
He baptized the inhabitants of 30 villages. Xavier commanded awesome
political power. He was able to secure pensions, even for the petty
princes who converted to Christianity, from the King of Portugal.
To spread the message of Christ, he sailed to the Spice Islands in 1545,
and then went on to Japan in 1549 for a year. His greatest success is
recorded in Japan, where he converted hundreds to Christianity. After
returning to India for a brief 15months, he proceeded to China, against
the wishes of the Portuguese viceroy. It was in the Sancian Island, about
10-km from the mainland of China that he died of fever on December 2,
1552.
Legend
According to legend, some Portuguese merchants found him just before he
breathed his last. They performed his last rites on the following day, and
buried him in a box partly filled with unslaked lime. A few months later,
a Jesuit brother disinterred the body and discovered, to his surprise,
that it had not decomposed at all. He cut a finger from the body and was
astonished to see blood ooze out. When this was reported to the Vatican,
the title of Saint was conferred upon Xavier.
The body was interred in a cemetery in Malacca for about two years before
it was brought to its final resting place in Goa.
Until then, even though the body had not been anointed, it was found to be
only slightly affected by death. Before the mortal remains of the saint
were placed in a silver casket in the Church of Bom Jesus, one hand was
cut off from the body.
The Healing Power
Pieces of the hand were distributed to various parts of the world, under
orders of the Pope. Every ten years until 1994, on the anniversary of his
death, St Xavier's body would be brought out and kept in a glass case,
with the feet exposed, for all to see and worship. For the exposition,
people from all over India would flock to the church for a glimpse of the
saint.
The last exposition was held in 1994. Since the condition of the body had
deteriorated visibly, it was decided by the church that the body would not
be displayed anymore. There are many stalls selling trinkets and souvenirs
in the fair that is held on the occasion. A wide variety of food and
drinks are also available. The pilgrimage turns into a picnic for quite a
few families, as they shop in the little lanes decorated with streamers.
The ambience of the church site is happy and festive.
