Our Patron Saint - St. Francis Xavier An Educationist par Excellence
St. Xavier's College, Mapusa is named after St. Francis Xavier, a world renowned
Jesuit missionary from Spain, who was also an Educationist par excellence. Born in Spain in
1506, Francisco de Jaxu Xavier, as he was named, was one among the outstanding
students of the Sorbonne University, Paris. Awarded his Master's Degree in Arts
with distinction in 1530, he was appointed Professor of Aristotelian Philosophy
in the College of Beauvais in Paris in the same year. It was against this
brilliant academic background and his lofty ambition, that the seeds of
missionary zeal were sown in him by Ignatius of Loyola a fellow student of the
same University, who placed before him the spiritually haunting biblical maxim:
“What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his
own soul.” This influenced Francis Xavier to such a great extent, that his
worldly ambition gave way to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, when
he was ordained to priesthood in 1537. In 1542, Francis Xavier set foot on Goan
soil. In the following year, he was given charge of the College of Holy Faith
(Santa Fe) at Velha Goa. Under the Jesuits, it gained fame as the College of St.
Paul. Francis Xavier was one of the illustrious professors of this Institution,
which eventually earned the reputation of a University, where scholars from as
far as Japan came to pursue their studies. During his tenure as the head of the
College, he encouraged learning by establishing many other educational
institutions, modeled on the most advanced universities of Europe. St.Xavier'
College, Mapusa, has chosen as its goals Virtue (virtute) and knowledge
(scientia) to truly reflect the inspiration it draws from the very maxim that
turned around the life of its Patron, St.Francis Xavier.