The churches of Rome are renowned for housing numerous treasures of Christianity, and a prime example is the Church of the Gesù (Church of Jesus). This church is the custodian of an important relic of the missionary saint, whose feast day is celebrated on December 3rd.
Saint Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary from the 16th century, is often revered as the “Giant of the History of Missions,” attributed to his fervent evangelizing zeal and spiritual fortitude.
He embarked on a mission to spread the Gospel to the East, particularly in Asia, in what was one of the most ambitious missionary expeditions of the time. Francis Xavier reached India and Japan and passed away before he could set foot on the shores of mainland China on December 3, 1552.
His body, initially placed in a lime-filled coffin for transport, was found incorrupt ten weeks later upon removal of the lime. Subsequently, his remains were first taken to Malacca (Malaysia) and then to Goa (India), where they are enshrined in the Church of the Good Jesus to this day.
The relic of his right arm was transported to Rome and has been preserved there since 1614 in the Jesuit Society’s temple. This church, visited by Pope Francis on several occasions, also houses the tomb of the Order’s founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Positioned to the right of the church’s main altar, in the chapel dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier, the relic holds a place of honor. Xavier shared a profound friendship with Saint Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits.
The arm, used by the indefatigable missionary to baptize and bless hundreds of thousands of converts during his Asian missions, is a first-degree relic and remains partially incorrupt, meaning it has not decomposed in the typical manner.
