The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-11-29
THE APOSTLE OF THE INDIES.

Out of the casual coming together
of three fellow-students of the Uni
versity of Paris, in the early decade
of the sixtenteh century, arose the
marvellous propaganda which was
eventually to win over millions of
heathens in Asia to the Catholic
Church, says the Freeman's Journal.
The three young students bore the
names Francis Xavier, Ignatius of
Loyola, and Peter Faber. The first
of the three had won every academical
honor that Paris could confer upon
him, and had adopted the teaching of
philosophy, a method of bringing one
self to the public notice which CORE
sponded to the law schools of old
Rome, and was hardly less dangerous
in it's effects upon applause-seeking
souls than the stage of today.
1t was a consciousness on the part
of his fellow student Loyola that
Xavier was fond of applause and in
tellectual display, which led the for
mer to further his comrades success
in the teaching of philosophy to large
crowds of students, so as to bring
about a surfeit of that success which
prevented his higher talents from de-
claring themselves. Loyola had also
been busy seeking to gain over other
members of the university, with view
to forming a congregation which
should seek to convert the peoples of
I'd 4I,S Nod nTYin ryXT-
ing to his close intimacy with Igna-
thus, was finally-when cured of his
natural and youthful worldliness-
drawn, and when the time came for
Loyola to apportion to his companions
their different fields of labor Xavier
was chosen for the Indies. On April Z,
1541, he boarded the flagship st.
James, a Portuguese sloop-of-war, and
started upon the thirteen months
voyage which was to take him to the
field of duty.
Having spent some eight months
on the east coast of Africa, they re-
newed their voyage to the Portuguese
settlement of Goa, which at that time
was not only the home and nursery
of idolaters and idolatrous teachers,
but was also a hot-bed of leprosy
Having established his missions in this
region He converted many extensive
tribal settlements to the Faith. Then
Xavier betook himself to the Parava
fisheries, where his success equalled
that obtained in Goa. In 1915 (says a
Catholic Truth publication dealing
with the story of his life), the mis-
sionary made his way to MeliapoI
with the object of visiting the shrine
of the Apostle st. Thomas in whose
footsteps he was now following. This
is one of the chief cities of the Coro
mandel coast, and rose from the
ruins of old Salamina, where, accord
ing to the traditions, st. Thomas
suffered martyrdom for the Christian
faith.
At Meliapor, Xavier established thu
foundations of Catholic Christianity
evidences of which exist to the pres
ent day in the locality. At Malacca
which he reached in the same year
he remained at the suggestion OF tn
chief governor. Malacca was then t.
the Indies what Alexandra was t
the Ancients, and morally sink
iniuuity. Yet the great missionary
fame has already spread throughou
the East to so great an extent tina
once he arrived in the port, the peopl
fiocked to meet him. The testimon,
of one Bartoli still remains to shoV
that Xavier not only wrought numer
GUS conversions, but that his miracu
lous cures of the sick and manned as
founded the most skeptical and hos
tile.
One very conspicuous miracle mer
toned by Bartoli was the recalling t
life of a girl who had been burie
three days, and whose mother coul
not find Father Xavier in order to as
his Intervention for cure while sh
still lived, in such way that the chill
died. When at last the woman foun
the missionary she told him that he
daughter would not have died had b
been here Directing the mother
go and open her daughters gray