Every July 14 the Catholic Church celebrates San Francisco SolanoFranciscan missionary who arrived from Spain to America in viceregal times.
Saint Francisco Solano dedicated his life to the evangelization of the native peoples of the New Continent and to the spiritual accompaniment of those who arrived, like him, with the desire to share the Good News of the Gospel.
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It is said that he had a great voice, a musical soul and great eloquence. Also highlighted is his ability to learn the languages of the indigenous peoples – there is talk of an authentic gift of languages - and that he performed many miraculous cures.
Missionary soul
Francisco Sánchez Solano Jiménez -by his given name- lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. He was born in 1549 in Montilla, Andalusia (Spain), into a Christian home. His first academic training was with the Jesuits, but he entered the Franciscan Order. The young Francis was attracted to the spirit of poverty established by the Saint of Assisi.
In 1570 he made his religious profession. Shortly thereafter he was sent to the Sevillian convent of Our Lady of Loreto, where he studied Philosophy and Theology, and had the opportunity to develop his talents for music and singing. Francisco knew how to play the rebec – a bowed string instrument considered the predecessor of the violin – as well as the guitar. He was ordained a priest in 1576.
In 1581, the new priest was entrusted with the vicariate of the Córdoba convent of La Arruzafa, where he held the position of master of novices. Years later, he was sent to America as a missionary. He toured the lands of South America for 20 years evangelizing his people. He undertook a historic journey on foot from Lima (Peru) to Tucumán (Argentina), which forced him to cross the Andes mountain range and cross the Collao plateau (Bolivia) and the Argentine pampas, passing through the Paraguayan Chaco.
Wonderworker
As a missionary he had to face many dangers. It is said that, for example, while he was preaching in La Rioja (Argentina), a group of natives arrived ready to attack the population. Saint Francisco Solano came out with a crucifix in his hand and addressed the attackers in his own language, managing to stop them. After his intervention, the looters themselves embraced the Christian faith.
On another occasion, a man with sores on his legs approached him. The poor man walked with great difficulty, helped by crutches. It is said that the saint approached, welcomed him and kissed his wounds, and instantly the sick man was cured.
The superiors of the Order summoned him to return to Lima, and although he was not attracted to city life – far from the spiritual children he had adopted – he obeyed the call. After arriving in the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, he was entrusted with high responsibilities and important positions, which did not prevent him from continuing to live in a spirit of detachment and poverty. In his cell Francisco only had a cot, a blanket, his cross, a chair and a table; and on it a lamp, the Bible and a few books.
“Always be joyful in the Lord” (Phil 4,4)
Francisco had a joyful spirit, and he transmitted that joy to whoever wanted to listen to him when he sang or played the rebec. One day, he went to visit one of the other convents in Lima, where – it was said – the religious seemed excessively serious and timid.
The saint, after reminding those men of the interior and exterior joy that Saint Francis of Assisi spoke about, began to sing and dance so jokingly that everyone ended up involved. The joy of following the Lord touched the hearts of the religious that day.
Shortly after, the saint was sent to Trujillo (a city in northern Peru), where he dedicated himself to caring for the sick. In the hustle and bustle of kind service he became good friends with an elderly woman who suffered from leprosy. That woman became his favorite daughter. It is said that Francisco accompanied her affectionately, always staying close to her and praying a lot to ensure her entry to heaven.
“What you hear in the ear, proclaim from the housetops” (Mt 10:27)
When the time came to return to Lima, Francisco had already become an ‘apostle of squares’. He was very good at public speaking, without excessive qualms or exaggerations. The Plaza Mayor of Lima would soon become the meeting point for those who eagerly awaited his preaching.
And as he had a restless apostolic spirit, after each preaching he made a tour of the streets of the city, visiting workshops, houses, hospices, corrales inhabited by very humble people, barracks full of slaves, convents and monasteries. To each place he brought the joy that is experienced when Christ ignites the heart of charity and mercy.
Struck by a painful illness, San Francisco Solano left for the Father’s House on July 14, 1610, the day of San Buenaventura, a saint to whom he professed great devotion.
The universal Church celebrates its feast day on July 14; while the Franciscan Order does it on the 24th of the same month.
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If you want to know more about this great saint, we recommend the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Francisco_Solano.
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