Every October 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of San Francisco de Borja SJ (Valencia, Spain, 1510 – Papal States, 1572); man initially called by God to marriage – he formed a family and had children – who, after being widowed early, discovered a singular calling: to follow in the footsteps of Christ as a religious.
The call
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During the time he was married, Francisco met some members of the Society of Jesus with whom he became friends. His initial appreciation for the Jesuits would become, after the death of his wife, motivation for a more intense search for God and the path He could have outlined for his life – becoming a widow at a young age is not in anyone’s plans. Thus, after a time of searching and discernment, Francisco would completely turn his life around.
The Valencian nobleman left behind the world he had built, linked to the social circles that surrounded the royal court and the aristocracy, to dedicate himself completely to the service of the Holy Mother Church, alongside Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Company of Jesus.
Family man, man of the world
Francisco de Borja was born in Gandía (Valencia) in 1510. Since his family belonged to royalty, he was educated as part of the elite. At only 19 years old, the good Francisco married Doña Leonor de Castro. Her home was blessed with eight children, whom she raised with great care.
In his youth he held various public positions – both honorary and administrative – very much in accordance with the titles he held: he was erected IV Duke of Gandía, I Marquis of Lombay, Grandee of Spain and Viceroy of Catalonia. He even served as personal advisor to Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of Germany.
A viceroy face to face with death
In the days when Francis carried the weight of the position of viceroy of Catalonia, he received the royal order to transfer the mortal remains of the Empress Isabel to the place where they would rest definitively, the royal tomb of Granada. The trip would take several days.
When the viceroy arrived at the place where the empress’s body was, according to the funeral protocol of the time, he entered the chamber where it had been placed. I had to see it, recognize it and officially certify Isabel’s death.
The moment he saw the corpse, an abyss of fear opened before his eyes, and he felt an unprecedented sensation of emptiness. The face of the late empress, once full of lushness and freshness, lay in front, disfigured, deformed, in a clear process of decomposition.
Having contemplated, even if only for a few moments, such a lamentable spectacle wreaked havoc within him. Death had shaken his usual security and suddenly changed his way of understanding life.
The viceroy had decanted for the first time the fatuity of human existence, always clinging to ‘castles of sand’ that hide their expiration and misery until they collapse. Years later, the saint would refer to these events as “the day of his conversion.” Hence his famous promise: “I will never again serve a man who could die!”
“He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mk 12, 17)
After the death of Leonor, his wife (Monastery of San Jerónimo de Cotalba, March 27, 1546), and reflecting on his paternity, fulfilled according to the law of God, Francisco renounced his titles and property and entered the Company of Jesus (June 1546). With the Jesuits he learned to be a servant of all and not expect to be served. For a long time, he even worked as a cook’s assistant in the company, a job to which he dedicated himself diligently.
Rigorous training, prayer and study ennobled his soul and prepared him for the priesthood – it is worth remembering that Jesus established, in the world, with his sacrifice a different type of “nobility” -. Thus, the day of his ordination and the consequent appointment as Provincial of the Company in Spain would arrive. He opened new convents and schools, and became an advisor to kings and prelates. It is even known that the Pope requested his opinion at his discretion.
Company General: “He roofed the building and fixed the interior” (RP Verjus SJ)
By 1566, the saint was named Third Superior General of the Society of Jesus and, under his mandate, the missionary spirit of the Order was strengthened. Regarding education, Francisco de Borja would become the promoter of the Roman College, run by the Company, which would later become the prestigious Gregorian University.
Saint Francis of Borgia died at midnight on September 30, 1572. The famous Father Verjus, biographer of the saint and also a member of the Society of Jesus, would say of him: “Saint Ignatius of Loyola designed the building and laid the foundations; Father Laínez built the walls; “Saint Francis of Borja roofed the building and arranged the interior and, in this way, concluded the great work that God had revealed to Saint Ignatius.”
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If you want to know more about the life of Saint Francis of Borja, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Francisco_de_Borja.
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