St. Francis Borgia, Priest

St. Francis Borgia, the oldest son of the third Duke of Gandía, was born in the family’s palace in Gandía, Spain, on October 28, 1510. His great grandfather on his father’s side was Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503), and his great grandfather on his mother’s side was King Ferdinand the Catholic (reigned 1469–1516). Francis was educated as befitted a Spanish nobleman. While at the royal court of his cousin, Emperor Charles V (reigned 1519–58), he married (1529) Leonor de Castro of Portugal, and then in 1530 the emperor made him Marquis of Llombai and placed him in charge of the imperial household. When Empress Isabella unexpectedly died on May 1, 1539, Francis escorted the body to Granada, but when the coffin was opened for official recognition before burial, Francis no longer saw the face of a youthful queen but of one beyond recognition. He is said to have exclaimed: “Never again will I serve a master who can die on me,” and from that day onward he lived an austere life.

When Francis’s father died (January 8, 1543), Francis succeeded him as the fourth Duke of Gandía, and when his wife died in 1546, he decided to become a Jesuit. He was accepted into the Society of Jesus by St. Ignatius of Loyola (see July 31), but the fact was kept secret until he settled his temporal affairs and arranged marriages for his eight children. He resigned his title in favor of his eldest son, was ordained (1551) a priest, and worked as a Jesuit in Spain and in Portugal. In 1565, he was elected the third superior general of the Society of Jesus, and seven years later died in Rome on September 30, 1572. He was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671. The opening prayer of today’s Mass gives a brief summary of St. Francis Borgia’s life, when it asks: Grant through his prayers that all who have died to sin and renounced the world may live for you alone.