His father was Juan Borgia, 3rd Duke of Gandía, the son of Giovanni Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia). Borgia was overwhelmed by the reception he received from people who had known him as a nobleman and honored his choice of religious life. Like other young nobles he was trained for life at court and in 1522 was appointed page to his cousin Catherine, the sister of Emperor Charles V who invited him back to court after he studied philosophy for three years.

He did not attend the first general congregation, convened almost two years after Ignatius died, but did return to Rome in 1561 at Pope Pius IV's request. Meanwhile, the founder of the Jesuits encouraged the duke to continue living as a nobleman. His liturgical feast was inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 1688 for celebration on 10 October,[7] the date then free from other celebrations that was closest to that of his death. He was chosen to be vicar general when Father James Laínez, who succeeded Ignatius as superior general, attended the last session of the Council of Trent. Parishes are dedicated to St. Francis Borgia in Chicago, Illinois,[8] Sturgis, Kentucky,[9] Washington, Missouri,[10] Blair, Nebraska,[11] and Cedarburg, Wisconsin. [12] Also in the village of Isio in the town of Cauayan, Negros Occidental, Philippines. [5] He felt drawn to spend time in seclusion and prayer, but his administrative talents also made him a natural for other tasks. In 1529 he married Leonor de Castro of Portugal, Empress Isabella's first lady-in-waiting. Yet, despite the great power of his office, Francis led a humble life and was widely regarded in his own lifetime as a saint. In 1546 his wife Eleanor died, and Francis then decided to enter the newly formed Society of Jesus, after making adequate provisions for his children. Originally Collected and edited by: Tom Rochford, SJ. He returned to the family palace to manage his estates, but when his wife Leonor died March 27, 1546, he resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to God's service. In 1539, he convoyed the corpse of Isabella of Portugal, Philip II of Spain's mother, to her burial place in Granada. Borgia served as the third superior general of the Jesuits for seven years and devoted himself to revising the Society's rules, expanding its missions in India and the Americas, and shepherding the growth of the young Society. After living as a Jesuit from the end of October until early February 1551, he returned to Spain where he resigned his title in favor of his son, Carlos. Father General prays for COVID-19 victims. His mother was Juana, daughter of Alonso de Aragón, Archbishop of Zaragoza, who, in turn, was the illegitimate son of King Ferdinand II of Aragon. In time his friends persuaded him to accept the leadership role that nature and circumstances had destined him for: in 1554, he became the Jesuit commissary-general in Spain,[6] where he founded a dozen colleges. [4] After only two years, St. Francis was also given responsibility for missions in the East and West Indies. He left his home in Gandía, never to see it again, and lodged in the Jesuit residence in Rome with Ignatius rather than taking Pope Julius III's offer to stay in the Borgia apartments in the Vatican. Copyrights © 2020 Curia Generalizia della Compagnia di Gesù - All rights reserved, Refugees and COVID-19: among the most vulnerable. The oldest son of the third duke of Gandía, Borgia was born in the family palace in Valencia. Francis Borgia died on 30 September 1572, in Rome. Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía S.J. [2] His diplomatic abilities came into question when his attempt to arrange a marriage between Prince Philip and the Princess of Portugal failed, thus ending an attempt to bring these two countries together and resulting in his retirement. The Jesuit-founded city of São Borja, in southern Brazil, is named after him. He was ordained a priest on May 23 and celebrated his first Mass in the chapel in the Loyola family home. Francis pronounced his vows as a Jesuit on Feb. 1, 1548 and on Aug. 20, 1550 earned a doctorate in theology from the university which he himself had founded. They had eight children: Carlos in 1530, Isabel in 1532, Juan in 1533, Álvaro circa 1535, Juana also circa 1535, Fernando in 1537, Dorotea in 1538, and Alfonso in 1539. Although as a child he was very pious and wished to become a monk, his family sent him instead to the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (who was also King Charles I of Spain), where he was welcomed as a kinsman. In 1554 he was named Commissary General in Spain, with power over provincials in Spain and Portugal. After he returned from Granada, he was appointed Viceroy of Catalonia in June 1539 and then became the fourth duke of Gandía after his father died four years later. When the coffin was opened, he saw not the beautiful face of the 36-year-old queen but a face beyond recognition. His successes during the period 1565–1572 have caused historians to describe Francis as the greatest General after Saint Ignatius. Finally he set out for Rome on Sept. 3, 1572, going to bed immediately upon his arrival. The mission of the Jesuits is a mission of justice and reconciliation, working so that women and men can be reconciled with God, with themselves, with each other and with God’s creation. As soon as he received the Emperor's letter accepting his resignation, Francis donned the Jesuit cassock. The two churchmen left Rome in June 1571 and arrived in Barcelona by the end of August. [4] Upon Francis’ return from a journey to Peru, Pope Julius III made known his intention to make him a cardinal. He founded Spain's first novitiate, at Simancas, and set up over 20 schools. [13], As the great-great grandfather of Doña Luisa de Guzmán, queen consort of King John IV of Portugal, he is an ancestor of many of the royal houses of Europe. He was familiar with the Jesuits, having founded a Jesuit college in Gandía and being a personal friend of Father Peter Favre whom he asked to inform Ignatius of his decision. He had to spend weeks resting in Turin on the return trip to Rome and then stayed with relatives in Ferrara during the summer. Charles V appointed him Marquess of Lombay, master of the hounds, and equerry to the empress.[1]. In September 1529, he married a Portuguese noblewoman in Madrid, Leonor de Castro Mello y Meneses. Ignatius welcomed him into the Society but recommended that he tell no one until he arranged affairs for his children and finished studying theology. For a few years Borgia worked as an ordinary parish priest. Upon Laínez's return, Borgia became assistant for Spain and Portugal, and then was elected to succeed Laínez after his death in 1565. They had eight children: Carlos in 1530, Isabel in 1532, Juan in 1533, Álvaro circa 1535, Juana also circa 1535, Fernando in 1537, Dorotea in 1538, and Alfonso in 1539. [1] His brother, Tomás de Borja y Castro, also became a clergyman, becoming the Bishop of Málaga, and later the Archbishop of Zaragoza. During the next 10 years Francis and Eleanor had eight children and lived in great familiarity with Charles and Isabella until the Empress unexpectedly died May 1, 1539. [1] He distinguished himself there, accompanying the Emperor on several campaigns. He put his affairs in order circa 1551, renounced his titles in favour of his eldest son Carlos de Borja-Aragon y de Castro-Melo, and became a Jesuit priest. He was born in Duchy of Gandía, Valencia, on 28 October 1510. He helped in the establishment of what is now the Gregorian University in Rome. His final project was a mission to Spain accompanying Cardinal Michele Bonelli in an effort to secure Spain's help against the Turks. In 1543 upon the death of his father, the 3rd Duke, Francis became the 4th Duke of Gandía. He was beatified in Madrid on 23 November 1624, by Pope Urban VIII. Saint Francis Borgia Regional High School is located in Washington, Missouri. (Valencian: Francesc de Borja, Spanish: Francisco de Borja) (1510–1572), venerated as Saint Francis Borgia, was a great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, a Grandee of Spain, a Spanish Jesuit, and third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Her death led directly to Borgia's conversion when Francis accompanied the funeral cortege to the burial place in the royal chapel in Granada. He delighted above all in producing ecclesiastical compositions, and these display a remarkable contrapuntal style and bear witness to the skill of the composer, justifying indeed the assertion that, in the sixteenth century and prior to Palestrina, Borgia was one of the chief restorers of sacred music.[1]. He founded the Collegium Romanum, which was to become the Gregorian University, advised kings and popes, and closely supervised all the affairs of the rapidly expanding order. The oldest son of the third duke of Gandía, Borgia was born in the family palace in Valencia. In December Borgia left Spain for France to continue the diplomatic mission, but he fell ill from fever and pleurisy because of the unusually cold. The Society of Jesus was founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius Loyola and his companions. Who was the founder of the Society of Jesus? Francis Borgia (1510-1572) gave up incredible wealth, power and privilege as a Spanish nobleman to enter the Society of Jesus where his experience brought him to leadership as the third superior general of the young Society of Jesus.