SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA
Priest
(1510-1572)
St. Francis Borgia, Duke of Gandia and Captain-General of Catalonia, had a burgeoning career when, in 1539, he escorted the remains of Queen Isabella to Granada's royal cemetery. When the coffin was opened to verify the body, the sight which met his eyes struck him. In that moment, he apprehended spiritual death and decay, and left seeking the person of God will all his might.
It was some years before he could follow God's calling. At length, he entered the Society of Jesus to cut himself off from any chance of dignity or preferment. But his Order chose him to be its head.
When the Ottoman Empire threatened Christendom, St. Pius V sent his nephew to gather Christian princes into a league for its defense. The holy Pope chose Francis to accompany him, and although spread too thin, the Saint obeyed at once. The fatigues of the embassy exhausted him, and St. Francis passed away while returning to Rome on October 10, 1572.