Francisco García, S.J.

Francisco García, S.J., (1641-1685) entered the Society of Jesus on April 9, 1658. After completing his studies, he was appointed twice as rector of the novitiate in Madrid, where he died. García preached some popular missions in Spain, but he excelled as a writer of the lives of saints, such as the hagiography of Father General Francisco Borja (Alcala, 1671); Fathers Luis de Medina (Madrid, 1673); Saint Francis Xavier (Madrid, 1676); Saint Ignatius Loyola (Madrid, 1685), and Diego Luis de San Vitores (Madrid, 1683). His baroque style was elegant, containing much information on historical data about Jesuit missions in the Far East. He was called to write the first historical text about the Mariana Islands. During many years, provincial procurators regularly brought him annual letters, reports, and detailed descriptions of the archipelago. However, his sudden death left the Jesuits with no other alternative than assigning French Jesuit Charles Le Gobien to authoring the text.