Juan Fernández (missionary)

Juan Fernández (b. at Cordova; d. 12 June, 1567, in Japan) was a Spanish Jesuit lay brother and missionary. He was the first European to a grammar and lexicon of the Japanese language.

Life

In a letter from Malacca, dated 20 June, 1549, Francis Xavier begs the prayers of the Goa brethren for those about to start on the Japanese mission, mentioning among them Juan Fernández. On their arrival in Japan Juan was active in the work of evangelizing.

In September, 1550, he accompanied Francis Xavier to Firando (Hirado), thence to Amanguchi (Yamaguchi), and on to Miako (Saikyo). They returned to Amanguchi, where he was left with Father Cosmo Torres in charge of the Christians, when Francis Xavier started for China.

There was in the records of the Jesuit college at Coimbra a lengthy document, professed to be the translation of an account rendered to Francis Xavier by Fernández of a controversy with the Japanese on such questions as the nature of God, creation, the nature and immortality of the soul. The success of Brother Fernández on this occasion in refuting his Japanese adversaries resulted in the ill will of Buddhist priests, who stirred up a rebellion against the local "daimyo", who had become a Christian. The missionaries were concealed by the wife of one of the nobles until they were able to resume their work of preaching.

Francis Xavier says in one of his letters:

:"Joann Fernández though a simple layman, is most useful on account of the fluency of his acquaintance with the Japanese language and of the aptness and clearness with which he translates whatever Father Cosmo suggests to him."

His humility under impressed all and on one occasion resulted in the conversion of a young Japanese doctor, who later became a Jesuit.