Saint of the Day: St. Francis Xavier

Jesuit Priest and Missionary (1506-1552)

His life

+ Francis was born in Spain in 1506. As a student in Paris, where he was studying philosophy, he became acquainted with Saint Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). 

+ Inspired by his friend, Ignatius, Francis became one of the first members of the Society of Jesus. Ordained a priest in 1537, he was among the first to make vows as a Jesuit and, in 1541, he set sail for India. 

+ Francis’ efforts to proclaim the Gospel took him to India, Malaysia, Indonesia’s Sulawesi Islands, the Maluku Islands, and Sri Lanka. In each place he converted large numbers to Christianity. 

+ In 1549, Francis traveled to Japan, where he established a flourishing Christian community. After two years, he returned to India. In 1552, he decided to travel to China. On November 20, he was taken ill with fever. Left alone and abandoned by the ship’s crew, he died on the shore of Sancian on December 2, 1552. 

+ Saint Francis Xavier was canonized with Saint Ignatius Loyola in 1622. Along with Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, he is honored as the patron saint of missionaries. 

For prayer and reflection

“I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will tell of your name to my kin.”—Entrance Antiphon for the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier 

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember the bishop Saint Birinus of Dorchester. Originally the bishop of Genoa, Italy, he was missioned by Pope Honorius I to serve in Britain in 634. settled in Wessex and came to be known as the “Apostle to the West Saxons.” After founding numerous churches, Saint Birinus died in 650 and was honored as a saint immediately after his death. 

Prayer

O God, who through the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier
won many peoples to yourself,
grant that the hearts of the faithful
may burn with the same zeal for the faith
and that Holy Church may everywhere rejoice
in an abundance of offspring.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Father Silas Henderson, S.D.S.