Francis Xavier, St.

Son of an aristocratic Spanish-Basque family, he was born in Navarre in 1506. While studying at the University of Paris, he met St. Ignatius Loyola and became one of the first members of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. After ordination to the priesthood, Francis left Portugal to evangelize the West Indies, making Goa, on the west coast of India, his headquarters. He founded the church in Japan and was on his way to China when he fell ill and died in 1552. He is clearly one of the greatest Christian missionary of all time and was named “patron of the Foreign Missions” by Pope St. Pius X. Biography by Dr. Italy