St. Francis Xavier

Our Saint of the Week is St. Francis Xavier, SJ.

Born in Spain in 1506, St. Francis went to the University of Paris when he was eighteen, where he studied and taught Philosophy. Here he met St. Ignatius Loyola, who was about to start the Society of Jesus. After repeated prompting from St. Ignatius , Francis saw clearly that he could use his talents to bring people to God and agreed to join the Jesuits.

While he was in his mid-30’s, Francis traveled throughout the East as a missionary, where he made thousands of converts. In fact, he baptized so many people that he became too weak to raise his arms.

Francis’ love for Jesus was so strong that he could not rest at the thought that so many people had never heard the Gospel. The feast of St. Francis Xavier, SJ, is celebrated on December 3rd.