Francis Xavier
Saint Francis Xavier is the patron of missionaries and of foreign missions because he was, quite simply, the greatest missionary since the apostles: a co-founder of the Jesuits, he carried the Gospel to India, the Spice Islands, and Japan, baptizing tens of thousands and dying in 1552 within sight of China, which he longed to enter. Pope Pius XI named him, together with Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, principal patron of all the missions in 1927. He is invoked by sailors, navigators, and travelers for the same reason — his apostolate was one of relentless ocean voyages across the unknown waters of the East. He is a patron of India, Japan, and the lands of the East he first opened to the faith.
Saint Francis Xavier was a Navarrese-Basque Jesuit missionary who is considered one of the greatest missionaries since Saint Paul. Born in 1506, he co-founded the Society of Jesus with Ignatius of Loyola. He traveled to India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, baptizing tens of thousands. He died in 1552 on an island off the coast of China.
