Feast of St. Francis Xavier and First Friday

 

Francis Xavier was one of the original six companions of Ignatius who took vows in the Society of Jesus and became the first "Jesuits". In 1541 Francis left to become a great missionary for Asia. He worked tirelessly and by 1549 landed in Japan. He stayed there for two years, long enough to implant a small Christian community and then set sail for China. He was taken off the ship when he became ill and died on an island at the age of forty-six. He baptized whole villages and now is the patron saint of foreign missions.