03 December - Francis Xavier is born in Navarre on 7 April 1506. His name is Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta. His Juan de Jasso had a palace and came from a family from Lower Navarre. His mother, María de Azpilicueta, was from Baztan.
Francis Xavier studied in France, where he studied theology at the Sorbonne. He taught philosophy in Paris and was very successful. Ignatius of Loyola came to Paris to expand his knowledge and seek scholarly friends to found the Society of Jesus. Ignatius met Francis Xavier and took him as a friend. On August 15, 1534, seven young men took their vows together in the church of Montmartre and the Society of Jesus was born. A few years later, Francis Xavier was ordained priest in Venice in 1537. Ready for the mission, he saw in his dream that he would be the apostle of many idolatrous countries. In 1540, when King John III of Portugal asked Pope Paul III for priests to go to Goa and East India, Ignatius sent him there, which was a great joy for him. When he arrived in Goa, he set foot on the soil of this promised land with tears of joy. He began his mission in Goa, converting the Portuguese, who were a disgrace to Christianity. When one job was finished, he began another, never satisfied, never tired.
Francis Xavier faced many challenges wherever he went: language problems, lack of books for those to whom the Gospel was proclaimed, persecution and the struggle against idolaters. But he overcame them all with his zeal and God's help. God gave him the gift of rhetoric in many languages and the power to perform many miracles, including the resurrection. During the twelve years of his evangelizing mission, he visited fifty-two kingdoms and baptized countless believers. Especially in Japan in 1549, although Francis Xavier had problems with the Buddhist monks, he baptised thousands of people, especially in the Yamaguchi region. He also wanted to convert China, a passage on his way to Europe, but he was called by the Father to eternal rest on December 3, 1552, on the island of Sancian. His body is currently in the Basilica of Good Jesus in Goa. While his right hand, since 1664, rests in the Church of Jesus in Rome, where the Generalate of the Society of Jesus is located.
It should be noted that Francis Xavier was canonised on 22nd March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. Saint Francis Xavier is the patron saint of the Catholic mission by decision of Pope Pius XI in 1927. He is also the patron saint of Mongolia, and since June 14, 1952, is also the patron saint of tourists.
