{"id":"st-francis-xavier-missionary","name":"St. Francis Xavier","title":"Apostle of the Indies and Japan","knownFor":"Great Missionary, Co-founder of Jesuits, Far East Evangelist","feastDay":"December 3","lifespan":"1506-1552","patronOf":"Missions, Missionaries, India, Japan, China, East Indies","shortBio":"A Spanish Jesuit missionary who evangelized vast territories in Asia, baptizing hundreds of thousands. One of the greatest Christian missionaries after St. Paul.","fullBio":"Born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta in the Kingdom of Navarre, Francis Xavier met Ignatius of Loyola while studying at the University of Paris. Initially resistant to Ignatius's spiritual influence, he was gradually won over by the famous question, \"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?\"\n\nFrancis became one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus in 1540. When King John III of Portugal requested missionaries for the Portuguese colonies in the East, Francis volunteered and set sail for India in 1541, never to return to Europe.\n\nHis missionary journeys were extraordinary in scope and success. He worked among the pearl fishers of southern India, where he baptized entire villages. He traveled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Malacca, the Molucca Islands (Spice Islands), and in 1549 became the first Christian missionary to Japan, where he spent over two years establishing the foundation of Japanese Christianity.\n\nFrancis adapted his methods to local cultures, learning languages and customs. He translated Christian prayers and doctrine into local languages and trained native clergy. His letters describe baptizing so many people that his arms ached from the repetitive motion. He is credited with over 300,000 baptisms during his missionary career.\n\nFrancis died in 1552 on Shangchuan Island off the coast of China, within sight of his goal to evangelize the Chinese Empire. His body was found incorrupt when exhumed months later, and miracles were reported at his tomb.","miracles":["Raised the dead on multiple occasions during his missions","Spoke in tongues, understood by people of different languages","Calmed storms at sea through prayer","His crucifix fell into the sea and was returned by a crab","Body remained incorrupt after death","Miraculous healings at his tomb and through his relics"],"imageUrl":"https://page.gensparksite.com/v1/base64_upload/ba26a5b8318d5d23993bb55edb9ee901","imageAttribution":"St. Francis Xavier Baptizing the Indians by Luca Giordano (1680). Museo del Sannio, Benevento, Italy. Oil on canvas","orderByDate":1552}