Patron Saint of Gôa.

Patron of the Orient in 1748, Patron of the Faith in 1904, and with the French nun St. Teresa of Lisieux, Patron of all missions in 1927. He is also the patron saint of sailors.

Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta (7 April 1506 – 3 December 1552) was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre (currently Spain-France) and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in the Deccan Plateau and the Indian subcontinent, but also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas, and other areas which had thus far not been visited by Christian missionaries.

• from The Catholic Encyclopdia:

It is truly a matter of wonder that one man in the short space of ten years (6 May, 1542 - 2 December, 1552) could have visited so many countries, traversed so many seas, preached the Gospel to so many nations, and converted so many infidels. The incomparable apostolic zeal which animated him, and the stupendous miracles which God wrought through him, explain this marvel, which has no equal elsewhere. The list of the principal miracles may be found in the Bull of canonization. St. Francis Xavier is considered the greatest missionary since the time of the Apostles, and the zeal he displayed, the wonderful miracles he performed, and the great number of souls he brought to the light of true Faith, entitle him to this distinction. He was canonized with St. Ignatius in 1622, although on account of the death of Gregory XV, the Bull of canonization was not published until the following year.

Francis Xavier was born in the family castle of Xavier (Xabier, toponymic name whose origin comes from "etxaberri" meaning "new house" in the Basque language) in the Kingdom of Navarre on 7 April 1506 according to a family register. He was born to an aristocratic family of the Kingdom of Navarre, the youngest son of Juan de Jaso, privy counsellor to King John III of Navarre (Jean d'Albret), and Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznárez, sole heiress of two noble Navarrese families. He was thus related to the great theologian and philosopher Martín de Azpilcueta.

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D. Francisco de Jassu y Javier, como lhe chamavam no seu meio de nobreza, nasceu em 1506 no castelo de Xavier, quando o reino de Navarra era ainda independente. Era o quinto filho do Dr. João de Jassu e de D. Maria de Azpilcueta, senhores dos domínios de Xavier y Idocin. Em 1525 estudava já na Universidade de Paris, onde em 1530, juntamente com o seu amigo Pedro Fabro obteve o grau de Mestre em Artes (Filosofia). Três anos mais tarde, Inácio de Loyola, que pouco antes se lhes juntara como companheiro de estudos, conquista-o para o seu grupo de amigos e leva-o a uma profunda transformação espiritual que lhe faz mudar o rumo de vida. A 15 de Agosto de 1534, com Inácio e mais 5 amigos (Pedro Fabro, Simão Rodrigues, Diogo Laínez, Alfonso Salmeron e Nicolau Bobadilla), na capela do santuário de Montmartre, fazem voto de perpétua castidade para serem sacerdotes, voto de pobreza para viverem à maneira de Jesus e voto de irem para a Terra Santa «continuar o que falta à missão de Cristo» como diria S. Paulo. Em Março de 1535, Inácio, por motivos de saúde tem de passar uns tempos por Espanha, antes de partirem para a Terra Santa, e Xavier entrega-lhe uma carta para seu irmão João de Azpilcueta em que lho recomenda e mostra quanto deve a este grande amigo (Xavier-doc. 1). ... (in: São Francisco Xavier: Obras Completas, Edições Loyola – São Paulo, Brasil, Abril de 2006)