St. Francis Xavier
Feast day: December 3
St. Francis Xavier was a man who lived in Spain about 500 years ago.
Francis Xavier had two good friends who were also his roommates. Their names were Ignatius, who is now known as St. Ignatius of Loyola, and Peter, now known as St. Peter Faber.
Together, they founded “The Society of Jesus,” a religious order commonly known as the “Jesuits.”
Francis Xavier was a missionary priest — that means that he traveled to many different places, telling people about Jesus and Christianity.
When he arrived in a country, he would teach the children first, then the adults. He baptized many people and helped to build many churches.
One of the places he traveled to was Japan. He even learned Japanese to be able to speak with the people.
He was named a saint on the same day his friend, Ignatius, was named a saint.
To celebrate St. Francis Xavier’s feast day, learn a few words of another language. Maybe God will ask you to learn another language to tell people about him!
