Francis Xavier

Xavier Statue

by Jim Manney

Late last year, Xavier University in Cincinnati unveiled a new statue of its patron, St. Francis Xavier.  The sculptor, Tom Tsuchiya, worked on it for a year.  In this video he talks about how he worked and where he got inspiration from.   To watch the video on YouTube, click here.

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Novena of Grace

by Jim Manney

Today is the first day of the  Novena of Grace, an annual time of prayer directed to the intercession of St. Francis Xavier.  This special novena has been celebrated for hundreds of years.  It ends on March 12, the day that St. Francis and St. Ignatius Loyola were canonized.  A Jesuit who was miraculously healed [...]

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Ignatius and Xavier

by Jim Manney

Today is the anniversary of the canonization of Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier in 1622.  Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri were also canonized on that day, making March 12, 1622, possibly the greatest day in the history of canonizations. The painting above by the Jesuit Andrea Pozzo depicts Ignatius sending Xavier to the missions [...]

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A Novena of Grace

by Jim Manney

Today is the traditional beginning of the Novena of Grace in honor of St. Francis Xavier, a nine-day devotion that has been popular for centuries.  The first Novena of Grace dates back to 1634, when the intercession of St. Francis obtained the miraculous cure of another Jesuit.  The novena ends on March 12, the date [...]

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Francis Xavier

by Tim Muldoon

St. Francis Xavier (Indonesia, c. 16th century) December 3 is the feast of Saint Francis Xavier. Francis is the patron of foreign missions because of his evangelization in India, Indonesia, and Japan (he died off the coast of China, and the site is a pilgrimage destination for Chinese Catholics). Many Asian Catholics to this day [...]

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