Patron saints
Who Is the Patron Saint of Missionaries?
Saint Francis Xavier · Feast day December 3
The patron saint of missionaries is Saint Francis Xavier, whose feast day is December 3.
Who was Saint Francis Xavier?
Saint Francis Xavier was one of the first Jesuits and one of the greatest missionaries in history, carrying the gospel to India, southeast Asia, and Japan in the sixteenth century and baptizing tens of thousands before dying within sight of China.
Why the patron of missionaries?
For his tireless journeys to bring Christ to distant lands, he is the patron of missionaries and of the spread of the faith, alongside Saint Therese of Lisieux.
In the Word
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Matthew 28:19 (KJV)
A note for all traditions: patron saints are honored in the Catholic and Orthodox churches as examples of faith and as friends who pray with us, never worshiped, for worship belongs to God alone. Many Protestant Christians honor the saints as examples without asking their intercession. Across all traditions, there is one Lord and one mediator between God and us, the man Christ Jesus, and every one of us, not only the saints, is called to holiness and to him.
All the saints point to Jesus, and so are you called
Saint Francis Xavier was not the point; Christ was. Every saint is a window, and the light is Jesus, who is Lord of all. You are called to the same holiness and the same love. Pray, read the Word, and gather with the family of God on The Living Bread. Free, with no ads, for all people.
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