His missionary travels took him to many places around the world. St. Francis traveled from Rome to Lisbon, Portugal and then to India. Along the way, he assisted in many previously established missions; including those in Mozambique and Melindi (Kenya) Africa, Socotra (an island off the coast of Somalia), and Goa (a district on the west coast of India, and the main Portuguese center) and other communities in the southern coastal areas.

St. Francis Xavier also visited Malacca on 25 September 1545 from Goa, India. Between 1545 and 1552, St. Francis visited Malacca five times, staying for a total period of about 16 months. Malacca was used as his launching site to the Far East. While in Malacca, St Francis preached and gave sacraments to the Portuguese sailors and prisoners. He established a hospital for the poor and attended to the spiritual needs of the patients.

In 1549, St. Francis began the first Christian mission in Japan where he served in the country for over two years. In 1552, he set sail to begin the first Christian mission in China. When he arrived, however, he was not allowed to disembark on the Mainland. For three months, he waited on Sanchian island off Canton while trying to gain entry. He died on the island of an acute illness at the age of forty-six. St. Francis Xavier was canonized by Gregory XV on March 12, 1622, at the same time as St. Ignatius Loyola.

St. Francis Xavier ranks among the greatest missionaries in Christian’s history. Historians place the number of baptisms at roughly 30,000 people; lore cites numbers up to 100,000. Today, such missionary accomplishments may be challenging to appreciate in light of present day plurality, cultural relativism, and global engagement, yet a great deal can be learned from Xavier in the way he conducted his life and work with meaning and purpose.