Saint Francis Xavier Statue Announcement

Fr. Michael Burbeck 

On December 3^rd, our Catholic community celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Francis Xavier, a missionary saint that dedicated his life to spreading the faith and serving the needs of the Catholic community in India.  On his 35^th birthday, St. Francis Xavier courageously answered God’s call to minister to a new colony in India.  In response to the king of Portugal’s request to proclaim the teachings of the Church, St. Francis Xavier volunteered to be among the first Jesuit missionaries. St. Francis Xavier sailed all the way around Africa and past the Cape of Good Hope to cross the Indian Ocean to travel to India.  It took him approximately one year to reach the coast of India.

Once St. Francis Xavier arrived, he tirelessly traveled the sub-continent baptizing tens of thousands, recruiting the youth to help him evangelize using songs, and translating a simple catechism into the local languages. Many Catholics from India have a deep devotion to this missionary saint. His zeal marked the Diocese of Goa, India and St. Francis Xavier is popularly called "Goencho Saib" which means "Lord of Goa.” His feast day of December 3rd is celebrated widely across India, especially at the Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa, where his incorruptible body lies at rest.

In December 2022, I had the privilege to travel to India and I was blessed to be in Goa during the year that marked 500 years of Jesuit history. I celebrated Mass in the Basilica of Bom Jesus and witnessed firsthand the impact of St. Francis Xavier. I also traveled with several Indian Catholics whose families trace their conversion back to this beloved saint. St. Francis Xavier inspired a generation of disciples to respond to God's call to go to the nations and participate in the great commission.

The St. Michael community has been blessed by the presence of many Catholics from India who have gathered for 10 years in gratitude to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis Xavier. This year, I am pleased to announce that St. Michael will now have a permanent statue of St. Francis Xavier in the church to honor the missionary work of this powerful saint.  On behalf of the St. Michael parish family, I thank all the parishioners and volunteers that worked so generously to bring the St. Francis Xavier statue to our community.  I pray that the statue serves as a beautiful visual reminder of the rich heritage of the Catholic Indian community and keeps us rooted in St. Francis Xavier’s great commission – Go and make disciples of all nations.