Feast day of St. Francis Xavier

Bishop Antonio Tobias will preside over a high mass at 5:30 p.m. today at the St. Francis Xavier Parish in Novaliches, Quezon City, in solemn commemoration of the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier (San Francisco Javier), the patron of foreign missions and co-founder with Saint Ignatius de Loyola of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). A procession follows the mass. Feast masses will also be celebrated in Nasugbu, Batangas. St. Francis was the first Jesuit missionary priest. The Catholic Church considers him to have converted more people to Christianity than anyone since St. Paul. He was one of the first seven followers of St. Ignatius of Loyola. He converted thousands to the faith as he preached in several countries including India and Japan. (Christina I. Hermoso)