Death of Francis Xavier

December 3, 1552

The Jesuit missionary died of fever on the desolate island of Shangchuan off the Chinese coast, still dreaming of preaching inside the Ming Empire. He was forty-six. His body, exhumed a year later and found incorrupt, became the most traveled relic in the Catholic world. His canonization in 1622 confirmed his status as patron saint of Catholic missions, and his preserved arm still performs blessings worldwide.