Drawing nearer to God through prayer helps us to hear better the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of our brothers and sisters surrounding us.

The Church of Montreal invites us to take this missionary turn in our lives by praying the Patron Saints of this mission: Saint-Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Francis Xavier.

Mary Queen of the World Cathedral invites you to pray a novena to St. Francis Xavier. This novena is a progression of the novena to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux that was held, end of September 2019.

Parishes, missions and other organizations are also invited to enter into communion with the cathedral as they pray.
 
Subject: Novena to St. Francis Xavier, Patron Saint of the mission
Date: Nov. 24 - Dec. 2; after each Mass celebrated at the Cathedral.
Location: Mary Queen of the World Cathedral
Unrolling of the activity: Customary Mass followed by a prayer to St. Francis Xavier and the prayer for our work towards a missionary transformation.
 
Subject: Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Mass for the conclusion of the novena.
Date: Dec. 3, 5 p.m.
Location: Mary Queen of the World Cathedral

Summary of St. Francis Xavier’s Life

Excerpt and summary on St. Francis Xavier, Jesuit priest, Apostle of the Indies, patron of missions, from the Vatican News website, December 3.

St. Francis Xavier was born in 1506, in the castle of Xavier, in the Kingdom of Navarre (modern-day Spain). While he was a student, in 1525, St. Francis Xavier met St. Ignatius of Loyola and Pierre Favre. Together, they co-founded “The Company” of Jesus, otherwise known as the Society of Jesus.

On April 7, 1541, Francis left for the Indies in response to a call from Pope Paul III to evangelize this part of the world. Francis Xavier spent his priesthood ministry praying, teaching the Word of God, practising charity towards the people excluded from society, and baptizing new Catholics who had asked to be baptized.

In 1549, he continued his work in Japan. In 1552, Francis Xavier turned to China. He died however on the way to this new destination.

For his missionary enthusiasm, St. “Francis Xavier was proclaimed Patron of the Orient in 1748, from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in 1904 and of all missions, at the same time as Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, in 1927. His thoughts can be summarized in one prayer he often recited: ‘Lord, I love you not because you can give me Paradise or condemn me to Hell, but because you are my God. I love you because you are you.’”