This Week in Christian History: EWTN Launches, Francis Xavier Goes to Japan, Pope Attacks Talmud

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Twitter

St. Francis Xavier Arrives in Japan - August 15, 1549

Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a missionary who helped found the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.
Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a missionary who helped found the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. | (Photo: Public Domain)

This week marks the anniversary of when Saint Francis Xavier, one of the founders of the Jesuit Order and known for his missionary work, arrived in Japan.

Believed to be the first Jesuit missionary to enter Japan, Xavier was already known for his extensive evangelism efforts in India, the land where he was eventually buried.

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He landed in Kagoshima, bringing with him two small religious paintings which he used when proselytizing the native population, which according to scholar Grace A. H. Vlam, established a pattern for mission work.

"Their success was such that the amount of imported paintings and prints soon proved insufficient for the growing number of converts and churches," wrote Vlam.

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