The shrine of St Francis Xavier in India is located in Old Goa, India, where his incorrupt body is preserved. A co-founder with St Ignatius of Loyola of the Society of Jesus, he preached the Gospel in the Far East as far as Japan. He was about to go to China at the time of his death.

He said: ‘When trying to evangelise, no tool is more effective than that of personal witness. Humbly sharing our own struggles which have been overcome by God’s great love and mercy can soften even the hardest and most stubborn of hearts. People can argue with points of doctrine, but no one can argue with a personal testimony!’

May our own lives truly bear witness to the Gospel, so that others may believe. And may God bless you in this.