聖方濟·沙勿略
聖人在1506年生於西班牙。在巴黎讀書時，與聖依納爵結為好友。聖人因福音的話：「人縱然賺得了全世界，卻賠上了自己的靈魂，為他有什麼益處？」（瑪16:26）大受感動，願意棄俗傳教，加入依納爵所建立的團體，1534年，一行七人矢發神貧、貞潔，且特別服從教宗的聖願，又矢志到聖地朝聖和傳福音。
1537年聖人在威尼斯晉鐸。1541年首途遠東，到印度及日本各地傳布福音，十年間，勸化多人歸正。1551年，因見日本人嚮往中國文化，故願往中國傳教，好使受中國文化影響的眾民族皈依基督。1552年，遙望中國大陸，在上川島離世，同年利瑪竇在意大利出生。教會立聖人為傳教區的主保。
1845年，香港開教之初，便於今日秀華坊的山坡建有小堂，命名為聖方濟各堂；且於1864年擴建於今日「進教圍」(St. Francis Yard)。從此，福音便開始廣傳於灣仔。當時，天主教會在灣仔建有孤兒院、聖方濟各醫院、收容所及聖方濟各醫院等。沿着山坡聖方濟各醫院的路，便稱為聖佛蘭士街（St. Francis Street）。
集禱經
天主，你曾藉聖方濟．沙勿略的宣講，贏取了眾多子民皈依你。求你賞賜我們充滿同樣的信仰熱誠，使聖教會因享見各地子女增多，而喜樂盈盈。因你的聖子、我們的主耶穌基督，他和你及聖神，是唯一天主，永生永王。亞孟。
Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain, in 1506. When he was studying in Paris, he met Ignatius Loyola (Iñigo Lopez de Loyola) and became good friends. Four other students also became close friends with Ignatius, who was a spiritual guide and inspired the whole group to go to the Holy Land in 1534. In the chapel of Saint-Denis in Montmartre, they pronounced private vows of poverty, chastity and going to the Holy Land to convert infidels. Xavier was one of the original seven members of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Society of Jesus.
In 1537, Xavier was ordained a priest. In 1541, Xavier started travelling to the Far East. He proclaimed the Gospel in India, China, and Japan, bringing 30 000 souls to Christ.
In January 1552, Xavier was asked to return to Rome to report on the mission. However, he decided that the visit could wait until he had first gone to China. In April 1552 Xavier set out from India and entered the Bay of Canton in September. He landed on Sancian Island which was both a hideout for Chinese smugglers and a base for Portuguese traders. None of the smugglers was willing to risk taking the Jesuit missionary over to China. A few months later, he came down with a fever and fell into a coma. He died on the morning of December 3 and was buried on the island.
He was canonized in 1622 and made patron of the Propagation of the Faith in 1910 and in 1927 was named patron of the missions.
Collect
O God, who through the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier
won many peoples to yourself,
grant that the hearts of the faithful
may burn with the same zeal for the faith
and that Holy Church may everywhere rejoice
in an abundance of offspring.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
資料來源 References
中文內容：《平日彌撒經文》，香港教區禮儀委員會
English text: Daily Roman Missal, 2011
https://www.jesuits.global/saint-blessed/saint-francis-xavier/