St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was one of the most zealous missionaries in Catholic history. He is most famous for his work in India and Japan, though he evangelized other lands as well. God rewarded his fervor and efforts with many miracles.

His intense apostolate ended by a painful illness which lasted two weeks and resulted in his death. He passed away on a lonely island, within sight of China, where he had hoped to carry out his next mission.

After Francis’ death, his young Chinese interpreter, Antonio, wrote to a Jesuit named Manuel Teixeira, back in Goa, India.

"...In death the blessed Father looked so happy and so fair that one might have thought him still alive. ... I went at once to the ship to obtain the vestments and all else necessary for his burial. ... Some of those on the ship returned with me...and we made a wooden coffin in which we placed the body clothed in sacerdotal vestments. We then took it in a boat to another part of the island... It was very cold, so most of them stayed aboard and there were only four of us at the burial."

Just as they were about to bury it, someone suggested that they fill the coffin with the mineral lime, so that the saint’s body would be reduced to bones. This would make it easier to transfer the remains - in case someone in the future would want to bring the body to India, where Francis was fondly remembered for his missionary work.

So it was done. Four sacks of lime were poured into the coffin with the body…

"Thus did we bury him, full of bitter sorrow, on the afternoon of Sunday, December 4, the day following his death."

Ten weeks later, the crew of a ship on route to Malacca gave permission for the coffin to be brought aboard. Francis was deeply venerated in Malacca. The people would be overjoyed to have his body on their land.

On February 17, 1553, the coffin was exhumed. They lifted the lid, expecting to find a bare skeleton under the lime. To their amazement, the body was still in perfect condition!

Still surrounded by the corrosive mineral, the relic was taken to Malacca, and then Goa. Throngs of people venerated the body, rejoicing at the miracle. But there were skeptics who argued that the body was embalmed. So the Viceroy called on the most respected medical expert in Goa, Doctor Cosmas Saraiva, physician to the Viceroy himself.

After careful examination, the doctor testified on oath that the saint's body "could not possibly have been preserved by any natural or artificial means".

To this day, pilgrims still venerate St. Francis Xavier’s miraculously preserved body. Although it has since dried and aged somewhat over the centuries, our future generation is blessed with a detailed account of its appearance when it more vividly resembled the saint as he looked in life.

"The Saint's hair is black and slightly curling. The forehead is broad and high, with two rather large veins, soft and of a purple tint, running down the middle, as is often seen in talented persons who concentrate a great deal.

"The eyes are black, lively and sweet, with so penetrating a glance that he would seem to be alive and breathing. The lips are of a bright reddish color and the beard is thick. In the cheeks there is a very delicate vermillion tint. The tongue is quite flexible, red and moist, and the chin is beautifully proportioned. In a word, the body has all the appearance of being that of a living man. The blood is fluid, the lips flexible, the flesh solid, the color lively, the feet straight and the nails well formed..."

The eye witness closed his extraordinary account with another wonder; one that was quite appropriate, considering the missionary saint involved.

"It is so great a marvel that on seeing it, while I was present, the Commissary of the Dutch East India Company, Mynheer Vandryers, became at once a convert to the Catholic Faith."