Relic of St. Francis Xavier arrives in Australia

(Sept. 19, 2012) A relic of 16th century Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier has arrived in Australia ahead of a 3-month tour of the country that is expected to draw tens of thousands of pilgrims. "St. Francis has always held a special place in the hearts of Catholic Australians," said Auxiliary Bishop Peter Comensoli as the relic arrived in Sydney on Sunday.(Sept. 16.) The prelate invited everyone to take up this unique and unrepeatable opportunity to experience the person of Christ through the presence of this great saint's relic. The relic is the baptizing right arm of the Spanish saint, who christened tens of thousands of people during his missionary work in India, Africa, a and the Far East. For 400 years it has been kept in the mother-Church of the Jesuit Order in Rome called“The Gesu.” On Friday Sept. 14, Bishop Comensoli took possession of it during a special ceremony in the Gesu, before making for Rome's main airport and a 23-hour flight to Sydney. Upon arrival in Australia, the relic was taken to St. Mary's Church in North Sydney where a special Mass was offered by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney. After the Mass, hundreds of people waited patiently to venerate the relic. St. Francis Xavier was a student of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th century founder of the Society of Jesus or "Jesuits". One of the first seven Jesuits, St. Francis travelled extensively, mainly in the Portuguese Empire, making many converts in India, Japan and the islands of South East Asia such as Borneo. The relic will tour across the country in a specially made reliquary over the next three months.