Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, befriended Francis Xavier and convinced him to use his talents to spread the Gospel. Francis Xavier accepted the challenge and became one of the first Jesuits and the first Jesuit missionary. In his travels through India, the East Indies, and Japan, he is said to have baptized more than 40,000 people. Wherever he went he would seek out people who were poor or sick. En route to China as a missionary, Francis Xavier died on the small island of Sancian.
Because of his extensive travels and his ability to link his preaching of the Word to various cultures, Francis Xavier is considered to be the greatest Christian missionary since Saint Paul. By linking his preaching to the culture that he was visiting, Francis made the Gospel more meaningful to its native people. This practice, called inculturation, attempts to "translate" the essentials of the Gospel message (without compromising the integrity of God's word), so that a particular culture can receive God's message more fully and effectively.