Saint Francis Xavier’s life is, in itself, a dramatic story. With humility and deep religious conviction, the famous Catholic novelist Louis de Wohl takes us into the mind and heart of this great missionary and saint who went by order of St. Ignatius of Loyola to “set all afire” in the Orient. Louis de Wohl captivates the reader as he follows Xavier’s life from student days in Paris, through his meeting with Ignatius, his rather reluctant conversion, and his travels as one of the first Jesuits. The story takes the reader from Europe to Goa, India, Malaysia, Japan, and finally, to an island off the coast of China, where the exiled Xavier dies virtually alone. The book captures the dramatic struggles and inspiring zeal of this remarkable saint, giving at the same time an enthralling picture of the age in which he lived.

“… written with fine understanding … Xavier’s generosity speaks to every age, and seldom so clearly and compellingly as in this book.”
— New York Times Book Review

“Francis Xavier took the admonition to go to all nations seriously. His life remains one of the lessons of what it means to leave all to follow Christ, that nothing else profits a man but this. De Wohl’s novel brings the drama of Xavier alive again to a point where we can begin to catch the flavor of Xavier’s zeal and drama.”
— James V. Schall, SJ, Georgetown University