SPANISH INSTITUTE OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS. - In 1899 Fr Gerardo Villota founded in Burgos the « Colejo de Ultramar » with the purpose of assisting the dioceses of Latin America and the missions. In 1919 Benedict XV transformed it into a « Seminario de Misiones », which was inaugurated the following year.
In 1948 the S. Congregation of Propaganda assigned it the name indicated above, so that it might become the national institute for the missions. At present it has the apostolic prefecture of S. Jorge (Columbia), the apostolic vicariate of Los Rios (Ecuador), and two other missions in Chiriqui (Panamá) and in the apostolic vicariate of Bulawayo (Southern Rhodesia). In Oct. 1949 the new premises for 300 students were inaugurated. Since 1948 it has published a missiological review, Misiones Extranjeras, and has organized weeks and courses of missionary culture.