Francis Xavier Ford was an American Catholic prelate and member of the Maryknoll Missionaries who served as the Bishop of Kaying in China. Born in Brooklyn in 1892, he was the first student to enroll at the Maryknoll seminary. After his ordination, he became one of the earliest American priests to arrive in China, where he spent decades building churches, schools, and expanding the local Catholic community. He is remembered as a martyr for his death in prison following persecution by the Communist regime.