THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS The Jesuit Priest and Holy Apostle of the Catholic Press Feast Day: December 21
"Better that only a few Catholics should be left, staunch and sincere in their religion, than that they should, remaining many, desire as it were, to be in collusion with the Church’s enemies and in conformity with the open foes of our faith."
Peter Canisius, who is one of the major figures during the Protestant Reformation, called the 'Apostle of the Catholic Press' and known as the Second Apostle of Germany, was born in Nijmegen (located in Gelderland province), Holland (The Netherlands), on May 8, 1521, his mother died shortly after he was born.
In order to please his father Jacob, who is a burgomaster, he studied law for a few months at the University of Louvain. Realizing however, that he was not called to this career, he took a vow of celibacy and went to study theology in Cologne, Germany, where he earned a master's degree at the age of 19. There, while attending a retreat preached by St. Peter Faber, one of the first disciples of Ignatius of Loyola, he decided to enter the Society of Jesus.
After his ordination to the priesthood, he became famous for his talent in preaching. Ignatius considered him a model religious, prepared to go anywhere and to do anything. From Rome, Peter was sent to Germany, where he counteracted the Protestant doctrines and effected a religious revival among the people.
In 1552, Peter was called to Vienna, Austria, where 90% of the people had abandoned the Catholic faith. Many monasteries lay desolate, and not a single priest had been ordained for 20 years. Peter won the heart of the people by his works of charity. He ministered to the sick, visited the prisoners, and cared for the poor.
Realizing the great importance of mass media, he promoted the Catholic press to the best of his ability. During his lifetime, his catechism was reprinted over 200 times and translated into 15 languages.
Despite his success and popularity, Peter remained humble and submissive. He refused to be consecrated bishop of Vienna and Provincial of his order. He died at the age of 76 due to a stroke in Fribourg, Switzerland on December 21, 1597.
Canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church the same year, his major shrine can be found in Fribourg.
