Peter Canisius

Saint Peter Canisius

Also known as
Hammer of Protestantism
Peter Kanis
Peter Kannees
Peter Kanys
Petrus Canisius
Petrus Kanis
Second Apostle of Germany

memorial
21 December

Profile

Our Saint today was the son of a wealthy burgomeister, or the burgo of a wealthy sonomeister….. He was sent to the best of schools and was an excellent student, studying an eclectic variety of academia, including: art, civil law and theology. He got a degree in Education and a Master’ degree by the age of 19. As you all know the University system, like the Scientific Method was invented by Our Church so back in the day, all the educators in these secular and religious subjects were religious. Peter’s best friends were monks and clerics.

Drawn to learning and education he joined in the Jesuits after attending a retreat conducted by Saint Peter Faber. He traveled and taught throughout Europe at major universities and everywhere. He travelled and worked with Saint Ignatius of Loyola who was his spiritual director, how much better can you do than that…I ask you?

In addition to his university and teaching duties he worked in hospitals and prisons and preached in Germany and Austria. During Mass one day he received a vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and after this vision he offered all his work to the Sacred Heart. He led the Counter-Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and Switzerland, and his work led to the return of Catholicism to Germany. He wrote a Catechism for the instruction in the faith of all especially Children. It went through 200 editions during his life, and was translated into 12 languages; in some places catechisms were referred to as Canisi.

He founded colleges, and attended conclaves in the faith, he even spoke at the Council of Trent on the Eucharist. In his travels he was once visiting Fribourg, Switzerland. While there Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, the city’s patron saint, appeared to Our Saint in a vision. Santa told Peter it was time to stop travelling. Canisius did what he was told, he spent the rest of his life there. He died on this date of natural causes; he was interred before the high altar of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Fribourg.

He was proclaimed one of the 36 Doctors of the Church in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. His spiritual director, Ignatius of Loyola, is not…..go figure.

Patronage

Catholic press
Germany
writers of catechisms
Representation
with his catechism and other books
teaching a group of children